For when he vows days containing a Friday, it is as if he had excluded Friday by his own words. Furthermore, this is invalidated by a case where a woman vows days in which her menstruation usually occurs; it is valid despite the possibility of fulfilling it at other times, and the premise [of the counter-argument] is not conceded. Once this is established, if he exits for an obligatory act, he remains in his state of I'tikaf, provided he does not prolong it, because it is an exit for something indispensable to him, resembling an exit for human necessity. If his exit is for the Friday prayer, he is permitted to hasten. Ahmad said: I hope that he may do so, because it is a permissible exit, so hastening it is permissible, just like an exit for human necessity. If he performs the Friday prayer, and wishes to observe I'tikaf in the congregational mosque, he may do so; for it is a place for I'tikaf, and the location is not determined by his vow and his designation [of the previous mosque], so in the absence of that, it is even more appropriate. Similarly, if he enters a mosque along his path and completes his I'tikaf there, it is permissible for that reason. If he wishes to return to his place of I'tikaf, he may do so; for he exited from his place of I'tikaf, and he is entitled to return to it, just as if he had exited for a purpose other than Friday prayer. Some of our companions said: It is recommended for him to hasten back to his place of I'tikaf. Abu Dawud said: I said to Ahmad: Should he—meaning the person in I'tikaf—pray (rak'ah) in the mosque on Friday after the prayer? He said: Yes, to the extent that he used to pray. It is possible that the choice lies with him regarding hastening or delaying the prayer, because he is in a place that is suitable for I'tikaf, so it resembles the case where he intended to observe I'tikaf in it. As for exiting initially to another mosque, or to the congregational mosque without need, or if the mosque were further away than the place of his necessity and he went to it, this is not permissible for him; because it is an exit without need, resembling the case where he exited to a place other than a mosque. If two mosques are adjacent, such that he exits one and arrives in the other, he may move from one to the other; because they are like a single mosque, and he may move from one of its corners to another. But if he walks between them through a space that is not a mosque, he may not exit even if it is close; because it is an exit from the mosque without a necessary need.

Section: When he exits for an indispensable need, he is not required to hasten in his walking; rather, he should walk at his normal pace, for there is hardship in obligating him to do otherwise. He is not permitted to remain [outside] after fulfilling his need.