TheRamadanOfShaykhAl-hadithMuhammadZakariyyaKandhelviAndOurEldersByShaykhDrMuhammadIsmailMemonMadani

PrefaceIt rained that night and the masjid [a simple building of datepalmleaves and branches] began to drip. I saw the residuefrom mire on the Blessed Prophet’s s forehead the morningof the 21st of Ramadan 7 .Ĥađrat [Shaikh Zakariyyā] comments:The Blessed Prophet s performed i‘tikāf throughout hislife. In this particular year, he performed i‘tikāf the wholemonth and then for twenty days in the last year of his life. Butsince his continuous habit was i‘tikāf in the last ten days ofRamadan, the scholars say that only the last ten days of i‘tikāfis an emphasized Sunna [Sunna mu’akkada].We also learn from this hadith that the main reason forperforming i‘tikāf is the night of Qadr. In reality, i‘tikāf is anexcellent way to gain the full blessings of this night because fora person in i‘tikāf, even while asleep it is as if he is performingworship.Also, i‘tikāf is a time away from the hecticness of thematerial world, which gives one all the time necessary to focuson worship and remembrance of Allah u. Therefore, thereis no better way of finding the night of Qadr than throughi‘tikāf. In the first part of Ramadan, the Blessed Prophet sworshipped a great deal, but nothing compared to his devotionand worship in the last ten days. He would spend the night inworship and order his family to do the same, as narrated inmany narrations of Bukhārī and Muslim. In one narration ofBukhārī, ‘Ā’isha j narrates, “In the last ten days, the BlessedProphet s would tie fast his lower garment, stay awake thenight and wake his family also.” 8 ‘Tie fast his garment’ couldindicate his extra devotion during the last ten days or that hestayed away from his wives during this period.7 Bukhārī- Taĥarrī Lailat al-Qadr fi al-Witr.8 Bukhārī, al-‘Amal fī ‘Ashr al-Awākhir.xxi