Question:

How does one make niyah for I’tikaf? What wordings can I use?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Niyah (intention) is one of the conditions of I’tikāf, so much so that I’tikāf without an intention is not permissible.[1] Having said that, Niyah is a matter of heart. The inclination of one’s heart towards doing something is called niyah. Hence, in principle it is not necessary to say anything by tongue to establish a niyah.

However, many times people get waswās and are perturbed in the intention of doing things. To ward off such whispers of nafs and shaytān, it is better to verbally affirm that inclination of one’s heart. This can be done by uttering out the intention of making sunnah or masnūn I’tikāf. There are no special wordings for this. Merely saying, “I intend to perform my sunnah I’tikāf” or “I intend to remain in I’tikāf for the last ten days” will suffice.[2]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed al-Mahmudi
www.fatwa.ca