Itikaf "The Spiritual Retreat"

    ITIKAF

"The Spiritual Retreat"

By E ISLAM (www.eislam.co.za)

The meaning of Itikaf is to seclude oneself in the Masjid  with the express niyyah (intention) of Itikaf.

Allah Ta'ala has indeed in His perfect wisdom created humanity in a unique way. He has made it such that from time to time His creation needs a rest. We rest at night to give our bodies time to recover. Birds retire to their nests, horses to their stables, bees to their hives etc. However there comes a time when more intensive rest or a retreat is required.  Sometimes due to a person's physical condition he is admitted into the intensive care unit allowing his body time to recover.

Likewise the soul also needs to recover from the hustle and bustle of the world, the spiritual pollution caused by evil elements of society, the rat race of wanting, desiring and acquiring more of this world and the distractions that has diverted our mind, heart and soul from the remembrance of Allah Ta'ala and His Beloved Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Intensive Care Unit(ICU) for the soul is the Masjid and Itikaf is the feature within this ICU to allow the soul to not only recover but be spiritually rejuvenated! Itikaf is indeed a Spiritual Retreat!

Inside each and every human being, a constant battle rages.  It is like a battle between two tigers. One tiger is a manifestation of evil.  It is full of hate, lust, and greed.  Its fangs drip with bitterness and strife. The other tiger is an embodiment of good.  It is full of love, compassion, and honesty.  He never betrays his brother.

These two tigers are constantly at war. Which tiger is going to win the battle?

The answer is quite obvious…. Whichever one you feed.

Our soul is being bombarded by forces of good and evil. We need to feed it good so that it overpowers the evil….and Itikaf is indeed an excellent opportunity to achieve this by feeding and nourishing the soul with good deeds.

Since the life of the transient world keeps us busy for the whole year in studies, work, social functions, business, traveling and other such things that often causes us to be negligent of our souls and the next life, we may sometimes think that these things are the sole purpose in life and thus, we end up forgetting our true goal – Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him). Thus, it is for this reason that I'tikaf is referred to as

"The spring of life in a world struck with the drought of negligence of Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him)."

 

I'tikaf indeed rejuvenates the soul and gives a fresh breath to life. In addition, we can once again find ourselves and our Lord Allah Ta'ala and spiritually return back to Him before we are forced to return back to Him when our soul separates from our body (death).

 

The period of I'tikaf is the best time to force one's self to sit and think and reflect on the self and the world around; the period of the I'tikaf is the best time to forget the worries of the transient world and to return to nurturing the soul and linking oneself with the Creator of the soul; the period of the I'tikaf is the best time to return back to Allah (Glory and Greatness be to Him) in true repentance for our sins committed through the year and to give our souls the spiritual strength desperately needed to live a spiritual and pure life in this challenging world.

The Messenger of Allah ( Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam) observed, I'tikâf and the Muslims have on the whole adhered to it. It has become a regular feature of the month of Ramadhân and a confirmed practice with the devout and the faithful.

Hazrat Ayesha (Radiallâhu anha) relates that "Rasulullâh. Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam regularly observed I'tikâf during the last ten days of Ramadhân till the end of his life. After him, his wives maintained the tradition." (Hadith-Bukhari)

It is related by Hazrat Abû Huraira (Radiallâhu anhu) that

"Rasulullâh Sallallâhu 'alayhi wasallam observed I'tikâf for ten days every year in the month of Ramadhân. In the year he passed away he observed it for twenty days." (Hadith-Bukhari)

The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him s family) is reported to have said: 

"The person who secludes himself (in the Masjid in I'tikaf) in true faith and hope (for the reward of Allah), all of his previous sins shall be forgiven." (Kanzul Ummal, Hadith 24007) 

 3 TYPES OF ITIKAF

WAAJIB (Compulsory) Itikaf.

This Itikaf becomes compulsory when a person makes it obligatory upon himself. An example of this is, when a person makes a vow to Allah that if Allah fulfills a certain wish of his, he will undertake to perform so many days Itikaf. In this case the moment his wish is fulfilled, Itikaf becomes compulsory. A person may just make unconditional vow whereby he makes Itikaf Waajib upon himself for certain number of days. This becomes a Waajib duty on from that moment onward.

SUNNAH Itikaf.

This was the general practice of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and it means to seclude oneself inside the Masjid for the last ten days of Ramadhan.

NAFIL Itikaf.

There is no special time or specific number of days for Nafil Itikaf. A person may make niyyah for any number of days at any time, even for his whole life

Before engaging in Itikaf it is highly recommended to learn the rules relating to this important act of ibadah (worship). Please consult your local Ulama (Islamic Scholars) for more guidance.

