Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nur Verse 27

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not enter any houses, other than your own houses unless you seek permission and greet their inmates with Salām . That is good for you, so that you may be heedful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not enter any house other than your own until you have asked for permission and greeted its occupants. This is best for you, so perhaps you will be mindful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not enter any house other than your own until you ask permission and greet their dwellers. That is best for you, so that you may take heed.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, do not enter houses other than your houses until you first ask leave and, salute the people thereof; that is better for you; haply you will remember.

Abdul Haleem

Believers, do not enter other people’s houses until you have asked permission to do so and greeted those inside- that is best for you: perhaps you will bear this in mind.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! enter not houses other than your own until ye have asked leave and invoked peace on the inmates thereof. That is better for you, haply ye may take heed.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! enter not houses other than your own, until ye have asked permission and saluted those in them; that is best for you, in order that ye may heed (what is seemly).

Abul Ala Maududi

O Believers, do not enter other houses than your own until you have the approval of the inmates and have wished them peace; this is the best way for you: it is expected that you will observe it.

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not enter other houses except yours without first asking permission and saluting the inmates. This is better for you: You may haply take heed.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not enter the houses except your own until you obtain permission and have conveyed peace upon its inhabitants; this is better for you, in order that you may ponder.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not enter houses other than your own until you have announced [your arrival] and greeted their occupants. That is better for you. Maybe you will take admonition.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not enter dwellings other than your own until you have ascertained the permission of their residents and have greeted them with peace. Your doing so is what is good and appropriate for you, so that you may be mindful (of good manners and proper courtesy).

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! do not enter houses other than your own unless you have obtained willing permission and (mind!) you should greet the inmates of these (houses). That is better for you. You have been given this commandment that you may be heedful.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not enter houses/homes other than your houses/homes, until you perceive (seek permission), and you greet on (to) its family/people , that (is) best for you, maybe/perhaps you mention/remember .

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not enter the houses except your own until you obtain permission and have conveyed peace upon its inhabitants; this is better for you, in order that you may ponder.

Hamid S. Aziz

Vile (impure) women are for vile (impure) men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women, such are innocent of what people they say; for them is forgiveness and a noble provision.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them, that is better for you, in order that you may remember.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Unclean things are for unclean ones and unclean ones are for unclean things, and good things are for good ones and good ones are for good things; these are free from what they say. For them is forgiveness and an honourable sustenance.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own houses until you have asked permission and saluted their inmates; this is better for you, that you may be mindful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Enter not houses other than your own without first announcing your presence and invoking peace upon the folk thereof. That is better for you, that ye may be heedful.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not enter other's houses until you have asked permission and have greeted the people therein. This is best for you so that perhaps you may remember (God's guidance).

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not enter houses other than your houses until you first ask permission and greet with peace the people thereof; that is better for you in order that you remember.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them; that is better for you, in order that you may remember.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not enter other people's houses until you have asked their owners' permission and greeted them. That will be the better for you, so that you may be heedful.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not enter homes other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted their occupants. That is better for you, that you may be aware.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, do not enter houses other than your houses until you have [first] asked permission and greeted their occupants. So a person must say, `Peace be upon you, may I enter?', as is stated in one hadth. That is better for you, than entering without permission, that perhaps you might remember (tadhakkarna; the second t' [of tatadhakkarna] has been assimilated with the dhl) the superiority of such [conduct] and so follow it.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Seeking Permission and the Etiquette of entering Houses

Allah says;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا

O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them;

This is the Islamic etiquette. Allah taught these manners (of seeking permission) to His believing servants and commanded them not to enter houses other than their own until they had asked permission, i.e., to ask for permission before entering and to give the greeting of Salam after asking.

One should seek permission three times, and if permission is given, (he may enter), otherwise he should go away.

It was reported in the Sahih that when Abu Musa asked `Umar three times for permission to enter and he did not give him permission, he went away. Then Umar said, "Did I not hear the voice of Abdullah bin Qays asking for permission to enter Let him come in."

So they looked for him, but found that he had gone. When he came later on, Umar said, "Why did you go away?"

He said, "I asked for permission to enter three times, but permission was not given to me, and I heard the Prophet say,

إِذَا اسْتَأْذَنَ أَحَدُكُمْ ثَلَثًا فَلَمْ يُوْذَنْ لَهُ فَلْيَنْصَرِفْ

If any one of you asks for permission three times and it is not given, then let him go away."

Umar said, "You should certainly bring me evidence for this or I shall beat you!"

So he went to a group of the Ansar and told them what Umar said.

They said, "No one will give testimony for you but the youngest of us." So Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri went with him and told Umar about that.

Umar said, "What kept me from learning that was my being busy in the marketplace."

Imam Ahmad recorded a narration stating that Anas or someone else said that the Messenger of Allah asked for permission to enter upon Sa`d bin Ubadah.

He said;

السَّلَمُ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ
As-Salamu `Alayka wa Rahmatullah,

Sa`d said, "Wa `Alaykas-Salam Wa Rahmatullah," but the Prophet did not hear the returned greeting until he had given the greeting three times and Sa`d had returned the greeting three times, but he did not let him hear him (i.e., Sa`d responded in a low voice). So the Prophet went back, and Sa`d followed him and said,

"O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransomed for you! You did not give any greeting but I responded to you, but I did not let you hear me. I wanted to get more of your Salams and blessings."

