Seclusion in the Mosque - Aiitikaff

Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:22:09 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: ¤~Intellectual Muslims~¤ Aiitikaaf (Day 19)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Aitikaaf


Aitikaaf is when a person stays in the masjid with his heart fully occupied with Allah, giving full concentration upon Him alone and cuts off from preoccupation with the creation. A person has only one intention and that is to remember Allah and think of how to attain His pleasure. It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last 10 days and nights of Ramadan in the masjid for Aitikaaf. Aitikaaf is an act of ibadat just like the prayers, fasting, the hajj, and such like acts, whether obligatory or voluntary. The Aitikaaf has no specific time limit. It can be fulfilled by staying in the masjid with the intention of Aitikaaf for a long or short time. The reward will be according to how long one stays in the masjid..


In Aitikaaf one makes a spiritual retreat in the masjid all the time, performing various forms of Zikr, does extra Salat, and recitation and study of the Qur’an. One does not go outside the masjid except in case of emergencies. If we can not find the time or the motivation to spare 10 whole days for the sake of Allah, Aitikaaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well..


During Aitikaaf, a believer is engrossed with Allah alone, such that remembering Him, loving Him and turning to Him takes the place of all anxieties of the heart and its suggestions, and that he is able to overcome them. Thus all his concerns are for Him. His thoughts are all of remembrance of Him, and thinking of how to attain His Pleasure and what will cause nearness to Him. This leads him to feel contented with Allah instead of the people, and that prepares him for being at peace with Him alone.


There are many hidden benefits and wisdom in the acts of worship. The basis of all deeds is the heart, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “In the body there is an organ, that if it is good, the entire body will be good; and if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt. That organ is the heart.”


What corrupts the heart most is distractions and preoccupations – such as excessive food, drinking, talking, sleeping, socializing, and other distractions which divert people from turning to Allah and cause the heart to be unfocused and unable to concentrate on worshipping Allah. Just as fasting is a shield which protects the heart from the influences of physical distractions, such as excessive eating and drinking, Aitikaaf offers an immense hidden benefit, which is protection from the effects of excessive socializing. Aitikaaf also offers protection from the evil consequences of talking and sleeping too much, because a person usually does Aitikaaf on his own, turning to Allah by praying, reading Qur’an, doing zikr, making duas, and so on. Undoubtedly, a person’s success in freeing himself from excessive socializing, talking and sleeping, will help him to make his heart turn towards Allah.






http://www.MuslimYouths.
org


_ Tweet