For a detailed article on Itikaf and its rules please visit :

http://eislaminfo.blogspot.com/2010/08/itikaf.html

 

Big Bucks!

Big Bucks!

By Abdur Rahmaan Umar

"Hey. Wake up! Moe! What's the rush?"

 'Where you…..rushing?'  Huffed Yusuf, 'What's… the…big hurry?'

He panted as he caught up with Moosa, grapping him by the arm and roughly turning him around.

"Where's the fire, buddy? Never seen you move so fast before. Can't be for free cokes or anything like that," he laughed, "I mean, you fasting, no?"

Moosa slowed his stride just enough for Yusuf to keep pace with him but kept up his determined steps, "I gotta get to the musjid!"

"But Mahgrib's still an hour away," said Yusuf pointing at his watch, "Let's go and catch up on the cricket. Amla is doing some real magic, my man," he whistled, "and we don't want to miss out."

 Moosa stopped, straightened his topee(hat) and waited for Yusuf to catch up, "I'm gonna turn my machine, that's where I'm chasing."

"What machine?" cried Yusuf holding on tightly to his arm not too keen to run behind him again "and in the masjid. You going to stir the Haleem degh (gigantic soup pot) or something. Maybe you becoming hypoglycaemic?"

"Stick out your tongue, let's see if you dehydrated or something,"

"Naah, I'm fine," objected Moosa brushing Yusuf's arm away and straightening his jacket, "just trying to do what Sheikh Hamaad said last night."

"Oops, I missed that one, was catching up the on the cricket. Hey, you should have seen Amla at the crease, he was..."

Moosa didn't wait for him to finish, " Sheikh was saying...imagine if there is machine that printed perfectly legal money. No hanky panky. Real stuff. And you were given the machine for a month.."

"So you saying," shouted Yusuf, rubbing his hands with glee, "A real money printing machine!"

"And this machine can be set on any note – Ten Dollars up to Five hundred Dollar notes, your choice."

"What choice, my man, we go straight for the five hundred Dollar notes. Let's go for the kill! We talking big bucks here."

"But..." started Moosa taking smaller steps in the hope Yusuf would follow.

"Ha!" exclaimed Yusuf, jumping in front of Moosa blocking his path, "I knew there was a catch! Too good to be true."

"Yup, the catch is that you have to turn the handle yourself. Manual Bro! No automatic stuff. And ....and," explained Moosa gently nudging his friend out of his way. "And you only have the machine for thirty days"

"Ok ok! So we got the deal... we got the machine and we turn the handle and out comes the bucks. Just needs some planning. Brains!" said Yusuf tapping his head, "We get food served at the machine and we just down some triple expressos to keep awake."

"Toilet, that may be a bit of a problem," he said scratching his head, "Maybe a bucket."

"The smell...the smell," laughed Moosa.

"We talking big money, we can live with the smell," replied Yusuf huffing a little as he struggled to keep pace. Adjusting his trouser did little to increase his pace. "So we turn this machine for thirty days straight and out comes the bucks, Right? Then we rich for ever! Neat deal"

"Hold on! Hold on! What has this machine got to do with Ramadaan or the machine?"

Moosa paused, "Sheikh was explain that this month of Ramadaan is like this machine. It generates great reward but we have to work at it. The more effort we make the more we get out. And…he said exactly what you said – if people knew the value of Ramadaan they would leave everything else. Even the necessities, never mind the cricket. And…we would work day and night to cash in on the generous rewards."

"Aah, now I understand," he said standing in front of Moosa, hands on his hips, "So we wouldn't lose anytime making the best of it."

"So... we need to get the most out of Ramadaan."

"Yup," nodded Moosa, "That's why I'm rushing to the muasjid. To turn the machine! Get the rewards of this month. Rather than waste it on watching cricket or useless talk."

"Makes sense to me, brother," smiled Yusuf, grabbing Moosa by the arm dragging him forward, "What we waiting for? Let's go turn the machine. We'll meet Hashim Amla after Ramadaan."

Moosa smiled and chased after his friend.

Fill the Bucket this Ramadaan!

Fill the Bucket!

By Abdur Rahmaan Umar

 

"Sheikh, Ramadaan soon," said Omar, his gruff voice making him sound a lot older than his 28 years, "We will really have to exert ourselves this Ramadaan!"

Sheik Hamaad nodded quietly, taking a sip of his favourite Jasmine tea.

"Yup, we really gonna have to try and do a lot this Ramadaan," chorused Ridwaan.

Sheikh looked at them and whispered, "Or not to do."

Omar jerked his head in surprise and looked at Ridwaan, searching for an answer. Ridwaan raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. The group looked at one another with skewed glances but said little until Omar mustered the courage and broke the silence, "Did Sheikh say not to do?"

