When a person observing I`tikaf enters the Masjid

Q 5: When someone wants to observe I‘tikaf (seclusion for worship in a Masjid) during the last ten days of Ramadan, what is the time of beginning I‘tikaf in the Masjid (mosque) and the time of ending it?

A: Al-Bukhari and Muslim (may Allah be merciful to them) narrated on the authority of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) wanted to observe I‘tikaf, he would offer the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer then go to his place of I‘tikaf. The period of I‘tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan ends with the setting of the sun of the last day of the month.