Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, until Allah Almighty caused him to pass away. After him, his wives observed i'tikaf. And the Sunnah for the one observing i'tikaf is: "He may only leave (the place of i'tikaf) to fulfill the call of nature; he will not participate in funeral processions, nor visit the sick; he may not touch his wife, nor have intercourse with her. I'tikaf is only to be observed in a place where congregational prayer is established, and it is Sunnah for the one observing i'tikaf to fast."