Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Pillars of Islam | Spirit of Ramadan
Fasting means withdrawing from worldly attachments. This process reaches a climax during i'tikaf, an exceptional practice, marking the closure of the blessed month of Ramadan. Observers of this practice must stay in a mosque for ten days or less during the last ten days of Ramadan.
I’tikaf means going into seclusion to concentrate on worship. For example, in the final days of fasting, when a Muslim is more spiritually awakened, he goes into seclusion in a mosque, freeing his mind of worldly activities. In spiritual terms, it is meditation; in intellectual terms, it is contemplation.
In i'tikaf, one is cut off from worldly pursuits. One retires from the human world and enters the world of God. The contact a believer thus establishes with God should remain with him throughout his life. The Prophet termed it "zuhd", or detachment from the world, which has been made obligatory in fasting during Ramadan.
Abu Hurairah reported: "The Prophet used to observe i'tikaf every year (during Ramadan) for ten days; in the year in which he passed away, he observed i'tikaf for twenty days." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2044)
This renunciation, or i'tikaf, is considered a highly desirable form of worship during the last days of Ramadan. During this period, one distances oneself entirely from the world and turns to God. Therefore, i’tikaf is required from a believer during the whole month, but God has not enjoined to observe i'tikaf for the entire month as a concession made to devotees.
The purpose of i'tikaf is to engage in muhasaba, which means introspection. During this practice, one finds time to reflect on one's past and present life and what course to follow in future. The ten-day period of i'tikaf requires a person to undergo overhauling in the spiritual sense.
During i'tikaf, one undertakes introspection and reads the Quran more deeply. This reading is not only meant as a recitation of the words of the Quran but is aimed at understanding its message at a deeper level.
During i'tikaf, a Muslim tries to look at himself in the divine mirror. He tries to rediscover the Quran and reapply the Quranic teachings to his life every year. This rediscovery of the Quran is essential. Life is ever-changing and full of new situations. In this sense, it poses a continuous challenge to every person. When a person enters i'tikaf and studies the Quran in seclusion, he discovers the Quran again concerning the new situations he may face. This practice keeps Muslims intellectually alive. In this way, i'tikaf enables the believer to evaluate his response towards new situations and update his life accordingly.
In some way or the other, i'tikaf, in terms of contemplation in seclusion, is common to all religions. The form it takes may differ, but in spirit, it is universal. In the course of daily life, the individual keeps getting distracted. Therefore, it is essential to refocus. The practice of i'tikaf aims at bringing one who has been derailed back to the right track. The distracted soul has to be turned into a focused soul.
Ramadan is a month of profound spiritual experience. When one drinks water after a long period of thirst, eats food after a long period of hunger, and is at rest after a long period of unrest, he receives a special kind of spiritual uplift. This is the daily experience of the month of Ramadan. I’tikaf is meant to enhance and broaden these spiritual experiences. In this sense, i'tikaf means increasing these spiritual experiences on a larger scale. Both Ramadan and i'tikaf are similar, but with a difference. Where fasting during Ramadan is an everyday experience, going into i'tikaf makes it an extraordinary experience, ensuring a heightened spiritual preparedness for the moral challenges of life.
If fasting is a spiritual experience, i'tikaf is a spiritual retreat designed to enable the rebuilding of self. Ramadan is meant to foster this spiritual transformation, and i'tikaf enhances this process during spiritual retreats.