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Question:
For the sisters is it okay if they don’t go as much to the masjid or are they encouraged to go to the masaajid? And furthermore i’tikaaf for the sisters – are they required to do this in the masjid and for how long and what are their requirements?

The second part is whether it is better for the sister to pray in the masjid in Taraaweeh or to pray at home. It depends, if you are at your home or house and masha’Allaah you are someone who can concentrate on the Qur’aan without any disturbances, then its better (to pray) in the house. If you say, “Oh, in the house I cannot concentrate, my children make noise and there are lots of things going on and I cannot concentrate” then go to the masjid but with the permission of your husband and if you have no husband then with the permission of the wali, whether it is your father, brother or whoever your wali is. The third thing is when you go to the masjid it must be safe for you to go. You should not go at night if it is unsafe for you to go – you must be safe and you must be in complete hijaab, you must avoid perfume and you should go in tranquillity to the masjid if that is possible. If it is not possible then it is better to stay at home, in all cases the house is better for the woman as in the hadith of Prophet.[5]

The last issue mentioned in the question pertains to i’tikaaf. I’tikaaf is only to be done in the masjid. There is no i’tikaaf in the house, neither for the man nor the woman. However, if someone wants to do i’tikaaf but he is unable to, Allaah will reward him as per his intention because Allaah تعالى deals with (matters of) the heart whilst we deal only with (matters of) the exposed body parts as we cannot know what is in the heart, but Allaah تعالى knows best. If you are willing to go (to the masjid) but you are afraid or scared that something may happen to you, then stay at home and Allaah will reward you, as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he saw ‘Aishah, Hafsah and Zainab start building their tents in the masjid he asked “what is that?”. They said “these are tents of the mothers of the believers.” He said:
آلبر أردن
Do they want complete submission and the Pleasure of Allaah then let them go home. And he stopped the i’tikaaf and they all went back home.[6] So i’tikaaf is in the masjid only but if that is not possible then there is no i’tikaaf, you just stay at home and do your best. Also, as I said before i’tikaaf can even be for part of the time i.e. you can do i’tikaaf for one hour as many scholars say, you just intend to do i’tikaaf meaning you stay in the masjid. You have the intention to stay there, not to meet anyone or to have a rest, but to worship Allaah تعالى. If you do this with that intention then Allaah تعالى will reward you. Wallaahu A’alam.

Answered by: Shaykh Mohammad al-Malki

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[5] Reported in Sunan Abi-Daawūd 1/155, Kitaab as-Salaah (#567). Shaykh al-Albaani رحمه الله says Saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami` (#7458).

[6] Reported with the following wording in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-I`tikaaf (#1940).

أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ذكر أن يعتكف العشر الأواخر من رمضان، فاستأذنته عائشة فأذن لها، وسألت حفصة عائشة أن تستأذن لها ففعلت، فلما رأت ذلك زينب بنت جحش أمرت ببناء فبني لها، قالت: وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا صلى انصرف إلى بنائه، فبصر بالأبنية، فقال: (ما هذا). قالوا: بناء عائشة وحفصة وزينب، فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (آلبر أردن بهذا؟ ما أنا بمعتكف). فرجع، فلما أفطر اعتكف عشرا من شوال