Seeking Permission to Enter

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

"O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, untill you have asked permission".

(Quran 24: 27)

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) also says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِيَسْتَأْذِنكُمُ الَّذِينَ مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَبْلُغُوا الْحُلُمَ مِنكُمْ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ مِن قَبْلِ صَلَاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَحِينَ تَضَعُونَ ثِيَابَكُم مِّنَ الظَّهِيرَةِ وَمِن بَعْدِ صَلَاةِ الْعِشَاء ثَلَاثُ عَوْرَاتٍ لَّكُمْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا عَلَيْهِمْ جُنَاحٌ بَعْدَهُنَّ طَوَّافُونَ عَلَيْكُم بَعْضُكُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

" O ye who believe! let those whom your right hands possess, and the
(children) among you who have not come of age ask your permission (before they come to your presence), on three occasions: before morning prayer; the while ye doff your clothes for the noonday heat; and after the late-night prayer: these are your three times of undress: outside those times it is not wrong for you or for them to move about attending to each other: Thus does Allah make clear the Signs to you: for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.".

(Quran 24:58)

If family members are resting in their rooms and you want to join them, or enter, it is appropriate adab to seek their permission or to knock on the door. This was recommended by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) so as to protect us from seeing them in a condition that either you or they may dislike. This is applicable to the entire household.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,

"Seeking permission [to enter another person's private space] has been made compulsory only because of eyesight (i.e. only so that people do not see that which is unlawful for them to see, such as a stranger woman)."

(Bukhari & Muslim)

'Ata Ibn Yasir (رضى الله عنه) narrated:

"A man asked the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) 'Should I seek permission to enter my mother's room?' The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) answered 'Yes'. The man said, ' We live together in the same house'. The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said 'Ask permission to join her'. The man argued 'But I serve her!' The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said 'Ask for permission. Would you like to see her naked?' The man replied 'No'. The prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said 'Then ask for her permission before entering'.

Similarly:

"A man asked 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud(رضى الله عنه) , "Should I ask permission to enter my mother's room?" He answered, "Yes there are certain circumstances in which you would rather not see her".

In another narration, Zaynab, the wife of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said that before opening the door of his house, 'Abdullah used to make a noise, lest he surprised and embarrassed his family. Likewise:

"A man asked Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman (رضى الله عنه) , "Should I ask permission to enter my mother's room?" Hudhayfa replied, "Yes, if you do not ask for her permission, you may cause yourself a needless embarrassment".

When children reach a certain age they must ask permission and be taught to establish prayer. Allah (حانه وتعالى) says in the Quran:

وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْأَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا كَمَا اسْتَأْذَنَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ آيَاتِهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

"And when the children come of age, let them ask for permission, as do those senior to them in age; thus does Allah make clear His signs. Allah is all-knowing all wise"

(Quran 24: 59)

Musa the so of the Companion Talha ibn Ubaydullah (رضى الله عنه) said,

"My father went to my mothers room. I followed him as he entered. He turned towards me and pushed me down, forcing me to sit. Then he reprimanded me "How dare you enter without permission?"

Nafi' (رضى الله عنه) the companion of 'Abdullah ibn Umar said,

"When any of the children of Ibn Umar came of age, Ibn Umar would assign that child to another room. He would not allow any of them to enter his room without permission".

'Ata ibn Abi Rabah (رضى الله عنه) reported that he asked Ibn Abbas

"Should I seek permission when calling my two sisters?" Ibn Abbas answered "Yes". I said, "I am their gaurdian, supporter and providor of their needs". He said, " Would you rather see them naked?" Then he recited the verse of the Quran (24:59), comcluding that is is obligatory to seek permission for all.

Ibn Mas'ud (رضى الله عنه) said, "A person should seek permission whenever entering the room of a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister." Jabir also said, "A person should seek permission whenever entering the room of a son, a daughter, a mother - even if she is old, a brother, a sister, or a father."

SUMMARY:

1. Always seek permission even of those under your care.

2. Don't surprise or embarrass people so you or they dislike it.

3. Knock calmly to seek permission

4. When children come of age, (approx 7) teach them to seek permission.

Entering while others are asleep

When you enter a place where people are sleeping, during the day or night, you should be quiet and gentle in moving, so as not to disturb anyone. One should always be considerate of others. We shouldn't cause undue noise when entering or leaving. For example, when we wake up for Fajr, or tahajjud, we should be especially considerate; not waking up the whole house to tell them "Oh look MashaAllah I'm awake for this salah", but do things for the pleasure of Allah and be gentle in all that you do.

