Vows to fast, and i'tikaf
The rules for a vow (nazar) that involves fasting, and the rulings of i'tikaf, the spiritual retreat closely tied to Ramadan.
A vow (nazar) is when you promise Allah you'll do something good, like saying, "If I pass my exam, I'll fast three days." Making a vow like this is allowed, and once you make it, you must keep your promise, as long as it isn't something against Islam.
What makes a vow count
- It has to be a promise to do something that is already a real act of worship, like fasting a number of days or feeding poor people.
- It can't be a promise to do something that isn't worship, like promising to do wudu.
- It can't be for something you already have to do anyway, like saying "I'll pray Zuhr if my work gets done"; you have to pray Zuhr regardless.
- It can't be a promise to do something sinful.
- It can't be for something impossible, like promising to fast on a day that has already passed.
- You don't need to feel it in your heart for it to count: saying it out loud is enough, and you have to do exactly what you said, even if you meant something a little different.
There are two kinds of vows: a "conditional" one, like "If this happens, I'll fast," which you only have to keep once that thing actually happens; fasting early doesn't count. And an "unconditional" one, like "I promise Allah I'll fast this many days," which you can keep whenever and wherever, even if you first mentioned a certain place or day.
I'tikaf means staying in the mosque on purpose, to worship Allah. It has huge reward: the Prophet ﷺ said that staying in the mosque for the last ten days of Ramadan, avoiding sin and doing good deeds, earns the reward of two Hajj and two Umrah!
| Kind | When | Do you have to fast? |
|---|---|---|
| Wajib | Whatever you promised (vowed) to Allah | Yes |
| Sunnah Mu'akkadah | The last ten days of Ramadan | Yes |
| Mustahabb | Any other time | No |
Wajib i'tikaf must last at least one day. Sunnah Mu'akkadah i'tikaf lasts the full ten days, entering the mosque at sunset on the 20th of Ramadan and leaving once the Eid moon is sighted. Mustahabb i'tikaf has no fixed length at all, even standing in the mosque for a moment with the intention counts.
To do i'tikaf, you need to be:
- A Muslim.
- Of sound mind.
- Free from major ritual impurity, like janabah or a monthly period.
- Actually inside a mosque, meaning it in your heart.A woman can do her i'tikaf at home instead, in the spot where she normally prays.
While you're doing i'tikaf, spend your time reading Qur'an, learning about your faith, sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, and doing other good things; sitting in total silence or chatting about nothing useful is disliked.
You may leave the mosque only for these reasons
- To use the toilet.
- To do ghusl (a full wash).
- To do wudu.
- To go to the Friday prayer, as long as you leave in time and get back before the sermon starts, praying the sunnah first.
Making a vow (nazar) is permissible, and fulfilling it is then obligatory, provided the vow is not against Shari'ah.
Conditions for a valid vow
- The vow must be to perform something that is itself an act of worship already established by the Shari'ah, such as fasting a set number of days, or feeding a set number of poor people.
- The vow must not be for something that is not an act of worship at all, such as vowing to perform wudu.
- The vow must not be for something already made obligatory by the Shari'ah independently of the vow, such as saying, "If my work is done, I will pray Zuhr" or "I will fast Ramadan."
- The vow must not be for something sinful in itself, such as vowing to pray for a particular person in a forbidden way. A vow to fast on a day when fasting is itself forbidden (Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha) is nevertheless a valid vow, since fasting in itself is permissible; only the chosen day is problematic.
- The vow must not be for something impossible, such as vowing to fast on a day that has already passed.
A vow does not require an internal intention to be valid: the verbal declaration alone is sufficient, and the vower must fulfil exactly what was verbally declared, even where it differs from what was actually intended in the heart.
| Kind | How it works |
|---|---|
| Conditional (mu'allaq / "maqloob") | The vow depends on a stated condition, e.g. "If this happens, I will fast a certain number of days." It is only discharged once the condition actually occurs; fasting before the condition is met does not fulfil it. |
| Unconditional (ghayr mu'allaq / "ghair maqloob") | The vow does not depend on any condition, e.g. "I make it obligatory upon myself to fast this many days for Allah's sake." If a specific time or place is named, it is not necessary to fulfil it exactly there or then: vowing to fast in Makkah but fasting at home, or vowing to fast on Friday but fasting on Monday, still fulfils the vow. |
Making a vow to anyone other than Allah is forbidden, since a vow is itself an act of worship, and worship belongs to Allah alone.
I'tikaf is staying in a mosque with the intention of worship. The hadiths give it great reward: one who avoids sin and does good while in i'tikaf earns the reward of having done every one of those good deeds, and one who keeps i'tikaf for ten days in Ramadan earns the reward of two Hajj and two Umrah.
| Kind | When it applies | Minimum duration | Is fasting a condition? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wajib | A vowed i'tikaf, whether the vow was conditional or unconditional | One day | Yes |
| Sunnah mu'akkadah | The last ten days of Ramadan | Ten days: entering the mosque at sunset on the 20th of Ramadan and leaving after the Eid moon is sighted | Yes |
| Mustahabb | Any i'tikaf other than the two above | No fixed minimum, even a moment's stay with the intention earns reward | No |
The sunnah mu'akkadah i'tikaf is a communal sunnah: if it is performed by one person on behalf of the community, it is enough to absolve everyone else of the obligation to establish it.