Then he admitted him to his house and offered him some raisins. The Prophet ate, and when he finished, he said,

أَكَلَ طَعَامَكُمُ الاَْبْرَارُ وَصَلَّتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَلَيِكَةُ وَأَفْطَرَ عِنْدَكُمُ الصَّايِمُونَ

May the righteous eat your food, may the angels send blessings upon you and may those who are fasting break their fast with you.

It should also be known that the one who is seeking permission to enter should not stand directly in front of the door; he should have the door on his right or left, because of the Hadith recorded by Abu Dawud from Abdullah bin Busr, who said,

"When the Messenger of Allah came to someone's door, he would never stand directly in front of it, but to the right or left, and he would say,

السَّلَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ

السَّلَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ
As-Salamu `Alaykum,
As-Salamu `Alaykum.

That was because at that time the houses had no covers or curtains over their doorways."

This report was recorded by Abu Dawud only.

In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said;

لَوْ أَنَّ امْرَءًا اطَّلَعَ عَلَيْكَ بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ فَخَذَفْتَهُ بِحَصَاةٍ فَفَقَأْتَ عَيْنَهُ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ جُنَاحٍ

If a person looks into your house without your permission, and you throw a stone at him and it puts his eye out, there will be no blame on you.

The Group recorded that Jabir said,

"I came to the Prophet with something that was owed by my father and knocked at the door. He said,

مَنْ ذَا

Who is that?

I said, "I am!"

He said,
أَنَا أَنَا
I, I, as if he disliked it."

He did not like it because this word tells you nothing about who is saying it, unless he clearly states his name or the name by which he is known, (nickname) otherwise everyone could call himself "Me", and it does not fulfill the purpose of asking permission to enter, which is to put people at their ease, as commanded in the Ayah.

Al-`Awfi narrated from Ibn Abbas,

"Putting people at ease means seeking permission to enter."

This was also the view of others.

Imam Ahmad recorded from Kaladah bin Al-Hanbal that at the time of the Conquest (of Makkah), Safwan bin Umayyah sent him with milk, a small gazelle, and small cucumbers when the Prophet was at the top of the valley. He said, "I entered upon the Prophet and I did not give the greeting of Salam nor ask for permission to enter.

The Prophet said,

ارْجِعْ فَقُلْ السَّلَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَأَدْخُلُ

Go back and say;"As-Salamu `Alaykum, may I enter?"

This was after Safwan had become Muslim."

This was also recorded by Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i.

At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Gharib."

Ibn Jurayj said that he heard Ata' bin Abi Rabah narrating that Ibn Abbas, may Allh be pleased with him, said,

"There are three Ayat whose rulings people neglect.

Allah says,
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
(Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one who has the most Taqwa. (49;13), But (now) they say that the most honorable of them with Allah is the one who has the biggest house.

As for seeking permission, the people have forgotten all about it."

I said, "Should I seek permission to enter upon my orphan sisters who are living with me in one house?"

He said, "Yes."

I asked him to make allowances for me but he refused and said, "Do you want to see them naked?"

I said, "No."

He said, "Then ask for permission to enter."

I asked him again and he said, "Do you want to obey Allah!"

I said, "Yes."

He said, "Then ask for permission."

Ibn Jurayj said,

"Ibn Tawus told me that his father said, `There are no women whom I hate to see naked more than those who are my Mahrams.'

He was very strict on this point."

Ibn Jurayj narrated that Az-Zuhri said,

"I heard Huzayl bin Shurahbil Al-Awdi Al-A`ma (say that) he heard Ibn Mas`ud say, `You have to seek permission to enter upon your mothers."'

Ibn Jurayj said,

"I said to Ata';`Does a man have to seek permission to enter upon his wife?'

He said, `No, it can be understood that this is not obligatory, but it is better for him to let her know that he is coming in so as not to startle her, because she may be in a state where she does not want him to see her."'

Abu Ja`far bin Jarir narrated from the nephew of Zaynab -- the wife of Abdullah bin Mas`ud -- that Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, said,

"When Abdullah came back from some errand and reached the door, he would clear his throat and spit, because he did not want to come suddenly and find us in a state he disliked."

Its chain of narration is Sahih.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا

O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them;

Muqatil bin Hayyan said;

"During the Jahiliyyah, when a man met his friend, he would not greet him with Salam; rather he would say "Huyyita Sabahan" or "Huyyita Masa'an" (equivalent to "Good morning" or "Good evening").

This was the greeting among the people at that time. They did not seek permission to enter one another's houses; a man might walk straight in and say, "I have come in," and so on. This was difficult for a man to bear, as he might be with his wife. So Allah changed all that by enjoining covering and chastity, making it pure and free of any sin or impropriety. So Allah said;

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا


O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them...

What Muqatil said is good.

Allah said;

ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

that is better for you,

meaning, seeking permission to enter in is better for you because it is better for both parties, the one who is seeking permission to enter and the people inside the house.

لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ



in order that you may remember