اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِیْنَ وَ الصَّلٰوۃُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلٰی سَیِّدِ الْمُرْسَلِیْنَ ^ط

اَمَّا بَعْدُ فَاَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ ^ط  بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّ حِیْم ^ط

Hadith Qudsī and the Rank of the Crown of the Saints

اَلصَّلٰوۃُ وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَیْكَ یَا رَسُولَ اللہ                                                         وَعَلٰی اٰلِكَ وَ اَصْحٰبِكَ یَا حَبِیْبَ اللہ

اَلصَّلٰوۃُ وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَیْكَ یَا نَبِیَّ اللہ                                                                       وَعَلٰی اٰلِكَ وَ اَصْحٰبِكَ یَا نُوْرَ اللہ

نَوَيۡتُ سُنَّتَ الۡاِعۡتِكَافِ

 “I have made the intention of sunnah iꜤtikaf.”

Dear Islamic brothers! Whenever you enter a masjid, make the intention of iꜤtikāf, for you shall continuously gain the reward of iꜤtikāf for as long as you stay inside. Normally, when we are in a masjid, sharꜤīah does not give permission for us to eat, drink, sleep, have suḥūr or ifṭār, and not even to drink Zamzam water or the water on which dam has been made. Yet, if the intention of iꜤtikāf is made, all these actions will become permissible. One should not make this intention of iꜤtikāf only to eat, drink or sleep. This intention should instead be made to please Allah.

In Fatāwā Shāmī:

If someone wants to eat, drink or sleep in a masjid, he should make the intention to observe iꜤtikāf and perform the dhikr of Allah for some time. Then he may proceed as he wishes (i.e. now if he wants to eat, drink or sleep, he can do so).