EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF I’TIKAAF
Educational aspects of i’tikaaf. Implementing the concept of worship in a complete fashion:
I’tikaaf plants in the soul of the person who does it the concept of true enslavement to Allah (‘uboodiyyah), and trains him in this important matter for which man was created. For Allah (may He be exalted) says (interpretation of the meaning): “And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).” [al-Dhariyat 51:56]. For the person who is in I’tikaaf has devoted his whole self and his whole time to worship Allah, may He be glorified.
His whole purpose is to earn the pleasure of Allah, may He be exalted, so he strives with his body, senses and time for this purpose, by praying fard and naafil prayers, by making du’a’ and dhikr, by reading the Qur’an, and other kinds of acts of worship.
Through this training during the best days of the month of Ramadhan, the person in I’tikaaf trains himself to apply the concept of ‘uboodiyyah or enslavement to Allah in his public and private life, and he strives to put into practice the words of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad): “Verily, my Salaat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.” [al-An’am 6:162-163]
Al-Qurtubi said: “My living means, whatever I do in my life; my dying means what I advise you to do after my death; for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen means, they are only for the purpose of drawing closer to Him.” (7/69).
Seeking Laylat al-Qadr
This was the main purpose behind the I’tikaaf of the Prophet, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him. At first his I’tikaaf lasted for the entire month, then he did I’tikaaf during the middle ten days, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. When he learned that it is in the last ten days of the month of Ramadhan, he limited his I’tikaaf to these blessed ten days.
Getting accustomed to staying in the mosque
The person in I’tikaaf has committed himself to staying in the mosque for a specific time period. Human nature may not readily accept such restrictions at the beginning of the I’tikaaf, but usually this attitude quickly disappears because of the peace of mind that the Muslim soul develops from staying in the House of Allah.
The person in I’tikaaf understands the importance of his staying in the mosque during his I’tikaaf from the following things:
The person who stays in the mosque finds that the mosque becomes dear to him, and he understands the value of the houses of Allah, may He be exalted. This love has a great value with Allah, because those who love the houses of Allah will be one of the groups whom Allah will shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His shade.
When a person stays in the mosque, whilst he is waiting for the prayer, he is rewarded as for praying, and the angels pray for forgiveness for him. According to the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The angels will pray for blessings for any one of you as long as he stays in his place of prayer and as long as nothing happens to break his wudu’. [They say:] ‘O Allah, forgive him, O Allah have mercy on him.’ As long as any one of you stays in his place of prayer, as long as what is keeping him there is the fact that he is waiting for the prayer, and nothing is keeping him from going back to his family apart from his prayer.” (al-Bukhaari, 2/360 Fath al-Baari).
Keeping away from physical luxuries.
In I’tikaaf a person reduces a lot of these things and becomes like a stranger in this world, so “give good news to the stranger.” For the sake of earning the pleasure of Allah, he is content to stay in a corner of the mosque with usually no more than a pillow on which to lay his head and a blanket with which to cover himself, for he has left his comfortable bed and his usual habits for the sake of earning Allah’s pleasure.
As for his food, this is a different story, if it is not what he usually eats. If he has food brought from his house, usually it will not be as much as he would eat at home, and he does not eat it at a table with his wife and children, as he would usually do. On the contrary, he eats like a stranger, like a poor slave who is need of his Lord. If he goes out to the market-place to get food, he tries hard to take what is available and he is not too fussy about what kind of food he gets, because he has to go back to his place of I’tikaaf and not take too long to do these things. Thus he learns that he can get by with a little, for which his Lord will be pleased with him, just as he can live with much, for which his Lord will not be pleased with him – and the difference between the two is immense.
Giving up many harmful habits
In the light of the fact that the concept of Islamic education is lacking in many Muslim societies and in many homes in those Muslim societies, many habits have become widespread which go against the teachings of this pure religion. These evil habits have become so widespread that they have become almost acceptable and are not seen as having any harmful impact either on the religion or the individual. These habits include smoking, listening to music and watching scenes and events broadcast by satellite channels which go against the ‘aqeedah (belief) of the Muslim and his sense of modesty and chastity, and other habits which affect the religion and the individual.
