Ruling 1731 — Spiritual Retreat (Iʿtikāf)

Someone who is performing iʿtikāf must refrain from doing the unlawful acts of iʿtikāf, which are as follows: 1. smelling a pleasant fragrance; 2. having sexual intercourse with one’s spouse; 3. masturbating, having sexual contact with one’s spouse by means of touching, and lustfully kissing (based on obligatory precaution); 4. disputing (mumārāh) and arguing (mujādalah) with others; 5. buying and selling. Doing these things invalidates one’s iʿtikāf. In the case of an iʿtikāf that is not an assigned obligation [i.e. it is not al‑wājib al‑muʿayyan],[5] the obligation to refrain from these things – apart from having sexual intercourse – is based on obligatory precaution.[6]