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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All thanks and praise are due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we would like, in the very beginning to express our deep great feelings of thanks for having confidence in us and for showing interest in getting more information about the teachings of Islam. We would like also to give you glad tidings with the great Divine reward given to all those who fulfill the Commands of their Lord.
As regards your question, we would like to cite for you the Fatwa issued by Sheikh `Attiyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, that reads:
In principle, i`tikaf is a Sunnah. It becomes obligatory once the person vows to make it. In this sense, when a person vows to perform i`tikaf, it becomes incumbent on him to do it within a certain span, if he specifies a certain time for it, if not it can be done at any suitable time. If a person fails to do that, he is to make up for it in case of obligatory i`tikaf and in the case of Sunnah i`tikaf, making up for it is recommended.
As for using cell phone, we can say that a person observing i`tikaf is recommended to forget about the allurements of this world and never occupy himself with it. In other words, using the cell phone should be limited and confined to his basic needs. Also, he can use it in fulfilling the needs of his fellow Muslim brothers.
If a person misses the obligatory i`tikaf, and also fails to make up for it, and neglects it till his death, then no one is to make up for it on his behalf. This is the view of the majority of jurists while Ahmad ibn Hanbal says that it is obligatory that one make up for it on his behalf.
As it’s permissible for a person to go out of the Mosque at any time, using cell phone is permissible in the Mosque, in the sense that as a person is allowed to get out of Mosque for his personal needs, he is allowed to use cell phone as long as it’s confined to his personal needs or for righteous deeds. It is reported that when one called him to fulfill his need, Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, rushed to him. As one of those observing i`tikaf stopped him, he said: “I have heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saying: ‘To answer the need of your brother is better in reward than spending ten years in i`tikaf. Read also:
I`tikaf in the Last Third of Ramadan
Significance of I`tikaf
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