A Note on Ayyām al-Bīḍ [Spiritual Retreat]

Ayyām al-Bīḍ [Spiritual Retreat]

Rajab 13^th

A survey in to the life of famous scientists, notable inventors, successful entrepreneurs, and influential politicians shows that many of them would spend a few days every year in secluded places such as mountain resorts, cabins in the woods, or a faraway ranch or temple. They would do that in order to break off of the boring daily routine and the hustle and bustle of the everyday life and to seriously contemplate their past in seclusion and plan for the future through a careful prioritization of their tasks. The result of such seclusion and contemplation has usually been momentous decisions which are mostly correct and which entail positive implications both for those who make them and for the other people.

This is also something which is verified by our own personal experience. We all have the experience of having been under tremendous pressure from work or difficulties of life. Whenever we were able to take a few days off and spend some time alone to reflect on the problems and our capabilities and potentials for solving them, we ended up regaining a tremendous amount of energy from this mental rest.

Following such a short retreat, we always came back to face and solve our problems with more patience, perseverance, and also with a more creative mind. Given the fact that such a great positive effect comes about with regard to material issues from a few days’ seclusion, certainly much greater results can be achieved from such short-term seclusion when it comes to spiritual matters. In fact, psychological and spiritual growth is facilitated and expedited in much the same way as material growth through such a short-term seclusion, something that is referred to in the Islamic religious discourse as “Iʻtikāf” or “spiritual retreat”.

The Literal and Technical Meaning of the Word “Iʻtikāf”

The Arabic word “Iʻtikāf” is a derivative word whose root word is “ʻAkafa”; it literally translates in to English as “self-seclusion”[1] and undertaking some praiseworthy endeavor.[2]   

In its technical religious sense, Iʻtikāf or “spiritual retreat” means to stay in a mosque for at least three days with the intention of attaining nearness to Allah, and spend this whole time worshipping Allah. This sort of spiritual retreat also has certain conditions: for instance one must necessarily fast during the three days of spiritual retreat and also refrain from trying to satisfy certain desires.[3]

Thus, the fundamental principles of spiritual retreat are staying in a mosque for three complete days, fasting the whole time, and engaging in the acts of worship, the most important of which being the performance of Ṣalāt, praying, and the recitation of the Quran.

The Philosophy behind Spiritual Retreat

The fascination of the material beauties of this world is so much that it can keep man constantly preoccupied with this material world, making him oblivious of his more important spiritual aspect. This can in turn make man negligent of Allah, something which can lead to man’s spiritual death unless he acts quickly to cure it through worshiping Allah and praying to Him.

The fact that the daily ṣalāt has been likened by the Islamic traditions to a creek of fresh and pure water in which we wash and cleanse ourselves five times a day is indicative of the same reality.

Among all acts of worship, spiritual seclusion [i.e. Iʻtikāf] is of great significance as it resembles the Hajj pilgrimage and the sacred state of Iḥrām, because it takes one to a whole different world, a world of spirituality. It is a three-day spiritual resort in a congregational mosque during which one fasts during the day, worships Allah and thinks about nothing but Allah, and engages in self-purification. Such an intensive spiritual endeavor can bring about such a significant spiritual elevation for man, the likes of which will never be experienced in any other spiritual undertakings.[4]  

Spiritual retreat is an effective means of self-purification for mankind; it serves to cut man off from the material glitters of this material world and place him in a world full of spirituality for a short while. It also brings man to take a moment and thing about his spiritual side, to try for self-purification, self-reckoning, and repentance for his sins.[5]  It is an influential act of worship which has tremendous implications for man’s self-purification and spiritual elevation through directing his attention solely to his Creator for a few days.[6]

A quick glance at the things which have been made prohibited or obligatory for those who embark on the spiritual retreat reveals the philosophy behind this inner quest; these laws show that this spiritual endeavor is meant only to bring man to focus solely on his spiritual side and to deepen his religious feeling through worshiping Allah.

The History of Spiritual Retreat in other Religions and Cultures

When one looks at the sacred Islamic texts, including the Quran and the Islamic traditions, one realizes that Iʻtikāf, or short-term religious retreat, is not something restricted to Islam. This spiritual endeavor has had a long history in many other religions and cultures and it is not a new thing practiced only by Muslim people.

For instance, Allah has stated the following in the Quran, in the verse 125 of Surah al-Baqarah:

عَهِدْنا إِلى‏ إِبْراهيمَ وَ إِسْماعيلَ أَنْ طَهِّرا بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفينَ وَ الْعاكِفينَ وَ الرُّكَّعِ السُّجُود

“And We took a covenant from Ibrahim and Ismail that they should purify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stay in it for worship, and those who bow down and prostrate themselves [in Ṣalāt].”

