Making up the sunna i'tikaf when it is broken

Question

Does i'tikaf in blessed Ramadan, especially in the last ten days, become binding once it has been started, or not? If one abandons it, will a make-up (qada) be binding or not? By analogy (qiyas) with prayer: voluntary prayers become binding once started, and if one abandons them a make-up becomes binding — or not?

Answer

What you have said is indeed what reasoning at first sight requires. However, it is understood from “al-Ashbah wa al-Naza'ir” that if one starts an emphasized sunna and then breaks it, its make-up (qada) is not binding. The i'tikaf of the last ten days is also emphasized, although it is 'ala al-kifaya (a sunna discharged for all when some perform it)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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