Chapters on Seeking Permission

Narrated Abu Hurairah: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you about a matter which if you do it, then you will love one another? Spread the Salam among each other."

Narrated 'Imran bin Husain: "A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum (Peace be upon you).'" [He said:] "So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Ten.' Then another came and he said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah (Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah).' So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Twenty.' Then another came and said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh (Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah, and His Blessings).' So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Thirty.'"

Narrated Abu Sa'eed: "Abu Musa sought permission to enter upon 'Umar. He said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum (Peace be upon you). May I enter?' 'Umar said: 'Once.' Then he was silent for some time. Then he said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum (Peace be upon you). May I enter?' 'Umar said: Twice.' Then he was silent for some time. Then he said: 'As-salamu 'Alaykum (Peace be upon you). May I enter?' 'Umar said: 'Three times.' Then he (Abu Musa) left. 'Umar said to the gate-keeper: 'What did he do?' He replied: 'He left." He said: 'Bring him to me.' So when he came, 'Umar said to him: 'What is this that you have done?' He said: 'The Sunnah.' He said: 'The Sunnah? By Allah! You had better bring me proof or a witness to clarify this, or I will do this or that to you.'" He said "So he came to us while we were sitting with Ansar. He said: 'O People of the Ansar! Are you not the most knowledgeable people about the Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) not say: "Seeking permission is to be done three time. Either you are permitted, or other wise leave?" The people began joking. Abu Sa'eed said: "Then I raised my head toward him and said: "Whatever punishment you are afflicted with because of this, then I shall be your partner in it." So he went to 'Umar to inform him him about it, and 'Umar said: "I did not know about about this."

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: that Uman bin Al-Khattab said: "I sought permission (to enter) from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) three times, then he permitted me."

Narrated Abu Hurairah: "A man enter the Masjid and performed Salat while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting at the back of the Masjid. Then he came to greet him, so the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Wa Alaikum (and upon you); go back and pray for indeed you have not prayed.'" And he mentioned the Hadith in its entirety.

Narrated Abu Salamah: that 'Aishah narrated to him that he Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to her: "Indeeed Jibril has sent Salam to you." She said: "And upon him be peace and the mercy of Allah and His Blessings."

Narrated Abu Umamah: "They said: 'O Messenger of Allah! When two men meet, which of them initiates the Salam?' He said: 'The nearest of them to Allah.'"

Narrated 'Amr bin Shu'aib: from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "He is not one of us who resembles other than us, no who resembles the Jews nor the Christians. For indeed greeting of the Jews is pointing the finger, and the greeting of the Christians is waving with the hand."

Narrated Sayyar: "I was walking with Thabit Al-Bunani. He passed by some boys, so he said Salam to them. Then Thabit said: 'I was with Anas when he passed by some boys and gave the Salam to them, and Anas said: I was with the Prophet (ﷺ) when he passed by some boys and he gave the Salam to them.'"

Narrated Asma bint Yazid: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed through the Masjid one day, and a group of women were sitting, so he motioned his hand with the Salam - 'Abdul-Hamid (one of the narrators) gestured with his hand.

Narrated Anas: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: 'O my little son! When you enter upon your family then give the Salam, it will be a blessing for you and upon the inhabitants of your house."

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The Salam is before talking." With this chain it has been reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not invite anyone to the food until the Salam is given."

Narrated Abu Hurairah: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Do not precede the Jews and the Christians with the Salam. And if one of you meets them in the path, then force them to its narrow portion."

Narrated 'Aishah: that a group of Jews entered upon the Prophet (ﷺ) and they said: "As-Samu 'Alaik (death be upon you)." So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Wa 'Alaik (And upon you)." So 'Aishah said: "I said: '[Rather] upon you be death and the curse.'" So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "O 'Aishah! Indeed Allah loves gentleness in every matter." 'Aishah said: "Did you not hear what they said?" He said: "And I replied: 'And upon you.'"

Narrated Usamah bin Zaid: that the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by a gathering in which the Muslims and the Jews were mixed, so he gave the Salam to them.

Narrated Al-Hasan: from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The rider gives the Salam to the walking person, and the walking person to the sitting person and the few to the many." Ibn Al-Muthanna added in his narration: "And the young one gives the Salam to the elder."

Narrated Hammam bin Munabbih: from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The young one gives the Salam to the elder, the one passing the by to the one sitting and the few to the many."

Narrated Fadalah bin 'Ubaid: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The horseman gives Salam to the walking person, the walking person to the one standing and the few to the many."

Narrated Abu Hurairah: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When one of you arrives at the gathering, then give the Salam, and if he is given a place to sit, then let him sit. Then when he stands, let him give the Salam, the first is more worthy than the last."

Narrated Abu Dharr: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Whoever lifts the curtain so that his sight enters the house before he was given permission, and he seeks the nakedness of its inhabitants, then he has done something punishable which was not lawful for him to do. If it were that when he gazed into it, he was facing a man who lanced his eyes, there would be nothing wrong with him doing so. But if a man passes by a door that has no cover over it, and it is not closed and he looks, then there is no sin on him, the sin is only on the inhabitants of the house."

