1201 – It is narrated from ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “O Messenger of Allah, in the Days of Ignorance I vowed to spend a night in spiritual retreat (iʿtikāf) in the Sacred Mosque.” He replied, “Fulfil your vow.” Agreed upon. Al-Bukhari adds in one wording: “So he spent a night in retreat.” (1)
What is derived from the ḥadith
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As previously stated, iʿtikāf in Sacred Law is for a mentally sound Muslim to remain in a mosque for the worship of Allah. Its legitimacy is established by the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. Its purpose is to confine both soul and body to Allah’s worship, sever ties with created beings in order to attend to the Creator, and empty the heart of distractions from the remembrance of Allah.
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This ḥadith is one of the proofs for its legitimacy. Imam Aḥmad said, “I do not know of any scholar who disputes that it is a recommended practice.”
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The ḥadith also shows that iʿtikāf is valid and permissible without fasting. ʿUmar’s vow concerned a single night; had fasting been a condition, a nighttime retreat would not have been valid, for no fasting takes place at night. Therefore fasting is not a prerequisite, just as it is not for the prayer. Moreover, making fasting obligatory is a legal ruling that can only be established by revelation, and no authentic text or consensus supports it.
This is the view of the two Imams, al-Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad. Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik required fasting, but the first view is stronger and better supported by the evidence.
Al-Majd, his grandson Taqī al-Dīn, the commentator, and others state: “There is nothing in stipulating…”