The i'tikaf of the last ten days of Ramadan

Question

Is the i'tikaf of the last ten days of blessed Ramadan mustahabb or an emphasized sunna? If it is an emphasized sunna, is fasting a condition in it or not? If it is a condition, then what needs to be asked now is this: if the mu'takif ate suhur thinking it was still night and then learned that dawn had already come, the ruling is that the fast of that day will not count. Now, since the fast did not count, will the i'tikaf also become invalid or come to an end? Will a make-up (qada)

Answer

This i'tikaf is an emphasized sunna 'ala al-kifaya (a sunna discharged for all when some perform it). If this i'tikaf is performed without fasting, it will not be the sunna i'tikaf but will become voluntary (nafl). However, if the fast was not kept on one day, then a make-up (qada) of the i'tikaf of only that one day will be binding (“Shami”, vol. 2, pp. 129, 131).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.