This verse clearly refers to some people who “stayed in the House of Allah for worship”, meaning that they engaged in spiritual seclusion in the time of Prophet Ibrahim. It can, therefore, be inferred from this verse that Iʻtikāf, or spiritual retreat, had been a common religious ritual and act of worship in prophet Ibrahim’s creed.[7]

This verse also indicates that there were a lot of the followers of Ibrahim’s creed who engaged in this act of worship. This is in fact why prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail were encharged by Allah to make the necessary preparations for this great spiritual event.

Further, as regards the significance of spiritual seclusion and worshipping Allah in such a state from the viewpoint of other religions, the following tradition from Imam Ṣādiq (ʻa) is rather enlightening:

فِی التَّوْراةِ مَکْتُوبٌ یا ابْنَ آدَمَ تَفَرَّغْ لِعِبادَتی اَمْلاءُ قَلْبَکَ غِنی وَلا آکِلْکَ إِلی طَلَبِکَ وَعَلَی اَنْ اَسُدَّ فاقَتَکَ

 “It is written in the Torah: “O’ son of man! Make some alone time for worshipping Me so that I may fill your heart in such a way that you no longer feel any need for anything, and that I may answer your needs without you even asking them of Me, for I have made it incumbent upon Myself to grant you what you need.””[8]

It is perhaps due to this Divine promise that many people, including the divinely-sent prophets were extremely eager to have some time alone for themselves to worship Allah. An example of this eagerness is reflected in the verses 83 and 84 of Surah Ṭā-hā where it has been mentioned that once prophet Moses (ʻa) hurried ahead of his people, leaving them behind, to go to the divinely-appointed tryst to beging worshiping Allah as soon as possible and to receive the Divine Revelations:

  وَ ما أَعْجَلَكَ عَنْ قَوْمِكَ يا مُوسى‏* قالَ هُمْ أُولاءِ عَلى‏ أَثَری وَ عَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضى

“[Allah said:] “What hurried you [to reach Mount Sinai] ahead of your people, O’ Moses?” He said: “They are close on my heels, and I hurried toward You, my Lord, that You be pleased”.” 

Another example of the practice of spiritual retreat and seclusion in the cultures before Islam can be found in the life of the Lady Mary (ʻa); the issue of her spiritual retreat has been discussed in the verses 16 and 17 of Surah Maryam in the Quran:

وَ اذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِها مَكاناً شَرْقِيًّا * فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ حِجاباً فَأَرْسَلْنا إِلَيْها رُوحَنا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَها بَشَراً سَوِيًّا

“And mention in the Book Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place to the east [of Jerusalem Al-Quds]. And she set up a screen between herself and them [to seclude herself in her place of worship], whereupon We sent to her Our Spirit [i.e. an Archangel]; and he appeared before her as a perfect man.”

These verses indicate that Mary (ʻa) was honored to be visited by the great divinely-sent angel when she had withdrawn herself in to her private place of worship and was in a spiritual seclusion. There are several Quranic exegetes, including Allameh Tabā’tabāī who also believe what the verse means by Mary “withdrawing herself” means that she had secluded herself from people as a sort of Iʻtikāf, so as to be able to worship Allah in seclusion.[9]

Even the pre-Islamic pagan Arabs, who were polytheists, would allocate some time every year to seclude themselves and to engage in acts of worship based on their own deviant beliefs; historical evidence indicates that they had some sort of rituals which resembled Iʻtikāf.

One of the pieces of evidence which proves this reality is an Islamic tradition regarding the question of one of the companions of the Prophet (ṣ). The tradition indicates that once one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam (ṣ) asked him the following question: “Once, during the pre-Islamic era, I made a vow to engage in Iʻtikāf in masjid al-Ḥarām, but then I forgot about it. Now should I keep my vow and do it now [given that I was the a pagan and now I am a Muslim]?”

The Prophet (ṣ) answered: “Keep your vow and do what you vowed you would do.”[10] 

Clearly, then, Iʻtikāf has not been an unprecedented novelty brought by Islam; Islam only endorsed a religious practice which existed in the past religions and cultures as a positive and good practice. Historical accounts indicate that, even before he was sent as a prophet, the Prophet of Islam (ṣ) would spend some time alone every year in the Hira cave, a cave in the Nūr mount near Mecca, and during this time, he engaged in prayer and worshipping Allah.

