Itikaf (seclusion in the house of Allah)

Itikaf is to stay within a Masjid for at least 1 full day with the niyah (Intention) to draw near to Allah with pure intentions and 10 days being the max and its highly recommended that you spend the entire 10 days within itikaf so that you maximize your spiritual growth, this (Itikaf) is one of the voluntary fadail acts of worship, Its highly recommended to do itikaf in the last 10 days of Ramadan as the messenger himself did it and advised us to follow him in his footsteps in it and to search for Laylat al-Qadr during that time! If you make a vow to do it then Itikaf for you becomes obligatory!

There are 4 conditions to be met to be a considered valid itikaf

1. You must be a sane man woman or slave
2. Fast, you must refrain from the 2 shahwah (Food and sexual pleasure)
3. You must remain in the masjid and not leave the premises not even leaving to go to roof or athan and its recommended in last 10 days of Ramadan for itikaf
4. Doing beneficial actions that increase you in emaan  

According to the School of Medina (Maliki Madhab) there is no itikaf without fasting and this has a basis within the Quran (Q2 V187) as it only mentions itikaf along side with fasting (prayer and Zakat is connected) and that is an evidence that you should fast during Itikaf least your Itikaf not be valid, regarding the Sunnah The messenger would fast during itikaf and the Statements of the uelma are many within the different madhabs and in Al muwatta a authority within the madhab its well known Imam malik held this view and he heard of eulma before him whom witness this taking place

Makruhat of itikaf (disliked acts)

During the moment of Itikaf you should be preforming salah worshiping Allah much and having khushoo while in the state of prayer as well as reciting the book of Allah from what you know frequently with great conviction that your faith would be increased. The author and my teacher mentioned that it is disliked that this person reads Islamic books and text or writing of the Quran or acting as a imam within the Masjid during your time of itikaf, itikaf is for you to worship Allah and draw near to him

Nawaqid ul itikaf (nullification of itikaf)

Doing any major sin such as zina or drinking khumr, having sexual relations (they are allowed to be betrothed but not to consummate the marriage until after itikaf), menstruating, eating or drinking in the masjid during the day or leaving the masjid grounds for any reason not food or using the bathroom would cause the itikaf to be void the moment you engage in such a forbidden act. If you are doing itikaf during the month of Ramadan and you do such a lewd disgusting act then your fast and itikaf because void and you have earned the anger of Allah and Must repent and make up what was lost

The location of Itikaf

Itikaf is permissible to be done in all masjids according to the scholars of Islam. There in the history of Islam have been groups who have restricted it to the 3 masjids (haram,Nabawi,al aqsa) and ibn lubaba has allowed for it to be done in places other than the Masjids. I hold the opinion that itikaf can be done in any Masjid of Allah provided its actually a masjid and not a hussainiya or a qadiyani temple or some strange sect. If you enter a Masjid and stay within it and do not leave except to use the bathroom or illness then your itikaf is valid until you renter the premises

Leaving the premises

Regarding the permissibility of leaving the masjid to use bathroom it is to be noted this is a classical Islamic text written before the modern plumbing system so it was mentioned that you are allowed to leave the premises for the purpose of answering the call of nature and this is found in Al Muwattah “A’isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,”When the Messenger of Allah did itikaf he would bring his head near to me and I would comb it. He would only go into the house to relieve himself (B19 H1).”

Imam Malik on Itikaf

Imam Malik mentioned in his book Al Muwatta that a person in the state of itikaf should not visit the sick or preform the funeral prayer even if it had been their parents funeral or anything else, he also observed that the people of knowledge would not go back to their families until they had attended eid al fitr and Imam malik highly praised that and saw it as acts among the people of excellence! we now know if we are sick we can leave and still be considered itikaf but we should not leave to visit those who have fell ill or your itikaf would be spoiled in that moment.