Q. What is the difference between Fardh, Sunnah and Nafl I’tikaaf
A. There is no such thing as Fardh I’tikaaf. If a person takes an oath to perform I’tikaaf, then it becomes Waajib. The I’tikaaf of the last ten days of Ramadan is Sunnah and performing I’tikaaf whenever one wishes to is Nafl.
Q. Do the rulings of Sunnah mu’akkadah I’tikaaf also apply to one performing Mustahab (Nafl) I’tikaaf?
A. The rulings of Sunnah mu’akkadah do apply in Nafl I’tikaaf. However, in a Nafl I’tikaaf fasting is not a prerequisite. As for Sunnah mu’aakadah I’tikaaf, it only takes place during the last ten days of Ramadhan and fasting is a prerequisite.
Secondly, in Nafl I’tikaaf, if one leaves the masjid without a valid reason his I’tikaaf period will automatically end and it won’t break. However, the Sunnah I’tikaaf will break.
Q. If a mu’takif mistakenly leaves the masjid what will the ruling be?
A. His I’tikaaf will be nullified.
Q. During I’tikaaf whilst one is awake or sleeping one’s wudu keeps breaking. Will it be necessary to always keep on making wudu? Is it permissible to read tafseer and fiqh books without wudu?
A. It is preferable to stay in the state of wudu, not Waajib. It is also preferable to read books of tafseer and fiqh with wudu.
Q. Can the Mu’takif attend a Janaazah Salah?
A. If a Mu’takif leaves the masjid for Janaazah Salah, his I’tikaaf will break.
Q. A person is a habitual smoker and can’t do without them. The question is can he smoke cigarettes whilst in I’tikaaf?
A. When one goes out to answer the call of nature, then the need for smoking etc. may also be fulfilled after which the mouth should be thoroughly cleansed. One should not enter the masjid with a foul-smelling mouth.
Q. A Mu’takif uses his phone a lot so that he may be kept informed of his business, wife and children. What is the ruling?
A. There’s nothing wrong in keeping informed according to necessity. Usage of the phone should not go beyond necessity. I’tikaaf is meant to be a time of seclusion wherein one separates themselves from worldly activity and focusing on one’s connection with Allah and one’s hereafter.
Q. If a mu’takif left the masjid to answer the call of nature and the toilet is occupied should he wait outside the toilet or should he go back to the masjid and then come back after a while? Sometimes a person has to come back and forth a number of times.
A. In such situations, it is permissible for one to wait outside the toilet.
Q. If a person is in I'tikaf can he go out of the masjid for Jumuah ghusl?
A. In a Sunnah i'tikaf a person should not leave specifically for the Jumuah ghusl. Rather, when he goes to the washroom to relieve himself, he can in the process and by the way also take a bath without spending excessive time taking a bath.
In a Nafl I'tikaf a person may leave specifically for the Jumuah ghusl.
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