As regards the Prophet’s tradition after he was sent as a prophet, there are countless historical narrations indicating that he engaged in spiritual retreat in the mosque of Medina during the month of Ramadan.[11]

“Ayyām al-Bīḍ” and the Reason why engaging in Iʻtikāf during these Days has been so Greatly emphasized

One thing which needs to be kept in mind is that any day and any place in this world can be a potential time and place for worshipping Allah, and if they are used toward this end, they are considered sacred times and places. In spite of this, there are certain times and places which, due to their special connection or attribution to the Creator of the universe are considered by nature sacred. Thus, engaging in prayer at these specific times or in such specific places will entail greater spiritual achievements for one.

Needless to say that Allah the Almighty does not have a physical or corporeal form, hence, speaking of a special “time” or “place” in relation to Him would be completely meaningless. Yet, when we refer to the month of Ramadan as “the month of Allah” or to the Kaʻbah as the “House of Allah”, we are only emphasizing their holiness because of having been attributed to Allah as certain times and places devoted only to His worship.[12]

The same thing is also true about Ayyām al-Bīḍ; that is to say, although spiritual seclusion for a few days is a desirable act of worship any time during the year, engaging in it during Ayyām al-Bīḍ can entail great spiritual achievements. Ayyām al-Bīḍ, which is the technical name used by those who engage in Iʻtikāf, are actually three days in the month of Rajab, starting with Rajab 13^th and ending with Rajab 15^th. The term “al-Bīḍ” is the plural of the Arabic word “Bayḍā’” meaning “white”.[13] The reason why these three days are called “white” is because of a longstanding traditions of the nomad Arabs who would name different days of every month based on how bright the moon was during the night. Therefore, since during the three middle nights of every lunar month, namely the nights of 13, 14, and 15, the moon shines the brightest, they called these three days Ayyām al-Bīḍ.[14]

These three specific days of the month of Rajab possess great importance when it comes to the acts of worship and spiritual retreat. There are numerous Islamic traditions which have emphasized the importance of spiritual retreat during these three days.

An example of these is a tradition related by Kumayt [the famous Arab poet] from his father; Kumayt has quoted his father as saying: “Once I went to visit my master, Imam Bāqir (ʻa); I began speaking to the Imam saying: “O’ descendant of the Prophet of Allah! I have composed a poem about you; would you allow me to recite it?” The Imam (ʻa) replied: “It is Ayyām al-Bīḍ now and reciting poems is not befitting of this time [as it is a sacred time of worship].””[15] This remark by Imam Bāqir (ʻa) shows the great importance that Ayyām al-Bīḍ had within the framework of the Ahl-al-Bayt’s tradition.[16]

There are also traditions which indicate that Prophet (ṣ) emphasized fasting during the Ayyām al-Bīḍ and said how great a reward this fasting entailed.[17] This could be due to the fact that fasting during the whole of the month of Rajab is considered a greatly recommendable act of worship. This is because there are countless Islamic traditions emphasizing the importance of fasting during the month of Rajab, even if one can only fast one day.

An example of these traditions is the one related by Shaykh Ṣadūq, through a reliable chain of narrators, from Imam Ṣādiq (ʻa); according to this tradition, once when one of the Imam’s companions had come to visit him during the month of Rajab, the Imam (ʻa) asked him: “Have you fasted during this month yet?” he replied: “Not yet.” The Imam (ʻa) went on: “You have lost so much otherworldly reward, the amount of which is inconceivable to anyone except Allah. The reward for fasting during the month of Rajab is being protected from the agonies of death, the torment of the tomb, slipping off of the Ṣirāṭ, and the tribulations of the Hereafter and also salvation and deliverance from Hell.”[18]

Due to the significant spiritual potentials of the month of Rajab, particularly its 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th days, and due to the various fruitful acts of worship which have been prescribed for us to perform during these three days,[19] Ayyām al-Bīḍ have been marked as the best time for Iʻtikāf and spiritual retreat.,

The Rituals and Laws of Iʻtikāf

In this section, we will review some of the most important rules and laws of Iʻtikāf; in order to study all the details regarding the rituals and laws pertaining to Iʻtikāf, the dear readers can refer to the various related jurisprudential references and treaties. Let us now review some of the most important facts and laws concerning Iʻtikāf:

