Fasting means withdrawing from worldly attachments. This reaches a climax during Itikaf. Itikaf is a very special practice, marking the closure of the blessed month of Ramadan. Observers of this practice are required to stay in a mosque for ten days or less, during the last ten days of Ramadan.
Itikaf means going into seclusion for the purpose of concentration. In the final days of fasting, when a Muslim is more spiritually prepared and more awakened, he goes into seclusion in the environment of a mosque, freeing his mind of the activities of this world. In spiritual terms, it is meditation; in intellectual terms, it is contemplation.
Itikaf is a total retreat conducted during the last ten days of Ramadhan. In Itikaf one is totally cut off from these pursuits. One retires from the human world and enters the world of God. The contact which the believer thus establishes with God should remain with him throughout his life. This is what the Prophet termed “zuhd” or detachment from the world and has been made obligatory in the form of fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Abu Hurairah reported: “The Prophet used to observe itikaf every year (during Ramadan) for ten days; in the year in which he passed away, he observed itikaf for twenty days.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2044)
This renunciation or Itikaf, during the last days of the month of fasting is considered an extremely desirable form of worship. In Itikaf, one distances completely from the world and turns to God. Itikaf is thus a full form of what is required during the whole of the month, but God has not enjoined to observe Itikaf for the whole month as a concession made to devotees.
The purpose of itikaf is to engage in muhasaba, which means introspection. During this practice, one finds time to reflect on one’s life, one’s past and present, and what course to follow in the future. The ten-day period of itikaf requires a person to undergo overhauling in the spiritual sense.
During Itikaf one undertake introspection and reads the Quran more deeply. This reading is not only meant as recitation of the words of the Quran but is aimed at delving into the deeper meaning of the Quran and understanding its message. This practice is like taking a spiritual bath by making oneself a more awakened person.
During itikaf a Muslim tries to look at himself in the divine mirror. He makes an effort to rediscover the Quran and to reapply the Quranic teachings in his life every year. This rediscovery of the Quran is very important. Life is ever-changing and full of new situations. In this sense, it poses a continuous challenge to every person. When a person goes into itikaf and studies the Quran in seclusion, he discovers the Quran again with reference to the new situations he may be facing. This practice keeps the Muslim intellectually alive. In this way, itikaf enables a Muslim to evaluate his response towards each new situation and update his life accordingly.
In some way or the other, itikaf, 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 in this world, the individual keeps getting distracted. Therefore, it is essential to refocus. The practice of itikaf aims at bringing one who has been derailed back to the right track. The distracted soul has to be turned into a focussed 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 in his life. This is the daily experience of the month of Ramadan. Itikaf is meant to enhance and broaden these spiritual experiences. In this sense, itikaf means increasing these spiritual experiences on a larger scale. Both Ramadan and itikaf are similar, but with a difference. Where fasting during Ramadan is a routine experience, going into itikaf makes it an extraordinary experience, ensuring a heightened spiritual preparedness for the moral challenges of life.
If fasting is a spiritual experience, itikaf is spiritual retreat, designed to enable the rebuilding of self. Ramadan is meant to foster this spiritual transformation and itikaf enhances this process during the period of retreat.
