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."

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."

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."

'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.'"

'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.'"

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!'"

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.'"

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.

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)."

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."

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The ear is put in the place of the eye."

Mu'awiya ibn Hudayj said, "I came to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him for permission to enter. They told me, 'Stay where you are until he comes to you.' I sat down near his door." He continued, "'Umar came out to me, called for water and did wudu'. Then he wiped over his leather socks. I said, 'O Amir al'-Mu'minin, is this on account of urine?' He replied, 'On account of urine or other things.'"

Kalda ibn Hanbal reported that Safwan ibn Umayya sent him to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during the Conquest of Makka with some milk, gazelle, and cucumber. (Abu 'Asim said that the meant vegetables.) The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was at the top of the valley and I did not give the greeting nor ask for permission. He said, "Go back and say, 'Peace be upon you. May I enter?' That was after Safwan had become Muslim."

'Ata' reported that Abu Hurayra said, "When someone says, "Can I come in?" and does not give the key.'" 'Ata' said, "Peace?" and Abu Hurayra replied, "Yes."

Anas ibn Malik reported that a bedouin came to the house of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and put his eye to the crack of the door. Therefore the Prophet took an arrow or a sharp stick and aimed it at the bedouin as to gouge out his eye. The man left and the Prophet said, "If you had stayed, I would have gouged out your eye."

Thawban, the mawla of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It is not lawful for a Muslim man to look inside a house until he has been given permission. If he does so, he has entered. He should not act as the imam of a people and then single himself out for supplication to the exclusion of others. He should not pray while he needs to urinate until he has relieved himself."