Spiritual Retreat: Stipulating a Condition to Leave the Iʿtikaf
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Ayatullah Sistani
Ruling 1759
When one makes the intention to perform an iʿtikāf that is not an assigned obligation,[1] he can stipulate a condition from the outset that if a problem arises, he will leave the iʿtikāf.[2] Therefore, by stipulating such a condition, one can leave the iʿtikāf if a problem arises, and there is no problem in doing so even on the third day. However, if a muʿtakif stipulates a condition that he will stop his iʿtikāf even if no particular reason arises, the validity of such a condition is problematic [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, it is not a valid condition]. It is worth mentioning that stipulating the aforementioned condition (i.e. the condition of leaving the iʿtikāf in the middle of it if a problem arises) before or after the iʿtikāf has started is not correct; rather, it must be stipulated at the time of making the intention to perform iʿtikāf.
-Ayatullah Sistani, Practical Laws of Islam, Spiritual Retreat (Iʿtikāf)
See the first footnote pertaining to Ruling 1731 for an explanation of this term.
Such a condition is known as ‘a condition of returning (rujūʿ)’.