when the Messenger of Allah ( ﷺ) decided to observe i'tikaf, he prayed in the morning and then went to the place of his i'tikaf, and he commanded that a tent should be pitched for him, and it was pitched. He (once) decided to observe i'tikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. Zainab (the wife of the Holy Prophet) commanded that a tent should be pitched for her. It was pitched accordingly. And some other wives of Allah's Apostle ( ﷺ) commanded that tents should be pitched for them too. And they were pitched. When the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) offered the morning prayer, he looked and found (so many) tents. Thereupon he said: What is this virtue that these (ladies) have decided to acquire? He commanded his tent to be struck and abandoned i'tikaf in the month of Ramadan and postponed it to the first ten days of Shawwal.  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ مُعْتَكَفَهُ وَإِنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِخِبَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ أَرَادَ الاِعْتِكَافَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَأَمَرَتْ زَيْنَبُ بِخِبَائِهَا فَضُرِبَ وَأَمَرَ غَيْرُهَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِخِبَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْفَجْرَ نَظَرَ فَإِذَا الأَخْبِيَةُ فَقَالَ آلْبِرَّ تُرِدْنَ فَأَمَرَ بِخِبَائِهِ فَقُوِّضَ وَتَرَكَ الاِعْتِكَافَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ حَتَّى اعْتَكَفَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَّلِ مِنْ شَوَّالٍ  

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to observe I'tikaf, he prayed the fajr prayer and then entered his place of seclusion. Once he intended to observe I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. She said: He ordered to pitch a tent for him, and it was pitched. She said: The other wives of the Prophet ﷺ also ordered to pitch tents for them and they were pitched. When he offered the fajr prayer, he saw the tents, and said: What is this ? Did you intend to do an act of virtue ? She said: He then ordered to demolish his tent, and it was demolished. Then his wives also ordered to demolish their tents and they were demolished. He then postponed I'tikaf till the first ten days, that is of Shawwal. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Ibn Ishaq and al-Auza'i from Yahya b. Sa'id in a similar manner, and Malik narrated it from Yahya b. Sa'id, saying: He observed I'tikaf during twenty days of Shawwal.  

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ مُعْتَكَفَهُ قَالَتْ وَإِنَّهُ أَرَادَ مَرَّةً أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ قَالَتْ فَأَمَرَ بِبِنَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ ذَلِكَ أَمَرْتُ بِبِنَائِي فَضُرِبَ قَالَتْ وَأَمَرَ غَيْرِي مِنْ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِبِنَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ نَظَرَ إِلَى الأَبْنِيَةِ فَقَالَ مَا هَذِهِ آلْبِرَّ تُرِدْنَ قَالَتْ فَأَمَرَ بِبِنَائِهِ فَقُوِّضَ وَأَمَرَ أَزْوَاجُهُ بِأَبْنِيَتِهِنَّ فَقُوِّضَتْ ثُمَّ أَخَّرَ الاِعْتِكَافَ إِلَى الْعَشْرِ الأُوَلِ يَعْنِي مِنْ شَوَّالٍ  

“When the Prophet ﷺ wanted to start I’tikaf, he would pray the Subh, then he would enter the place where he wanted to observe I’tikaf. He wanted to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in I’tikaf, so he ordered that a tent be set up for him.” Then ‘Aishah ordered that a tent be set up for her, and Hafash ordered that a tent be set up for her. When Zainab saw their two tents, she also ordered that a tent be set up for her. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw that, he said: “It is righteousness that you seek?” Then he did not observe I’tikaf during Ramadan, and he observed I’tikaf during ten days of Shawwal.  

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ صَلَّى الصُّبْحَ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ فِيهِ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ الْعَشْرَ الأَوَاخِرَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَأَمَرَ فَضُرِبَ لَهُ خِبَاءٌ فَأَمَرَتْ عَائِشَةُ بِخِبَاءٍ فَضُرِبَ لَهَا وَأَمَرَتْ حَفْصَةُ بِخِبَاءٍ فَضُرِبَ لَهَا فَلَمَّا رَأَتْ زَيْنَبُ خِبَاءَهُمَا أَمَرَتْ بِخِبَاءٍ فَضُرِبَ لَهَا فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ آلْبِرَّ تُرِدْنَ فَلَمْ يَعْتَكِفْ فِي رَمَضَانَ وَاعْتَكَفَ عَشْرًا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