you find a man whose only concern is listening to what people say and occupying himself with gossip and hearsay, wasting his time on what harms him and brings him no benefit.

Question: May one of the relatives of a person observing i'tikaf visit him and speak with him for some time?

Answer: Yes. Safiyyah bint Huyayy visited the Prophet during his i'tikaf and spoke with him for a while. (1) Speaking with one’s family is among the matters that concern a person, for when he speaks with them, he brings them joy and fosters affection between them. This is something intended by the Sacred Law. Therefore, none of us should be a mere burden upon his family, sitting with them without speaking or conversing with them: if he is a student of knowledge, his book is with him; and if he is a worshipper, he is reciting the Quran or remembering Allah, without speaking. Then, when asked why he does not speak, he says: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak what is good or remain silent.” (2)

We say to him: The Prophet said, “should speak what is good.” Good may lie in the words themselves, or in something else to which those words lead. There is no doubt that when you speak with your family or companions in words that are originally permissible, intending thereby to bring them comfort and joy, this becomes good by virtue of what it leads to. It may also be good in itself, such as when you present them with a matter of Islamic jurisprudence, or a story from which they may take heed, and the like. What matters, then, is that you avoid what does not concern you; and there is no doubt that this is good for the person observing i'tikaf and for others as well.