Observing I‘tikaf
Total Hadiths 44
How the Prophet Observed I‘tikaf to Seek Lailat-ul-Qadr
These authentic prophetic traditions describe how the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) observed i‘tikaf, or spiritual seclusion, during the holy month of Ramadan. Initially, he spent the first and middle ten days of the month in deep devotion within the mosque to seek Lailat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree). However, after receiving divine guidance via an angel, he discovered that the blessed night occurs in the final stretch of the month. The Prophet (ﷺ) explicitly directed his companions to remain firmly committed to their places of devotion and to seek the night among the last ten odd nights. Eye-witness accounts from the companions recall that it rained heavily on the twenty-first night, causing the palm-leaf roof of the mosque to drip water, leaving visible traces of mud and clay on the Prophet’s forehead and the tip of his nose during dawn prayers.
Sahih Muslim : 1167a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1167a
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ مُضَرَ - عَنِ ابْنِ الْهَادِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ، بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُجَاوِرُ فِي الْعَشْرِ الَّتِي فِي وَسَطِ الشَّهْرِ فَإِذَا كَانَ مِنْ حِينِ تَمْضِي عِشْرُونَ لَيْلَةً وَيَسْتَقْبِلُ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَسْكَنِهِ وَرَجَعَ مَنْ كَانَ يُجَاوِرُ مَعَهُ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَقَامَ فِي شَهْرٍ جَاوَرَ فِيهِ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ الَّتِي كَانَ يَرْجِعُ فِيهَا فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ فَأَمَرَهُمْ بِمَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ " إِنِّي كُنْتُ أُجَاوِرُ هَذِهِ الْعَشْرَ ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُجَاوِرَ هَذِهِ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَاخِرَ فَمَنْ كَانَ اعْتَكَفَ مَعِي فَلْيَبِتْ فِي مُعْتَكَفِهِ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ فَأُنْسِيتُهَا فَالْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ فِي كُلِّ وِتْرٍ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنِي أَسْجُدُ فِي مَاءٍ وَطِينٍ " . قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيُّ مُطِرْنَا لَيْلَةَ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ فَوَكَفَ الْمَسْجِدُ فِي مُصَلَّى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَقَدِ انْصَرَفَ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ وَوَجْهُهُ مُبْتَلٌّ طِينًا وَمَاءً .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) spent in devotion (in i'tikaf) the middle ten nights of the month of Ramadan, and when twenty nights were over and it was the twenty-first night, he went back to his residence and those who were along with him also returned (to their respective residences). He spent one month in devotion. Then he addressed the people on the night he came back (to his residence) and commanded them as Allah desired (him to command) and then said: I used to devote myself (observe i'tikaf) during these ten (nights). Then I started devoting myself in the last ten (nights). And he who desires to observe i'tikaf along with me should spend the night) at his place of i'tikaf. And I saw this night (Lailat-ul-Qadr) but I forgot it (the exact night) ; so seek it;In the last ten nights on odd numbers. I saw (the glimpses of that dream) that I was prostrating in water and mud. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: It rained on the twenty-first night and the water dripped (from the roof) of the mosque at the place where the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed prayer. I looked at him and as he completed the dawn prayer, (I found) his face was wet with mud and water.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1167aIn-book reference : Book 13, Hadith 275USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 6, Hadith 2625
Sahih Muslim : 1167b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1167b
وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ، - يَعْنِي الدَّرَاوَرْدِيَّ - عَنْ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، - رضى الله عنه - أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُجَاوِرُ فِي رَمَضَانَ الْعَشْرَ الَّتِي فِي وَسَطِ الشَّهْرِ . وَسَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ بِمِثْلِهِ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ " فَلْيَثْبُتْ فِي مُعْتَكَفِهِ " . وَقَالَ وَجَبِينُهُ مُمْتَلِئًا طِينًا وَمَاءً .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) devoted (himself to prayer) in the middle (ten nights) of Ramadan. The rest of the hadith is the same except for these words: " That he adhered to his place of i'tikaf and his forehead was besmeared with mud and water."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1167bIn-book reference : Book 13, Hadith 276USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 6, Hadith 2626
Sahih Muslim : 1167c
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1167c
وَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُعْتَمِرُ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَارَةُ بْنُ غَزِيَّةَ الأَنْصَارِيُّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اعْتَكَفَ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَّلَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ اعْتَكَفَ الْعَشْرَ الأَوْسَطَ فِي قُبَّةٍ تُرْكِيَّةٍ عَلَى سُدَّتِهَا حَصِيرٌ - قَالَ - فَأَخَذَ الْحَصِيرَ بِيَدِهِ فَنَحَّاهَا فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْقُبَّةِ ثُمَّ أَطْلَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَكَلَّمَ النَّاسَ فَدَنَوْا مِنْهُ فَقَالَ " إِنِّي اعْتَكَفْتُ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَّلَ أَلْتَمِسُ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ ثُمَّ اعْتَكَفْتُ الْعَشْرَ الأَوْسَطَ ثُمَّ أُتِيتُ فَقِيلَ لِي إِنَّهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ فَلْيَعْتَكِفْ " . فَاعْتَكَفَ النَّاسُ مَعَهُ قَالَ " وَإِنِّي أُرِيتُهَا لَيْلَةَ وِتْرٍ وَأَنِّي أَسْجُدُ صَبِيحَتَهَا فِي طِينٍ وَمَاءٍ " . فَأَصْبَحَ مِنْ لَيْلَةِ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ وَقَدْ قَامَ إِلَى الصُّبْحِ فَمَطَرَتِ السَّمَاءُ فَوَكَفَ الْمَسْجِدُ فَأَبْصَرْتُ الطِّينَ وَالْمَاءَ فَخَرَجَ حِينَ فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ وَجَبِينُهُ وَرَوْثَةُ أَنْفِهِ فِيهِمَا الطِّينُ وَالْمَاءُ وَإِذَا هِيَ لَيْلَةُ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ مِنَ الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ .
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed i'tikaf (confined himself for devotion and prayer) in the first ten (days) of Ramadan; he then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten (days) in a Turkish tent with a mat hanging at its door. He (the Holy Prophet) took hold of that mat and placed it in the nook of the tent. He then put his head out and talked with people and they came near him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: I observed i'tikaf in the first ten (nights and days) in order to seek that night (Lailat-ul-Qadr). I then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten days. Then (an angel) was sent to me and I was told that this (night) is among the last ten (nights). He who among you likes to observe i'tikaf should do so; and the people observed it along with him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: That (Lailat-ul-Qadr) was shown to me on an odd (night) and I (saw in the dream) that I was prostrating in the morning in clay and water. So in the morning of the twenty-first night when he (the Holy Prophet) got up for dawn (prayer). there was a rainfall and the mosque dripped, and I saw clay and water. When he came out after completing the morning prayer (I saw) that his forehead and the tip of his nose had (traces) of clay and water, and that was the twenty-first night among the last ten (nights).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1167cIn-book reference : Book 13, Hadith 277USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 6, Hadith 2627
