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

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.

EXEGESIS

Tastaʾnisū (announced) means to seek permission to enter (tastaʾdhinū).[1] It comes from the root uns,[2] which is tranquillity of the heart by being close to something. Istiʾnās from which we get tastaʾnisū means to seek to do that which results in the aforementioned tranquillity.[3] In this case it would mean wishing closeness to the ones inside the house, in other words wishing to be permitted entry.

It has been said that tastaʾnisū has been used instead of tastaʾdhinū (to seek permission), because the act of seeking permission should be done in a kind, gentle, and loving manner, not demandingly and with abrasiveness. This means one should not bang loudly on the door and demand entrance with harsh words or by shouting.[4]

Tusallimū (greeted) comes from salām, the Islamic greeting of peace by saying al-salāmu ʿalaykum.

EXPOSITION

As the section of the surah that dealt with the event of ifk has been sufficiently dealt with, the surah moves on to its third section which deals with rulings related to modesty. Part of a Muslim’s obligations is to respect another person’s right to privacy within their own home. One should never enter another’s house without permission from the owner. This is especially significant considering the earlier discussion regarding zināʾ and slander. No one has the right to snoop and spy on other people in their homes and that cannot be justified with the excuse of moral policing. It also ties into the upcoming discussion about hijab and dressing modestly as well, whereby believers are instructed to respect each other and dress and behave modestly. Part of that respect and modesty is to afford each other privacy in private spaces.

While humans are social beings by nature, we also require privacy and a home where we can relax and enjoy time to ourselves, either alone or with our families. This private space is what is deemed the ḥarīm[5] of a person, where outsiders are forbidden from entering without permission.

The verse also has significant consequences related to civil rights and the right to privacy within one’s home. Just like neighbours and others should not intrude on a person’s private home, governments too must not do so without strong reasons and acceptable justifications.

This and the next two verses address four different scenarios:

1. Entering a house with the permission of the owner.
2. What to do if no one is home.
3. What to do if the owner does not give permission.
4. The ruling regarding public buildings such as shops, restaurants, inns, baths, and so on.

O you who have faith: as per the theme of the surah, the specification of the address being to the believers is meant to remind them that these commands are part and parcel of their faith.

Do not enter houses other than your own: the ruling of this verse is general and applies even if the door to the house happens to be open or unlocked.[6]

Until you have announced [your arrival]: it has been reported from the Prophet that one may perform istiʾnās by reciting litanies in the praise of God, such as subḥān allāh (glory be to God), or even by clearing their throat in a loud manner.[7] This instruction is the source for the practice common amongst Muslims of saying yā allāh before entering. For this purpose, the translation announced is very good. This act of announcing one’s arrival and seeking permission to enter serves the purpose of making sure one is not entering a house when its occupants are not home (especially important in those times, when many doors did not have locks, or houses/dwellings did not even have doors), allowing the occupants to get prepared for guests, and to let them know who it is that has arrived.

And greeted their occupants: the greeting of saying al-salāmu ʿalaykum should be done after one has made their presence known, usually upon seeing the owner of the house. It is reported that the Prophet used to not stand immediately in front of the door when seeking entry,[8] so that the when the door was opened he would not see something inside the house they did not wish them to see.

That is better for you: behaving in this manner is better,[9] since it is more polite and respecting of other people’s privacy. If one enters without announcing and asking permission they may very well see something neither he wishes to see, nor the other one wishes for others to see. Imposition on other people’s privacy and modesty is shameful and embarrassing for both parties. As always, it is the servants of God themselves who benefit from complying with His commands.

Maybe you will take admonition: shame and respect for privacy is something that is ingrained in human beings and is one of the things that separates us from most animals. When Adam (a) and Eve became aware of their private parts they instinctively sought to cover themselves, So they both ate of it, and their nakedness became evident to them, and they began to stitch over themselves with the leaves of paradise (20:121). Because this is something that humans instinctively understand, God describes it as a tadhakkur (admonition), a reminder of something that we already know and are aware of, even if some individuals or societies may forget that. It is naturally also a restatement of the surah’s main theme and opening verse, which stated that the rulings of this surah are all things of this nature, and thus at their core they are reminders and admonition (verse 1).

