For "al-'ashr" (the ten) without the letter 'ha' is the count of nights, as it is the count for the feminine, as Allah Almighty said: "And ten nights" [Surah Al-Fajr: 2]. The first of the ten nights is the night of the twenty-first. The second report is that he enters after the morning prayer. Hanbal said that Ahmad said: "It is more beloved to me that he enters before the night, but the hadith of 'Aishah states that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would pray the Fajr prayer and then enter his place of I'tikaf." This is also the view of Al-Awza'i and Ishaq. Its basis is what 'Amrah narrated from 'Aishah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would, when he had prayed the Subh (morning) prayer, enter his place of I'tikaf. It is agreed upon. If he vows I'tikaf for the ten days, both reports regarding the time of his entry apply.

Section: Whoever performs I'tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan, it is recommended that he spends the night of the 'Eid in his place of I'tikaf. Ahmad explicitly stated this. It was narrated from Al-Nakha'i, Abu Mijlaz, Abu Bakr ibn 'Abd al-Rahman, Al-Muttalib ibn Hantab, and Abu Qilabah that they used to recommend this. Al-Athram narrated with his chain of transmission from Ayyub, from Abu Qilabah, that he used to spend the night in the mosque on the night of Fitr, then go in the morning as he was to the 'Eid prayer. He would not—meaning during his I'tikaf—have a mat or prayer rug laid out for him to sit upon; he would sit as if he were one of the people. He said: "I came to him on the day of Fitr, and there was a young, decorated slave girl in his lap whom I thought was one of his daughters, but she turned out to be a slave of his, so he manumitted her and went as he was to the 'Eid prayer." Ibrahim said: "They used to like for one who performed I'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan to spend the night of Fitr in the mosque, and then go to the prayer ground from the mosque."