for his Ummah. Therefore, a person should not conclude every recitation in prayer with, “Say, ‘He is Allah, the One,’” as this man did. Yet if he were to do so, he would not be censured.

Another example is Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubadah, may Allah be pleased with him: “He sought the Prophet’s permission to make his orchard in Madinah a charity on behalf of his mother, and he gave him permission.” (1) However, he did not tell the people, “Give charity on behalf of your mothers after their death,” such that this would become an established sunnah. There is a difference between the two cases.

If someone were to say: Is not the sunnah established by the Prophet’s statements, actions, and tacit approvals? The answer is: Certainly. This is why we say that if someone were to do what the man who concluded with, “Say, ‘He is Allah, the One,’” did (2), or gave something in charity on behalf of his mother, he would not be censured, following the Prophet’s sunnah in his approval of this. Had he not approved it, we would have censured whoever did it.

Issue: Whoever observes i‘tikaf for a limited period, such as an hour or two, or says, “Whenever you enter the mosque, make the intention for i‘tikaf,” is to be censured for this, because it was not part of the guidance of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

It Is Valid Without Fasting, and Both Become Binding Through a Vow …

His statement, “It is valid without fasting,” means that i‘tikaf is valid without fasting.

The scholars differed regarding this issue:

The first view is that i‘tikaf is not valid except with fasting.

They cited as evidence that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, never observed i‘tikaf except while fasting (3), apart from i‘tikaf that was made up.