The 365 · Sunnah · Day 356 · Special Days
Iʿtikāf in the Last Ten Nights of Ramadan
The hadith
«كان النبيّ ﷺ يعتكف العشر الأواخر من رمضان حتّى توفّاه اللّه، ثمّ اعتكف أزواجه من بعده».
ʿĀ'ishah said: 'The Prophet ﷺ would perform iʿtikāf in the last ten nights of Ramadan until Allah took him; then his wives observed iʿtikāf after him.' (Bukhari 2026, Muslim 1172)
Svenska: ʿĀ'ishah sade: 'Profeten ﷺ utförde iʿtikāf under Ramadans sista tio nätter tills Allah tog honom; sedan utförde hans hustrur iʿtikāf efter honom.' (Bukhari 2026)
Bukhari 2026; Muslim 1172
The story
The Prophet ﷺ retired to a tent in the masjid for the last 10 of Ramadan. His wives took turns visiting briefly. The whole household understood: this is the year's peak.
Why it's here
Iʿtikāf is the Sunnah of seclusion in the masjid in the last 10 of Ramadan to seek Laylat al-Qadr. The Prophet ﷺ never abandoned it. The believer who can manage 10 days, or fewer, in the masjid for worship reaps multiplied rewards.
Try it today
Plan iʿtikāf every Ramadan. If you cannot do all 10, do what you can: 3 days, 5 days, the last odd nights. Bring essentials, simplify, and focus entirely on dhikr, Qur'an, duʿāʾ, prayer.
In your day
Work-leave arrangements; family preparation; financial planning. The Sunnah requires logistics. Build the habit; even a partial iʿtikāf trains the soul.
A reflection to carry
Iʿtikāf is the believer's annual spiritual concentration.
Read the longer reflection
Iʿtikāf is one of the most underused Sunnahs in modern life. The Prophet ﷺ modeled it for the whole 10 days; the Sahaba followed; ʿĀ'ishah continued after him. May Allah grant us the iʿtikāf of those who entered the masjid for ten days and emerged with Laylat al-Qadr's reward.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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