Title: Will i'tikaf be valid without fasting?

Question: (1) Will etikaf be valid without fasting? (2) What is the minimum time of doing nafl etikaf without fasting? (3) What is the lowest time of doing nafl etikaf by saying of Imam Muhammad (RA) in Mabsut? Is it acceptable or not? What is his proof? Please give us detailed answer with proper Quran, Sunnah, Fatwa reference. We need it very urgently.

Answer ID: 63502Posted on: Sep 1, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 432/520/L=05/1437) (1, 2 & 3) Fasting is mandatory for sunnah and wajib i’tikaf, it shall not be valid without fasting. However for the nafl i'tikaf fasting is not a condition as per the preferred saying. Also there is no short time fixed for nafl i’tikaf. It is also correct to do nafl i’tikaf for awhile as per the opinion of Imam Muhammad, may Allah have mercy upon him, as he has recorded it in his book Mabsut: قال فى المبسوط: وإذا اعتكف الرجل من غير أن يوجب على نفسه شيئاً فهو معتكف فإن خرج من المسجد فقطع الاعتكاف فليس عليه شئ من قبل أنه لم يوجب على نفسه شيئا وهو معتكف ما أقام فى المسجد تارك لذالك حتى يخرج منه (المبسوط لل 236)