The Almighty God is Absolute Perfection and needs no purpose beyond His own Essence. He Himself is the ultimate end of the entire order of creation. Yet, because He is Wise and does nothing in vain, He has brought the universe into being with purpose; every creature is guided toward attaining its own ideal perfection. God has made clear that the purpose of creation is the worship of both jinn and humankind. In His wisdom, He has established worship as the path to human perfection and the means by which we ultimately draw near to Him. Itikaf is one of these pathways—a form of devoted worship and a spiritual provision for encountering the Lord.
The Objectives of Legislating Itikaf
The Exalted God, in legislating Itikaf, has two main purposes for guiding His servants toward perfection:
- A goal that applies to all divine laws and teachings of religion, of which Itikaf is a part.
- A special goal unique to Itikaf itself.
Therefore, the Wise Creator has specific aims in legislating Itikaf, to lead His servants toward the perfection intended in their creation. The following sections will discuss these objectives.
Purifying the Heart
Imam al-Rida (AS) said: “If people were left without worship, the time would grow long upon them, and their hearts would become hardened”.[1]
Worship exists so that remembrance of God remains alive in the human heart; it also prevents a person from neglecting divine commands and prohibitions or falling into futility.
If one abandons worship, the heart gradually hardens due to the accumulation of sins, just like a stone, as the Quran states: “Then the time grew long upon them, and their hearts became hardened”.[2]
For example, in mountainous areas where mineral springs flow, the bed of these springs is initially lush and green. But since the water carries mineral deposits, after some time, these sediments block the spring’s flow and dry up the land.
Similarly, a heart that remembers God is like a spring, and sin acts as sediment that obstructs one’s connection with God. Hence, the wisdom behind worship is to purify the heart from such deposits and protect it from hardness.
Serenity and Sincerity
Among the special aims of Itikaf is finding serenity and achieving purity for the remembrance of God and for hearing His calls. Beyond the inner calls of innate nature and reason that summon us from within, there are other continuous calls, the direct call of the Almighty, the call of angels, of divine saints, and even of the beings around us. To hear these calls, one needs a receptive heart and attentive ears.
The Goals of Itikaf
Imam Ali (AS), considers the goal of God Almighty for the totality of religion and the mission of the prophets (AS) to be two things:
- Reforming human understanding and remembrance of God: The Imam (AS) said, “God sent His prophets successively and sent them to His servants to remind them of the covenant of their innate nature, to recall to them forgotten blessings, to complete the argument against them by delivering His commands and guidance, and to uncover for them the hidden treasures of their intellects”.[3]
- Reforming intention and behavior: The Imam (AS) also said, “God sent the Prophet Muhammad (S) with the truth … to deliver His servants from the worship of idols to the worship of God, and from the bondage of Satan to the servitude of the Almighty”.[4]
The Almighty intends, through religion, to reform the practical aspects of reason, such as will, intention, sincerity, and worship. In reality, the goal of Itikaf is for humans to attain angelic qualities. During the days of Itikaf, a person is a guest of a Host who declares: “If you wish to draw near to Me, you must become angel-like.”
For this reason, fasting, one of the essential acts of Itikaf, is a divine practice. Great jurists such as the late Sahib al-Jawahir and later Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Yazdi stated in discussing recommended fasting: “It is enough to say of the virtue of fasting that it makes a person resemble the angels”.[5]
The Quran describes the angels as: “They are honored servants of God who do not precede Him in speech and act only according to His command”.[6]
Likewise, Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS) in Ziyarat al-Jamia used similar words to describe the Ahl al-Bayt (AS).[7] Thus, both the angels and the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) serve as models for humanity, and all others are invited to adopt their moral qualities. This angelic state is attainable through Itikaf, especially for the younger generation, who are more receptive to the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt and more capable of transformation.
Attaining the Ultimate Goal of Worship through Itikaf
Now that it is clear that the mission of the prophets was to invite humanity to the knowledge of God and to free people from the darkness of idolatry and the servitude of Satan, it is fitting to ask: what is the ultimate purpose of worship itself?
The Noble Quran declares worship as the very purpose of creation: “I did not create the jinn and humankind except to worship Me”.[8]
Although this verse identifies worship as the goal of human creation, it is not the final goal; rather, it is a means to achieve piety (taqwa). For the Quran also says: “O mankind! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety”.[9]
Of course, piety, like worship, is the intermediate goal of human creation, because it is the basis for achieving other goals and the best path to achieving “salvation”. “Take provisions, for indeed the best provision is piety”.[10] “And be mindful of God, that you may prosper”.[11] Clearly, a provision is not the destination itself.
