I'tikaf is only in the mosque, not outside it

Question

Is it necessary or not to perform in the mosque the i'tikaf of one ten-day period ('ashara), of three days (?), — a fard kifaya (a communal obligation discharged when some perform it) — in blessed Ramadan? A certain person, having regard for the etiquette of the mosque, says that in the mosque one's clothes may become soiled and wind may be released — can i'tikaf be performed somewhere other than the mosque, or not? The part beneath the mosque which is called "taht al-thara" (the underground)

Answer

The i'tikaf of the last ten days of blessed Ramadan is not a fard kifaya but a sunna kifaya, and it takes place only in the mosque; outside the mosque — in some house, or in a place separate from the mosque courtyard where shoes are taken off and which is not designated for prayer — it is not valid. A woman, however, will perform i'tikaf in her own house.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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