Chosen Islamic Manners
Manners of Seeking Permission
*It is of the Sunnah that one greets an individual before seeking permission from him.
Rib'ee, may Allah have mercy on him, said that a man from the tribe of Amir told him that he sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (). He asked: 'Shall I enter?' The Prophet () told his servant:
‘Go to that individual and inform him how to
seek permission. Tell him to say: 'Assalamu Alaikum, shall I enter?’ (Ahmed)
*The one seeking permission should stand to the left or right of the door, so that he does not see anything in the house that he should not see. Indeed permission is to be sought so that one can protect their privacy.
*It is not lawful for one to look in the house of someone else. The Prophet () said:
'The owner of a house has the right to poke
out the eye of the one who peers into his home without permission.' (Muslim)
*One should seek permission during suitable times.
*One should seek permission thrice. If you are given permission enter, if not, return. The Messenger of Allah () said:
'If one of you seeks permission let him seek it three times; if he is not granted permission, let him return.'
(Bukhari & Muslim)
*If one is unsure whether his request to seek permission was heard, he should still return after he seeks permission three times. It has been said that one may seek permission more than three times; until he is sure that his voice is heard.
*If the owner of the house tells him to return, he should return. Allah says:
And if you find no one therein, still, enter not until permission has been given. And if you are asked to go back, go back, for it is purer for you, and Allah is All Knower of what you do. (24:28)
If the owner of the house tells him to return one should not find anything in his heart against him, for this is a sure method by which one will sanctify his soul.
*One should not say: 'Its me!' when he is asked to identify himself. Jabir () said: 'I came to the Prophet () to ask his help to repay a debt my father owed to some people, so I knocked on the door of the Messenger of Allah () and he asked: 'Who is it?' I said: ‘It's me.’ He said: 'It's me, It's me?' he repeated as though he disliked it. (Bukhari & Muslim)
*The one seeking permission should not bang on the door. It is narrated that Anas b. Malik () said: 'People would knock on the Prophet's houses with their finger tips.'[1]
*The one seeking permission should not enter the house if there is no one in it, for this is a clear sign of transgression.
*After one is given permission to enter
a home, one should wait for a short period of time before entering, and seek
permission once more. Abu Wa’il, may Allah have mercy on him, said: ‘We went to
Ibn Masood () after we finished performing the prayer. We greeted him from
the door, and he gave us permission to enter. We stood by the door for a short
period of time, and the servant came to us and she said: ‘Will you not enter?’
We then entered and found him sitting, remembering Allah. He asked us: ‘What
prevented you from entering, when I gave you permission to enter?’ We said: ‘We
thought that some of your family was sleeping.’ (Al-A’daab ash-Shari’yah 1/428)
*Whoever sends a messenger to call someone does not need to seek permission to enter the home. The Prophet () said:
'If one of you is invited to a have a meal and he comes with the servant who called him, this is his permission to enter the home.' (Abu Dawood)
Some scholars state that one should seek permission to enter their home if they come late.
*One should seek permission when he wants to get up and leave the sitting. Ibn Umar () said that the Messenger of Allah () said:
'If one of you visits his brother and then
sits beside him, let him not stand up to leave until he seeks permission.' (As-Silsilah as-Saheehah)
*One should seek permission to enter upon one's sister, and mother.
*One should tell his wife that he is entering the home.
*Children who have understanding should seek permission during three times, before the Fajr prayer, during the siesta time and after the Isha prayer.
*The method of giving Salam is that one says: 'Asalamu Alaikum, do you give me permission to enter?'
*If the house is not inhabited and one's belongings are in it, Allah says:
There is no sin on you that you enter (without taking permission) houses uninhabited (i.e. not possessed by anybody), (when) you have any interest in them. And Allah has knowledge of what you reveal and what you conceal. (24:29)
This is also applicable to shops, markets and hotels.
*Seeking permission is not compulsory during a life and death situation, such as a fire.
*If one wants to seek permission from
one who is performing prayers, the man who is praying should say: 'Subhanallah' and a woman should clap
her hands. The Prophet
()
said:
'If one seeks permission from one who is performing prayers, the praying person should say ‘Subhanallah’, and the woman should clap her hands.' (Baihaqi)
*Abu Dawood, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned under the chapter of jesting that Auf b. Malik al-Ash'ja'ee () said: 'I came to the Messenger of Allah () during the Battle of Tabuk and he was sitting under a tent, I gave Salam and sought permission to enter, and he said: 'Enter.' I asked: ‘Shall I enter entirely?’ He said: 'Enter entirely' so I entered. (Abu Dawood)
[1] Imam Bukhari narrated this hadeeth in his book Al-Adab al-Mofrad and Sheik AlAlbani, may Allah have mercy on him, classified this hadeeth as authentic.
to be continued . . . .
