Hawzah News Agency (Qom, Iran) – Itikaf is an Islamic practice consisting of a period of staying in a masjid (or mosque in English) for three days, devoting oneself to worship during these days and staying away from worldly affairs. In the first evening of this year’s Itikaf days which began on April 11 and will end on Thursday, April 13, our reporter went to Qom’s grand masjid to have a friendly word with some worshippers there and to experience the spiritual atmosphere of this Islamic tradition.

Ahmad Shojae, a seminary student in Qom, is experiencing this religious practice for the third time; commenting on the impact of Itikaf he said, “The way I see it, this is a divine blessing that someone is able to participate in this religious event; just being present here gives you an amazing spiritual feeling and uplifts your soul, especially when you realize that during these days you will put most of your worldly affairs aside in order to worship Allah (swt) and to ponder about yourself and your solitude.” 

Another interviewee was Hujjat al-Islam Mojtaba Rezayi, a cleric, who pointed out that Itikaf does not belong to Muslims only since it has been practiced by the pious to seek proximity to God even prior to the advent of Islam; “Performing Itikaf and the act of retreat in the house of Allah (masjids) together with multitude of other worshippers serves as a way for mankind to reach solitude and return to the self,” he concluded.