• Iʻtikāf is, by nature, a recommendable act of worship; however, under certain circumstances, it can become obligatory.[20]
• Iʻtikāf becomes obligatory to perform due to a personal vow, pledge, oath, or due to a stipulated condition in any contract, including contracts of sale and lease.
• When one engages in the recommendable Iʻtikāf, one is authorized to stop it during the first and the second day, but it is prohibited to stop it during the third day.
• It is permissible for one to engage in Iʻtikāf for more than 3 days, but if one remains in seclusion for 2 more days, the obligatory precaution dictates that one continue the Iʻtikāf for the 3^rd day too. It is also impermissible for one to only continue his Iʻtikāf after the first three days for part of a day or for part of a night.
• As for the intention for Iʻtikāf, it is permissible for one to declare his intention for engaging in Iʻtikāf without mentioning whether it is an obligatory Iʻtikāf or a recommendable one.
• The time for officially declaring the intention for Iʻtikāf is the early mourning; however, there is not issue with having had the intention of Iʻtikāf in one’s heart before that.
• One can perform Iʻtikāf on behalf of a dead or living person; however, precaution demands that, in such cases, one do it with the intention of performing his own Iʻtikāf but dedicating its rewards to the other person.
• One does not need to specifically declare the intention for fasting during Iʻtikāf as “fasting for Iʻtikāf”. Rather, one can fast an obligatory fast of the month of Ramadan, fast a recommendable fast, or fast to make up for a missed obligatory fast during Iʻtikāf.[21]
• Iʻtikāf is permissible to perform all throughout the year, except during the two specific days on which fasting is prohibited. Nevertheless, Iʻtikāf is considered more recommendable and more fruitful during the months of Rajab and Ramadan.[22]
• Iʻtikāf should be performed in congregational mosques; what is meant by “congregational mosque” is certain mosques in which usually all classes of people in a city attend congregational prayers. Therefore, a “congregational mosque” meant here is not necessarily a grand mosque which is labelled as “congregational mosque” in every city nowadays. It can be just any mosque in which all kinds of people usually gather to perform their prayers. However, it should be noted that Iʻtikāf must be performed in these s e l e c t mosques and it should not be performed in small mosques or prayer rooms.
• It is permissible for a person who has engaged in Iʻtikāf to leave the mosque for the necessary things that might come up, including going to the bathroom, performing an obligatory Ghusl [major ritual ablution], procuring some necessary things, offering testimony in a court, attending the Friday Prayer, attending the funeral of a loved one, or visiting a close relative or a friend who is sick. However, it is not permissible for him to leave the mosque for just anything even if what he wants to do is a recommendable act.
• If one leaves the mosque for some absolutely necessary reason, but he remains out of the mosque for such a long time that he might as well be considered to have discontinued his performance of Iʻtikāf, his Iʻtikāf is considered invalidated.
• A person who has engaged in Iʻtikāf can stipulate a condition when declaring his intention for starting the Iʻtikāf where he can stop his Iʻtikāf in case he has some religious or personal reason to do so. In such a case, the person in question can stop with his Iʻtikāf whenever a problem arises, and even during the third day, without having to pay any expiation for it.[23]

Five Things which are Prohibited for a Person who is in Iʻtikāf

1. Based on precaution, it is prohibited to try to seek sexual pleasure form one’s wife in any form, whether intercourse, touching, or kissing, etc. during the time when one is in Iʻtikāf. This principle is based on the verse 187 of Surah al-Baqarah, where the following law has been introduced:

وَ لا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَ أَنْتُمْ عاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَساجِدِ

“… and also do not have intercourse with women while you are in the seclusion of the mosques.”

2. Istimnā’ [masturbation] is also prohibited during Iʻtikāf even if it is done through lawful means, i.e. when it is done through foreplay by one’s husband or wife.
3. Smelling perfume and sweet-smelling things is also impermissible during Iʻtikāf even if one does not do it with the intention of gaining pleasure.
4. Any act of selling or buying and, generally engaging in business and trade, in case it is not absolutely necessary is prohibited during Iʻtikāf. However, there is no issue with doing ordinary everyday chores, including sewing.
5. Engaging in argument over religious or worldly issues with the intention of defeating the other side and showing off one’s knowledge is prohibited during Iʻtikāf.

All of the above-mentioned cases, if done during the time that one is engaged in Iʻtikāf, will invalidate one’s Iʻtikāf regardless of whether one does them during the day or at night.[24]

Keywords: Retreat, reflection, anxiety, seclusion, self-inspection, meditation, mosque, the intention of Qurbah[25], self-purification, the month of Rajab, spiritual retreat, Ayyām al-Bīḍ, ritual circumambulation of the Kaʻbah, rituals, supplication, worship, recitation of the Quran, prayer, congregational mosque, fasting, Ramadan.