The time of I’tikaaf gives the individual the opportunity to see the falsehood of these habits and the futility of the belief which many Muslims have, that they do not have the ability to rid themselves of these habits, because they have gained control over them.
During the period of I’tikaaf, when he is alone with his Creator, the Muslim comes to understand the concept of worship in the most comprehensive sense and that he has to be enslaved to Allah every hour of the day, in both his public and his private life. When he takes the pleasure and love of Allah as the yardstick against which he measures all his actions, he will find that the habits we have referred to above, and many others, do not agree with that love of Allah, and indeed they are the opposite. So he discovers that habits such as these take him out of the circle of sincere ‘uboodiyyah towards Allah. If this is the case, then he is obliged to rid himself of these habits as quickly as possible.
During the period of I’tikaaf, the Muslim is not allowed to go out except in the case of definite needs which serve to facilitate his staying in the mosque for I’tikaaf. Apart from that, he should not go out, even if it is for a permissible purpose. So – for example – he cannot go out and walk around in the market-place, even for a short time, to buy things that have nothing to do with his I’tikaaf. If he goes out to buy siwaak, this will not affect his I’tikaaf because it is something that is required for his prayer during his I’tikaaf. But if he went out to buy a gift for his wife or for one of his children, that would invalidate his I’tikaaf, because the Messenger, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, did not go out except in the case of “human need”, as mentioned above. So how about if the person in I’tikaaf goes out to do something haram such as smoking cigarettes for example, or to watch a satellite TV show that he usually watches? Undoubtedly this would invalidate his I’tikaaf.
So if he goes out to drink wine or to smoke, this invalidates his I’tikaaf. In general, any going out for any invalid reason invalidates one’s I’tikaaf, and more so if the purpose of going out is to commit a sin. Even when he goes out for a legitimate purpose, it is not permissible for him to light a cigarette on the way.
I’tikaaf is an annual opportunity in which a person can get rid of these bad habits by repenting and turning to Allah, and by weaning himself from these sins during the period of I’tikaaf, not giving in to his desires, and getting used to this.
This continual worship of Allah requires continual patience on the part of the person in I’tikaaf, which is a kind of training for a person’s will and a kind of self-discipline for the soul which usually tries to escape this worship to turn towards other matters which it desires.
There is also the kind of patience which is required for dealing with the absence of things which a person may be used to, such as different kinds of food that he eats at home but which are not available in the mosque. So he puts up with having little for the sake of earning the pleasure of Allah, may He be exalted and glorified.
And there is the kind of patience which is required for putting up with the place where he is sleeping, for he will not have a bed put in the mosque for him, or a comfortable mattress on which he could sleep. He sleeps on a very modest mattress or even on the carpets in the mosque.
And there is the kind of patience which is required for putting up with the conditions in the mosque, the crowds of people around him, the lack of peace and quiet such as he enjoys at home when he wants to sleep.
And there is the kind of patience which is required for suppressing his desire for his wife, with whom he is not allowed to have sexual relations if he goes home for any purpose; he cannot even kiss her or hug her, even though she is halaal for him. Thus the value of patience, strong will power and self-control is manifested. Through these practices and others, a person can train himself to delay many of the things he desires for the sake of things which are more important, so he puts off these psychological and material needs for the sake of earning the pleasure of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
(9) Peace of mind
(10) Reading the Qur’an and completing it
(11) Sincere repentance
(12) Qiyaam al-Layl (praying at night) and getting used to it
(13) Making good use of one’s time
(14) Purifying one’s soul
(15) Reforming one’s heart and focusing on Allah.
We ask Allah to help us to remember Him, thank Him and worship Him properly. And Allah knows best. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
References:
Al-I’tikaaf Nadrah Tarbawiyyah, Dr. ‘Abd al-Lateef ibn Muhammad Baaltoo
Al-Ithaaf fi Bayaan Masaa’il al-I’tikaaf, Abu ‘Umar Haay al-Haay
Source: Islam basics
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