Asking Permission

Anas said that he was ten years old when the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to Madina. He said, "My mothers
decided that I would serve him and I served him for ten years. He died
when I was twenty. I am the person who knows best about the business of
the veil. The first instance that was revealed occurred when the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, built a room for Zaynab
bint Jahsh. He celebrated the wedding there, invited the people who came,
ate and then left. A group remained with the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace. They stayed for a long time and then the Prophet went
out and I went out hoping that they would leave. He walked and I walked
with him until he came to the threshold of 'A'isha's room. Then, thinking
that they would have left, he returned and I returned with him. He went
to Zaynab but they were still sitting there. He left again and I left with
him until he once more reached the threshold of 'A'isha's room. When he
thought that they would have gone, he went back again and I went back with
him. This time they had indeed left. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, then put up a curtain between me and him, and the veil
was revealed."

Tha'laba ibn Abi Malik al-Qurazi reported that he rode to 'Abdullah
ibn Suwayd, one of the Banu Haritha ibn al-Harith, to ask him about the
three times of nakedness. 'Abdullah used to observe these times. Tha'laba
said, "'Abdullah asked, 'What do you want?' I replied, 'I want to observe
them.' He said, 'When I take off my garment at midday, none of my family
who have reached puberty comes to me without my permission unless I call
them. Nor do they do that when it is Fajr until people know that I have
prayed, nor when I have prayed 'Isha' and removed my clothes so that I
can sleep.'"

'A'isha said, "I used to eat date and butter mixture with the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. 'Umar visited and the
Prophet invited him and he ate. 'Umar's hand touched my fingers and he
said, 'Oh! If I were to be obeyed about you, no eye would ever see you!'
Then the veil was revealed."

Umm Habiba bint Qays (Khawla) was heard to say, "My hand and that
of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mixed
together in the same vessel."

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said, "When someone enters a house which is
not lived in, he should say, 'Peace be upon the righteous slaves of Allah.'"

Ibn 'Abbas said, "The verse, 'Do not enter houses other than
your own until you have asked permission and greeted their inhabitants'
(24:27) has an exception made to it when Allah says, 'There is nothing
wrong in your entering houses where no one lives where there is some service
for you. Allah knows what you divulge and what you conceal.'"

Regarding the ayat, "Those you own as slaves should ask your
permission to enter" (24:56), Ibn 'Umar said, "That applies to men
rather than women."

Ibn 'Umar reported that when his children had reached puberty
and he had withdrawn to his room, none of them entered where he was except
with his permission.

'Alqama said, "A man came to 'Abdullah and said, 'Should I ask
permission to go in where my mother is?' He said, 'At all times. Do you
want to see her (exposed)?'"

Muslim ibn Nadhir said, "A man asked Hudhayfa, 'Should I ask permission
to enter where my mother is?' He replied, 'If you were not to ask her permission,
you would see what you dislike.'"

Musa ibn Talha said, "I entered where my mother was with my father.
He went in and I followed him. He turned and pushed me in the chest so
that I fell on my bottom. Then he said, 'Will you enter without permission!'"

Jabir said, "A man should ask permission from his son and his
mother, even if she is old, his brother, his sister and his father."

before the Dawn Prayer and when you have undressed at noon and after the
Night Prayer - three times of nakedness for you.' (24:56) Ibn 'Abbas
said, 'He did not command these individuals to ask permission other than
at these three times of nakedness.' Then he went on to say, 'The verse
in Surat an-Nur:57 is: 'Once your children have reached puberty, they should
ask your permission to enter as those before them also asked permission.'"

'Abdullah said, "A man asks permission of his father, his mother,
his brother and his sister."

'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr reported that Abu Musa al-Ash'ari asked permission
of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, but he did not grant him permission. It seemed
that he was busy. Abu Musa came back and 'Umar had finished. He said, "Didn't
I hear the voice of 'Abdullah ibn Qays? Give him permission to enter."
He was told, "He has gone away," so he sent after him. Abu Musa said, "We
were commanded to behave like that (i.e. to go away after having asked
permission to enter three times)." 'Umar said, "Bring me a clear proof
of it." He then went to the gathering of the Ansar and questioned them.
They said, "Only the youngest of us will attest to that - Abu Sa'id
al-Khudri." He went with Abu Sa'id. 'Umar said, "Is something of what the
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, commanded hidden from me? Doing business in the markets distracted
me," i.e. going out to trade.

Regarding the person who asks for permission to enter before he
gives the greeting, Abu Hurayra said, "He is not given permission until
he has first given the greeting."

Abu Hurayra said, "When someone comes in and does not say, 'Peace
be upon you,' then say, 'No,' until he brings the key which is the greeting
(salam)."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "If a man looks into your house and you take some
pebbles and gouge out his eye, there is no fault in you."

Anas said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
was standing in prayer and a man looked into his room. He took an arrow
from his quiver and aimed it at his eyes."

Sahl ibn Sa'd told him that a man looked from a room through the
door of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had a comb with which
he was scratching his hair. When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, saw him, he said, "If I had known that you were looking at me,
I would have stabbed you in the eye with this!"