The rights and restrictions of voluntary i'tikaf

Question

The restrictions or rights that exist in the i'tikaf that is an emphasized sunna 'ala al-kifaya (a sunna discharged for all when some perform it) — do they also apply in mustahabb i'tikaf or not?

Answer

Those restrictions exist in voluntary i'tikaf as well, except that, firstly, it has no condition of fasting, whereas the sunna i'tikaf takes place in the last ten days of blessed Ramadan and involves fasting as well; secondly, when the mu'takif leaves the mosque without need, the voluntary i'tikaf for which no fixed duration had been specified will come to an end, but it will…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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