Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that a hut was made for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from date-palm branches and leaves, in which he performed i'tikaf during the blessed month of Ramadan. When one night came, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) put his blessed head outside and heard the companions reciting the Qur'an aloud. He said: "Indeed, when a person is praying, he is whispering to his Lord, so each of you should know what he is whispering. Do some of you raise their voices over others, causing disturbance in their recitation and remembrance?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disliked that people recite aloud over one another and wanted to prevent this.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we observed i'tikaf with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) during the middle ten days of Ramadan. Then, when the morning of the twentieth night came, we began to move our belongings, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us: "Whoever among you has observed i'tikaf should return to his place of i'tikaf, for indeed I was shown this night, then it was made to be forgotten by me, and I was shown that I am prostrating in mud."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying: "In the days of ignorance, I vowed to observe i'tikaf for one night." So the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fulfill your vow."

In the narration of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), it is mentioned that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) sought permission from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to perform i'tikaf with him, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) granted her permission. Then she also sought permission from him for Sayyidah Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her). I have already written this complete hadith.

Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) says that whoever, seeking closeness to Allah, makes a vow without taking an oath that he will perform i’tikaf standing, will not speak to anyone, will not eat food, and will not lie on a bed, then he may sit without giving expiation, may speak, may eat food, and may rest on the bed. Indeed, only that vow should be fulfilled in which there is obedience and submission to Allah Almighty. As for the person who made such a vow in which there is no obedience to Allah, then he should neither fulfill the vow nor give expiation.“It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever made a vow to obey Allah, let him obey Him, and whoever made a vow to disobey Allah, let him not disobey Him.’”

Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saw Abu Isra’il standing in the sun and asked:“What has happened to him that he is standing in the sun?”The companions replied that he had made a vow to fast, not to sit, and not to seek shade. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Tell him to sit down, stay in the shade, and complete his fast.”Thus, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to fulfill the vow of fasting because fasting is obedience and servitude to Allah, and forbade him from standing in the sun because standing in the sun is not an act of obedience and servitude to Allah. Although standing in the sun is not a sin, if it causes physical harm, then it becomes sinful. I have explained this matter in detail in the Book of Vows.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to observe i'tikaf during the middle ten days of Ramadan. So, he observed i'tikaf one year, until when the twenty-first night came—the night whose morning he (peace be upon him) would come out of his i'tikaf—he (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever has observed i'tikaf with us should also observe i'tikaf during the last ten (days)." And the complete hadith was narrated.