Sheikh nodded in silent affirmation, his long beard making little waves on his chest.

They looked at one another for some clue, something just wasn't right.

Zaid, unable to contain himself and ventured softly, his voice barely audible from his usual position against the wall at the back, "But Sheikh always told us that this is the month to capitalize, to take maximum benefit of the time and to really … how you say…stock up."

Sheikh Hamaad's lips curled into a soft smile as he placed his tea on the little ornate wood table beside him, "True, I did say that you have to work hard and earn rewards. But let me give you an example – if you have a bucket, how long will it take to fill up?"

Omar's face lit up, he adjusted his specs, and in his a very professional tone said, "Depends on many factors – what's the rate of flow of the water, how big is the bucket, what is the size of the opening, and …"

"Let say we ignore all that," Sheikh continued, "If the bucket has a huge hole at the bottom will it remain full?"

"Well," began Omar, "depends on the size of the hole, and the rate of…"

"No ways! It will not remain full," Zaid interrupted him, and looked to Sheikh for an explanation of the analogy.

Sheikh surveyed the puzzled look on their faces and decided to end the suspense, "If we do a lot in Ramadaan, but fail to give up sinning then we are like people who are trying to fill a bucket that has holes."

"Holy bucket!" said Zaid, chuckled softly at his joke.

Sheikh smiled and continued, "Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah Radiallahu anhu narrated that the Messenger of Allah Sallalahu Alaihi wasallam said: 'There are many such people who fast but gain nothing from their fast except hunger, and there are many such people who stand up (in Prayer) for whom there is nothing but the (difficulty) of staying awake. (Hadith-ibn Majah)' So….people may make a lot of effort, but gain nothing from it."

"Holes in the bucket," acknowledged Zaid, his head nodding in affirmation, "But why?"

Sheikh paused to sip his tea, "Because they don't give up sinning…perhaps they break their fast with haraam provisions, or they indulged in backbiting during the day. Or they indulged in some other sin that erased the good of the fasting and prayer. "

In another saying of the Messenger of Allah Sallalahu Alaihi wasallam narrated by Hadhrat Abu Ubaydah( Radiallahu Anhu) that "Fasting is a shield until it's not torn" (Hadith-Ibn Majah); which conveys a similar meaning. A shield is only useful if it's able to withstand the onslaught of the enemy. If it's damaged it's no longer a source of protection. Likewise, we have to be extra careful about not committing sins in Ramadaan.

Ridwaan leaned forward and asked, "Must we be more vigilant about sins than doing good deeds?"

"Yes, you need to be more cautious, because if you do good deeds without refraining from sin then it's like filling a bucket with holes. Holy bucket!" said sheikh nodding at Zaid, whose curiosity dragged him away from the back wall.

Sheikh paused to take drain the cup of the last drops of tea, In another Hadith it's mentioned that a person asked The Messenger Sallalahu Alaihi wasallam, just as you have asked, what causes the fast to tear, and he, Sallalahu Alaihi wasallam replied – lies and backbiting.

Fasting is not just about giving up food and drink; it's about staying away from haraam. So the eyes have to fast by not looking at anything impermissible, the ears have to fast by not listening to haraam. So too, the mouth, by avoiding lies, backbiting, swearing and other wrongful words. Even the limbs have to fast by not going to haraam or indulging in it.

"That changes the whole notion of fasting," asked Zaid, now having made his way close to the front, "But that's tough…"

Sheikh immediately began reciting in his melodious voice:

"يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ"

"From Surah Baqarah (verse 185) – Allah Ta'ala desires ease for you and does not intend for you hardship. And (wants) for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that (to) which He has guided you;"

"Zaid! You love your kebabs?" Sheikh asked.

Zaid nodded bashfully. "Would you eat any one of those lovely, tasty kebabs just before fast breaking time? Say with 30 seconds to spare?"

Zaid shook his head vigorously and replied, "No!" his voice a little too loud for the occasion.

"Why not?"

"Because that would be breaking Allah's command!"

"Even by a mere thirty seconds?" asked Sheikh and Zaid shook his head more energetically.

"So we have so much self-restraint about what we put in our mouths that we won't even transgress by thirty seconds, but we take very little care about what comes out of our mouths," said Sheikh, "Allah Ta'ala has given us the ability to control ourselves, we have to use this ability to avoid all those things which earn His displeasure."

"So what's the best thing we can do this Ramadaan? "asked Omar.

"The best thing to do is to avoid sinning in this blessed month, and…and...do your best to fill the bucket. By the grace of Allah Ta'ala it will be filled which much good that will remain even after Ramadaan. So, simply, do nothing wrong this Ramadaan!"