Q. Some people suggest that a woman should not do the i’tikaf in a mosque; rather, it is better for her to do it at home. Is this correct?
M. Imaduddin
A. The i’tikaf means staying in a mosque for the purpose of worship. It is preferable in the last ten days of Ramadan, but can be done at any time, for any duration. In fact, a person may make his intention to do the i’tikaf whenever he enters a mosque, resolving to spend in worship the entire duration of his stay, whether it is 15 minutes or a couple of weeks.
A Hadith mentions that the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that a small area in the mosque should be reserved for him for i’tikaf, and his order was carried out.
Everyone of his wives gave a similar order, and each one had a corner reserved for her. When he saw this, he said to them: ‘It is goodness you want to achieve, is it not?’ He then ordered that his area be removed, and his wives did likewise. He delayed the i’tikaf to the first ten days of the following month, Shawwal.
This Hadith clearly shows that women may do the i’tikaf in the mosque in the same way as men, and that the i’tikaf is not limited to Ramadan. Nor is it required for ten days. In fact it is a Sunnah indicated by the Prophet’s practice. He made no order or verbal recommendation to do it.
