Kitāb al-Muʾmin
Hadith 112عن نصر بن قابوس قال: قلت لأبي الحسن الماضي عليه السلام: بلغني عن أبيك أنه أتاه آت فاستعان به على حاجته، فذكر له أنه معتكف، فأتى الحسن عليه السلام، فذكر له ذلك، فقال: أما علمت أن المشي في حاجة المؤمن خير من اعتكاف شهرين متتابعين في المسجد الحرام بصيامهما ,ثم قال أبو الحسن عليه السلام: ومن اعتكاف الدهر
112. It has been related that Nasr ibn Qabus said: I said to Abu al-Hasan (Imam al-Kaďim (a.s)), 'I have come to know that someone once came to your grandfather (Imam Al-Husayn (a.s)) asking for help, but he was informed that he (Al-Husayn) was in a state of i'tikaf. So, he came to al-Hasan (a.s) and mentioned it to him. Al-Hasan said, 'You should have known that going to help a believer is better than two consecutive months of i'tikaf in the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) whilst fasting for these two months.' Abu al-Hasan (a.s) added, 'Moreover, it is better than performing i'tikaf for the whole lifetime.'