Aisha (رضى الله عنها) narrated:

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to offer his night prayer while I was sleeping across in his bed. Whenever he intended to offer the Witr prayer, he used to wake me up and I would offer the Witr prayer too.

(Sahih Bukhari)

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said:

"Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all sorts of goodness"

(Bukhari)

It was also reported that the companions of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"We used to keep the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) his share of milk, and when he would come at night he would greet us with a voice loud enough for those awake to hear, without disturbing those who were sleeping."

(Muslim)

In addition, whenever the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to pray at night, he would recite the Quran with a voice that pleased those awake, without disturbing those that were sleeping.

Princess Qater al-Nada was famous for her intelligence, manners and beauty. She was the daughter of Khimarawayh ibn Ahmad ibn Tulan, the King of Egypt. She married the Abbasid Khalifa al-Mu'tadad Billah who admired her refined manners and excellent education. Qater al-Nada said:

"My father taught me an important manner: do not sleep amongst sitting people and do not sit amongst sleeping people".

It is important to therefore remember that pride and arrogance are haram, we should be humble, and gentle in our ettiquettes. We should always be careful not to offend others by putting ourselves in their shoes and being aware of the harm we maybe causing. When we wake in the night or carry out good deeds, we shouldn't try to make everyone and anyone aware of them, but try to hide them; so as to protect, and ensure our intentions remain purely for the sake of Allah. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) reminds us in the Quran:

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

"And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness."

(Surah Al-Furqan, Verse 63)

Entering or Leaving a House

CHAPTER 3

HOW TO ENTER

When we enter or leave our house, office, we should always proceed with our right foot first as this was the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). With the masjid, we should enter with the right foot but leave with the left. This should be accompanied by one of the following dua'as:

Du'a when entering the house

Dua'a when entering the Masjid

‘I take refuge with Allaah, The Supreme and with His Noble Face, and His eternal authority from the accursed devil. In the name of Allaah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, open the gates of Your mercy for me.’

Dua'a when leaving the house

‘In the name of Allaah, I place my trust in Allaah, and there is no might nor power except with Allaah.’

Dua'a when leaving the Masjid

‘In the name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, I ask You from Your favour. O Allaah, guard from the accursed devil.’

When entering or leaving the house we should be careful not to push open the door in a violent manner or slam it shut, nor leave it to close by itself wildly. We should close the door gently with our hand. Wild actions stand in contrast to the gracefulness of Islam that we are honoured to belong to. The adab of entering should be in a gentle manner, reflective of our character. A Muslim should be gentle in every way, when he sells, when he buys, when he enters the house and every other area of life.

Aisha (رضى الله عنها) narrated from the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم):

"Gentleness adorns every act. It's absence will tarnish it"

(Sahih Muslim)

So we should be weary of our gentleness when entering or leaving the house. For instance if we storm in to our house, banging and stomping in as if we are a wild animal, what impression will that give to those within the home. Will they not be scared, or in dread of your visit? When a husband/wife returns home from work, they should for instance leave thier work, any stress or issues they may have faced throughout the day, outside the door, entering in a gentle composed manner, with a smile. Today, we are so obsessed with our own lives we forget the true essence of our actions, or that we may be acting more like animals than humans, than Muslim...

With respect to calmness, this is especially important in salah, in that it teaches us to be calm, punctual, soft and disciplined.

Abu Huraira (رضى الله عنه) narrated:

Once the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) entered the mosque, a man came in, offered the prayer and greeted the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم) returned his greeting and said to him, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed." The man offered the prayer again, came back and greeted the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم). He said to him thrice, "Go back and pray again for you have not prayed." The man said, "By Him Who has sent you with the truth! I do not know a better way of praying. Kindly teach Me how to pray." He said, "When you stand for the prayer, say Takbir and then recite from the Qur'an what you know and then bow with calmness till you feel at ease, then rise from bowing till you stand straight. Afterwards prostrate calmly till you feel at ease and then raise (your head) and sit with calmness till you feel at ease and then prostrate with calmness till you feel at ease in prostration and do the same in the whole of your prayer."

(Sahih Bukhari)