For other relevant verses on entering homes and etiquette related to that, see the commentaries on verses 58-59, 33:53, and 49:4.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, that people asked the Prophet what is meant by announced. He then replied: ‘A man may speak out loud some praise or glorification or magnification of God, or by clearing his throat for the [attention of the] occupants of the house.’[10]
2. From ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī ʿAbd-Allāh, that he asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) concerning this verse and he replied: ‘Announcing can be done by stomping one’s foot and greeting with the salām.’[11]
3. It is reported that a man asked the Prophet: ‘Should I seek permission from my own mother [for entering her accommodation]?’ The Prophet affirmed that he should do so. He then asked: ‘She has no one to look after her but me. Should I really seek permission every time I enter?’ He replied: ‘Would you like to see her naked?’ When the man declared no, he then said: ‘So then seek permission from her.’[12]
4. It is reported that a man sought permission to enter by clearing his throat and the Prophet said to a woman called Rawḍah: ‘Get up and teach him; tell him to say: “Al-salāmu ʿalaykum, may I enter?”’ The man heard it and did as instructed, and the Prophet then told him to enter.[13]

Note: Seeking permission can be done as simply as clearing one’s throat or saying some dhikr. Now that rooms have doors, a simple knock may also suffice. Such courtesy should extend to family members, even close ones. This is discussed more in verse 58 of this surah. As for the fourth report, it tells us that when entering the houses of someone who is not a family member or close friend, it is polite to greet with the salām and verbally ask for permission to enter before entering and not just by making one’s presence known. Going to the house of the Prophet of God is not the same as visiting one’s mother.

5. It is reported from Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, that the Prophet said: ‘Permission [to enter] is up to three times. If they allow [then you can enter]. Otherwise, turn back.’ According to the report the second caliph, ʿUmar, then demanded that Abū Mūsā should bring evidence for his claim, otherwise he would punish him. Abū Mūsā then eventually found another man who had heard the same hadith.[14]

Note: The purpose of this instruction is so that people should not trouble others too much. If someone wishes for privacy and does not want guests at that time, one should not insist and rather should come back at another more suitable occasion. This is further explained in the next verse.

6. From Abū Ayyūb al-Khazzāz, that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘A man should seek permission before entering his father’s house, but a father does not need to seek permission from his son.’ He then added: ‘A man should seek permission to enter from his daughter or sister if they are married.’[15]

Note: The scholars have pointed out that while it may not be obligatory for the father to seek permission he is recommended to do so. They also have added that if his son is married and the wife is living with him, in that case the father must seek permission as a matter of obligation.[16]

7. From Ibn Abbas and others, that the Prophet said in his final sermon: ‘Whoever looks into his neighbour’s house, gazing at the nakedness of a man or the hair of a woman or some part of her body, deserves that God flings him into the fire with the hypocrites who used to follow women’s private affairs in this world. He will also not leave this world until God humiliates him and He will reveal to the people his private affairs in the hereafter.’[17]

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. When you enter a house, first say, “Peace be to this house.”[18]
2. As you enter the house, greet it.[19]

[1] Tibyan, 7/426.
[2] Although it has been suggested that it could also be from ins, meaning to seek to know if there is another person inside (Muhit, 8/31), but that is highly unlikely and not a very good interpretation.
[3] Mizan, 15/109.
[4] Nemuneh, 14/427; Mudarrisi, 8/292. See also Razi, 23/357-358, who also suggests that istiʾnās is used instead of istiʾdhān since the verse is about entering houses and if the owner does not grant permission istiʾnās is not achieved and so entry and greeting would not occur.
[5] Meaning ‘forbidden’. The English word harem comes from this.
[6] Ahkam, 3/1363; Qaraati, 6/169.
[7] Tabrisi, 7/213; Tabari, 18/88; Thalabi, 7/84.
[8] Razi, 23/357-358; Abu Dawud, 2/516, h. 5186; Bayhaqi, 8/339; Munyah, 19/101.
[9] Tibyan, 7/426.
[10] Tabrisi, 7/213; Thalabi,7/84.
[11] Qummi, 2/101; Maani, p. 163; Nur, 3/585.
[12] Tabrisi, 7/213; Tabari, 18/88; Thalabi, 7/85; Bayhaqi, 7/97; Muwatta, 2/963.
[13] Tabrisi, 7/213; Thalabi, 7/84. See also Tabari, 18/87. A very similar exchange is also attributed to Zayd ibn Aslam and ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar (see Ahkam, 3/1360).
[14] Tibyan, 7/426; Thalabi, 7/85; Muwatta, 2/831; Bayhaqi, 8/241.
[15] Kafi, 5/528; Wasail, 20/214, h. 25459.
[16] See for example Muhammad Taqī Khūʾī, Sharḥ al-ʿUrwat al-Wuthqā (Qum: Muʾassasat Iḥyāʾ Āthār al-Imām al-Khūʾī, 2005), 32/88.
[17] Thawab, p. 282; Wasail, 20/194-195, h. 25410. The hadith is very long and has been quoted only partially.
[18] Luke 10:5.
[19] Matthew 10:12.