Whether and how women may perform itikaf has become one of the more actively discussed questions in contemporary Islamic practice, precisely because classical jurisprudence addressed it under conditions, extended family compounds and different norms of gender-segregated space, that have changed considerably since. The historically dominant Hanafi position directed women to observe itikaf in a designated place of prayer within their own home rather than in a mosque, reflecting both concern for propriety in a mixed public space and the practical reality that many mosques historically had no provision for accommodating women staying overnight for an extended period.
Contemporary practice across much of the Muslim world has moved toward including women in mosque-based itikaf directly, and a number of large mosques, particularly in Gulf states, Malaysia and parts of South Asia, now organise dedicated sections, sometimes entire separate floors or annexes, specifically to host women observing the last ten nights of Ramadan in seclusion within the mosque itself, treating the earlier restriction as a product of inadequate facilities rather than a permanent legal requirement.
Scholars who support this shift generally argue that the underlying Quranic basis for itikaf, seclusion in the mosques mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, makes no distinction by sex, and that the historical restriction reflected available infrastructure rather than the ruling itself, while more traditionalist voices continue to prefer the older Hanafi guidance, which makes the question a live and unresolved one rather than a settled matter across the Muslim world today.