General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)
كتاب الأدب
Chapter 138: Seeking permission to enter
A man peeped into some of the apartment of the prophet (May peace be upon him). The prophet (May peace be upon him) got up taking an arrowhead or arrowheads. He said: I can still picture myself looking at the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) when he was exploring to pierce him.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone peeps into the house of a people without their permission and he knocks out his eye, no responsibility is incurred for his eye.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one has a look into the house, then there is no (need of) permission.
A man came. Uthman's version has: Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas came. He stood at the door. Uthman's version has: (He stood) facing the door. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to him: Away from it, (stand) this side or that side. Asking permission is meant to escape from the look of an eye.
A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Talhah b. Musarrif from a man from Sa’d from the prophet (May peace be upon him) through a different chain of narrators.
Chapter 139: How is permission to be sought
Safwan ibn Umayyah sent him with some milk, a young gazelle and some small cucumbers to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was in the upper part of Mecca. I entered but I did not give a salutation. He said: Go back and say: "Peace be upon you"! This happened after Safwan ibn Umayyah and embraced Islam. Amr said: Ibn Safwan told me all this on the authority of Kaladah ibn Hanbal, and he did not say: I heard it from him.
Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. Habib said: Umayyah b. Safwan. He did not say: I heard from Kaladah b. Hanbal. Yahya also said: 'Amr b. 'Abd Allah b. Safwan told him that Kaladah b. al-Hanbal told him.
A man of Banu Amir told that he asked the Prophet (ﷺ) for permission (to enter the house) when he was in the house, saying: May I enter ? The Prophet (ﷺ) said to his servant: Go out to this (man) and teach him how to ask permission to enter the house, and say to him: "Say : Peace be upon you. May I enter?" The man heard it and said: Peace be upon you! May I enter ? The Prophet (ﷺ) permitted him and he entered.
Similarly, Musaddad transmitted it to us saying that Abu 'Awanah related it to us from Mansur. He did not say: "a man of Banu 'Amir".
I heard it and so I said: Peace be upon you. May I enter?
Chapter 140: How many times should one say salam when seeking permission to enter
I was sitting in one of the meeting of the Ansar. Abu Musa came terrified. We asked him; what makes you terrified? He replied: ‘Umar sent for me; so I went to him and asked his permission three times, but he did not permit me (to enter), so I came back. He asked; what has prevented you from coming to me? I replied: I came and asked permission three times, but it was not granted to me (so I returned). The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) has said: When one of you asks permission three times and it is not granted to him, he should go away. He (‘Umar’) said; establish the proof of it. So Abu Sa’id said: the youngest of the people will accompany you. So Abu Sa’id got up with him and testified.
Abu Musa asks permission, al-Ash’ari ask permission, and ‘Abd Allah b. Qais asks permission, but it was not granted to him. So he went away and ‘umar sent for him saying: what did you return? He replied: The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: When one of you asks permission three times and it is not granted to him, he should go away. He said: Establish the proof of it. He went, came back, and said; This is Ubayy. Ubayy said: ‘Umar, do not be an agony for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). ‘Umar said : I shall not be an agony for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
Abu Musa asked ‘Umar for permission to enter the house. This version has: he went with Abu sa’ld who testified to it. He said Did this practice of the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) remain hidden from me? My engagement in the transaction in the market made me oblivious of it. Now give me salutation as you wish; and do not ask permission.
‘Umar said to Abu Musa : I do not blame you, but the matter of transmitting a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) is serious.
‘Umar said to Abd Musa: I do not blame you, but I am afraid that the people may talk carelessly about the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him).
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to visit us in our house, and said: Peace and Allah's mercy be upon you! Sa'd returned the greeting in a lower tone.
Qays said: I said: Do you not grant permission to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to enter?
He said: Leave him, he will give us many greetings. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said: Peace and Allah's mercy be upon you! Sa'd again responded in a lower tone. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) again said: Peace and Allah's mercy be upon you! So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went away.
Sa'd went after him and said: Messenger of Allah! I heard your greetings and responded in a lower tone so that you might give us many greetings. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) returned with him. Sa'd then offered to prepare bath-water for him, and he took a bath. He then gave him a long wrapper dyed with saffron or wars and he wrapped himself in it.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then raised his hands and said: O Allah, bestow Thy blessings and mercy on the family of Sa'd ibn Ubadah! The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then shared their meals.
When he intended to return, Sa'd brought near him an ass which was covered with a blanket. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mounted it.
Sa'd said: O Qays, accompany the Messenger of Allah. Qays said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: Ride. But I refused. He again said: Either ride or go away. He said: So I went away.
Hisham said: AbuMarwan (transmitted) from Muhammad ibn AbdurRahman ibn As'ad ibn Zurarah.
Abu Dawud said: 'Umar b. 'Abd al-Wahid and Ibn Sama'ah transmitted it from al-Awzai' in mursal form (the ling of the Companion being missing), and they did not mention Qais b. Sa'd.
When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to some people's door, he did not face it squarely, but faced the right or left corner, and said: Peace be upon you! peace be upon you! That was because there were no curtains on the doors of the house at that time.
Chapter 141: Asking permission to enter by knocking
I knocked at the door. He asked : who is there? I replied: it is I. he said: I, as though he disapproved of it.
I went out with the (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) until I entered a garden, he said: Keep on closing the door. The door was then closed. I then said: Who is there ? He then narrated the rest of the tradition.
Abu Dawud said: That is to say, the tradition of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. In this version he said: "He then knocked at the door."
Chapter 142: If a man is invited, that is considered permission to enter
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A man's messenger sent to another indicates his permission to enter.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you is invited to take meals and comes along with the messenger, that serves as permission for him to enter.
Abu 'Ali al-Lu'lu said: I heard Abu Dawud say: Qatadah did not hear anything from Abu Rafi'.