Salvation, too, has degrees, and its highest degree is the meeting with God (liqa’ Allah). The highest level of piety, which is sincerity in worship or the worship of those who are free from the fear of Hell and the hope of Paradise, does not lead except to meeting God, and not all pious people have such a high aspiration that the Quran says that whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do righteous deeds and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord. “Whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do righteous deeds and associate none with Him in worship”.[12]
Thus, worship paves the way to piety, and piety serves as the provision for attaining salvation and the encounter with God. Piety is both the goal of worship and its prerequisite, for without worship one cannot achieve piety, and without piety none of one’s deeds are accepted by God: “Indeed, God accepts only from those who are pious”.[13]
Of course, basic acceptance differs from perfect acceptance, for the condition of acceptance is piety within the act itself, even if it is not observed in all other deeds. But to reach the highest level of acceptance, one must cultivate a comprehensive and enduring state of piety.
Based on this understanding, the purpose of the Almighty in legislating Itikaf is to lead His servants toward piety, the provision for meeting Him. This overarching purpose applies to all acts of worship, including those that accompany Itikaf, such as fasting, prayer, staying in the mosque, and remembrance of God: “O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety”.[14]
The Almighty describes the believers as the people of salvation and mentions humility in prayer and constancy in it as the causes of prosperity: “Indeed, the believers have succeeded, those who are humble in their prayers … and those who guard their prayers. They are the inheritors who will inherit al-Firdaws (the highest Paradise), wherein they will abide forever”.[15]
Conclusion
The purpose of legislating Itikaf is to bring human beings closer to the ultimate goal of creation. According to the Quran, the purpose of creation itself is the worship of the Lord. Itikaf thus provides the setting for sincere worship of the Almighty. Through this form of worship, a person traverses the stages of piety and moves toward the ultimate goal, the encounter with the Lord.
Notes
[1]. Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, Uyun Akhbar Al-Rida, vol.2, p.103.
[2]. Al-Hadid:16.
[3]. Sharif al-Radi, Nahj Al-Balagha, Sermon 1.
[4]. Sharif al-Radi, Nahj Al-Balagha, Sermon 147.
[5]. Najafi, Jawahir al-Kalam, vol. 16, p. 181; Al-Ṭabaṭabai al-Yazdi, Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa, vol. 2, p. 241.
[6]. Al-Anbiya:26-27.
[7]. Amini, Al-Balad al-Amin, p.298.
[8]. Al-Dhariyat:56.
[9]. Al-Baqarah:21.
[10]. Al-Baqarah:197.
[11]. Al-Baqarah:189; Al-Imran:200.
[12]. Al-Kahf:110.
[13]. Al-Maidah:27.
[14]. Al-Baqarah:183.
[15]. Al-Muminun:1–11.
References
- The Holy Quran.
- Mafatiḥ al-Jinan.
- Amini, Ibrahim ibn Ali, Al-Ka fami, Taqi al-Din, al-Balad al-Amin wa al-Dur al-Ḥaṣin, 1st edition, Beirut, al-Alami Institute for Publications, 1418 AH.
- Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi, Muḥammad ibn Ali, Uyun Akhbar al-Riḍa, edited by Sayyid Mahdi Husayni Lajwardi, 1st edition, Tehran, Nashr Jahan, 1378 AH.
- Najafi, Muḥammad Hasan, Jawahir al-Kalam fi Sharḥ Sharai al-Islam, edited by Abbss Quchani, 7th edition, Beirut, Dar Iḥya al-Turath al-Arabi.
- Sharif al-Radi, Muhammad ibn al-Husayn. Nahj al-Balagha, ed. Subhi al-Salih. Qom: Hijrat Publications, 1414 AH.
- Ṭabaṭabai al-Yazdi, Sayyid Muhammad Kazim, al-Urwat al-Wuthqa, Beirut, al-Alami Institute, 1409 AH.
Source of the article | Adapted from:
Maqdesi, Yadollah, Abadi, Sayyid Kamal al-Din, Bar Bal-e Itikaf (On the Wings of Itikaf), under the supervision of Ayatollah Jawadi Amuli, Asra Publication Center, pp. 51–59.