Conditions for i'tikaf
- Being Muslim.
- Being of sound mind.
- Being free from major ritual impurity (janabah, menstruation, or post-natal bleeding).
- Taking place in a mosque, with the intention of i'tikaf formed.A woman may instead perform i'tikaf at home, at the place where she normally prays.
Permitted reasons to leave the mosque during i'tikaf
- To relieve oneself.
- To perform ghusl.
- To perform wudu.
- To attend the Friday prayer, provided one leaves in time to arrive before the sermon and to pray its sunnah beforehand.
A naẓr (vow) is permissible to make, and its fulfilment is then wājib, provided it is not contrary to the Sharī'ah.
Conditions of a valid naẓr
- It must be to perform an act already constituted as 'ibādah by the Sharī'ah, such as fasting a specified number of days, or feeding a specified number of the poor.
- It must not be for something that is not 'ibādah at all, vowing to perform wuḍū', for instance.
- It must not be for something already wājib independently of the vow, such as saying, "If my affair is settled, I will pray Ẓuhr," or "I will fast Ramaḍān."
- It must not be for something sinful in itself. A vow to fast on a day when fasting is itself makrūh taḥrīmī or ḥarām (Eid al-Fiṭr, Eid al-Aḍḥā) remains a valid naẓr, however, since ṣawm as such is mashrū' (legislated); only the chosen day is objectionable.
- It must not be for something impossible, such as vowing to fast a day already past.
The niyyah of the heart is not required for a naẓr to be valid; the lafẓ (verbal declaration) alone suffices, and the vower is bound by exactly what was declared, even where it departs from what was actually intended.
| Type | Mechanics |
|---|---|
| Mu'allaq (conditional; termed "maqlūb" here) | Contingent on a stated condition ("If this occurs, I will fast n days"). Discharge is due only once the condition actually occurs; anticipatory fasting before the condition is met does not discharge it. |
| Ghayr mu'allaq (unconditional; "ghayr maqlūb") | Not contingent on any condition ("I make it wājib upon myself to fast n days for Allah's sake"). Where a specific time or place is named, exact conformity to it is not required for discharge: vowing to fast in Makkah but fasting at home, or vowing Friday but fasting Monday, still discharges the naẓr. |
A naẓr made to other than Allah is ḥarām, since naẓr is itself 'ibādah, and 'ibādah is due to Allah alone.
I'tikāf is residing in a masjid with the niyyah of 'ibādah. The ḥadīth promise great ajr for it: abstaining from sin and performing good deeds while in i'tikāf is credited as though every one of those deeds had itself been performed, and ten days of i'tikāf in Ramaḍān carries the reward of two ḥajj and two 'umrah.
| Category | Occasion | Minimum term | Is ṣawm a condition? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wājib | A vowed i'tikāf, conditional or unconditional | One day | Yes |
| Sunnah mu'akkadah | The last ten days of Ramaḍān | Ten days: entry at sunset on the 20th of Ramaḍān, exit after the Eid hilāl is sighted | Yes |
| Mustaḥabb | Any i'tikāf outside the two categories above | None fixed, even a moment's stay with niyyah earns reward | No |
The sunnah mu'akkadah i'tikāf carries the character of a communal (kifāyah-like) sunnah: performance by one member of the community relieves the rest of establishing it themselves.
Conditions of i'tikāf
- Islam.
- 'Aql (sanity).
- Freedom from major ḥadath: janābah, ḥayḍ or nifās.
- Taking place within a masjid, with the niyyah of i'tikāf formed.A woman may instead observe i'tikāf in her own house, at her customary place of prayer (masjid bayt).
Permitted grounds for leaving the masjid during i'tikāf
- To answer the call of nature.
- To perform ghusl.
- To perform wuḍū'.
- To attend Jumu'ah, leaving in time to arrive before the khuṭbah and to pray its sunnah beforehand.
Terms on this page
Related
- The eight kinds of fast The eight categories of fasting in the Hanafi school, from the obligatory fasts of Ramadan down to the fasts it is disliked or forbidden to keep.
- The intention for fasting, and when to make it How to make the intention (niyyah) for a fast, the words used, and by when it must be made for each kind of fast.
- Who must fast, and the conditions for it Who fasting in Ramadan is obligatory on, the conditions for that obligation, and the two conditions a fast needs to be valid at all.
- What breaks a fast: qada, kaffarah, or nothing at all Which acts break a fast and only need making up, which need making up plus an expiation, and which do not break the fast at all.