Narrated Anas: that the Prophet (ﷺ) was in his house when a man looked in at him, so he lunged towards him with an arrow head, so the man backed up.

Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd As-Sa'idi: that a man peeked in on the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), in one of the apartments of the Prophet (ﷺ), while the Prophet (ﷺ) had a Midrah (an iron comb) with which he was scratching his head. So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "If I knew that you were looking then I would have poked your eyes with it. Seeking permission has only been enjoined because of the sight."

Narrated 'Amr bin Abi Sufyan: that 'Amr bin 'Abdullah bin Safwan informed him, that Kaladah bin Hanbal had informed him, that Safwan bin Umayyah sent him to bring some milk, colostrum, and Daghabis (a type of herb) to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was in the upper valley. (He said): "I entered upon him without seeking permission nor giving Salam. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Go back and say: As-Salamu Alaykum, may I enter?'" And that was after Safwan had accepted Islam."

Narrated Jabir: "I sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (ﷺ) regarding a debt my father owed, so he said: 'Who is this?' I said: 'Me.' He said: 'Me, me.'As if he disliked that."

Narrated Jabir: that the Prophet (ﷺ) prohibited them from returning to the women from a journey during the night.

Narrated Jabir: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When one of you writes something, then let him Yutarrib (smeared with dust to dry the ink) it, for that is more conducive to the need."

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: "I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while there was a scribe in front of him, and I heard him saying: 'Put the pen on your ear, for that is more conducive to the scribe remembering.'"

Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ordered me to learn some statements from writings of the Jews for him, and he said: 'For indeed by Allah! I do no trust the Jews with my letters.'" He said: "Half a month did not pass before I learned it, when he (ﷺ) wanted to write to the Jews I would write it to them, and when they wrote to him I would read their letters to him."

Narrated Anas bin Malik: "Before he died, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had written to Kisra, Ceasar, An-Najashi, and to every tyrant calling them to Allah. This An-Najashi is not the one that the Prophet (ﷺ) performed to the funeral Salat for."

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: that Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed him that Hiraql had sent for him while he was with a party of the Quraish, and they were trading in Ash-Sham, so they went to him." And he mentioned the Hadith and said: "Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to be read, and it said in it: 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent. From Muhammad, Allah's Slave and His Messenger, to Hiraql the leader of Rome. Peace be upon whoever follows the guidance. To proceed:"

Narrated Anas bin Malik: "When the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) wanted to write to the foreigners, it was said to him: 'The foreigners do not accept a letter unless it has a seal.' So he had a ring made." He said: "It is as if I am now looking at its whiteness in his hand."

Narrated Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad: "Two of my companions and I went and presented ourselves to the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ), for our hearing and sight had gone from suffering (hunger and thirst). But there was no one who would accept us. So we went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he brought us to his family where there were three goats. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Milk these.' We milked them, and each person drank his share, and we put aside a share for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came during the night and gave the Salam such that it would not wake the sleeping person, and the one who was awake could hear it. Then he went to the Masjid to per form Salat. Then he went for his drink and drank it."

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: that a man gave the Salam to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was urinating, but the Prophet (ﷺ) did not return the Salam to him."

Narrated Abu Tamimah Al-Hujaimi: from a man among his people, who said: "I went looking for the Prophet (ﷺ) but I was not able to find him. So I sat down, and then I saw a group of people, and he was among them, but I did not recognize him. He was settling some matter between them so when he was finished, some of them stood up with him and they were saying: 'O Messenger of Allah.' When I saw that, I said: "'Alaikas-Salam (upon you be peace) O Messenger of Allah! 'Alaikas-Salam (upon you be peace) O Messenger of Allah! 'Alaikas-Salam (upon you be peace) O Messenger of Allah!' He replied: 'Indeed "'Alaikas-Salam (upon you be peace)" is the greeting for the dead.' Then he came toward me and said: 'When a man meets his Muslim brother then he should say: "As-Salamu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh (peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah)." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) responded to my greeting, he said: 'And may Allah's mercy be upon you, and may Allah's mercy be upon you, and may Allah's mercy be upon you.'"

Narrated Abu Ghifar Al-Muthanna bin Sa'eed At-Ta'i: from Abu Tamimah al-Hujaimi from Jabir bin Sulaim who said: "I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and I said: ''Alaikas-Salam (upon you be peace)' so he replied: 'Do not say "'Alaikas-Salam" rather say As-Salamu Alaik.'" And he mentioned the story in its entirety.

Narrated Anas bin Malik: "When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would give the Salam he would do so three times, and when he would say a statement, he would say it three times."

Narrated Abu Waqid Al-Laithi: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting in the Masjid and the people were with him when three people came. Two of them came near the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and one went away. When the two stopped at the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the said the Salam. One of them saw an opening in the circle so he sat there. As for the other one, he sat behind them, and the other one went way in the rear. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had finished, he said: 'Shall I inform you about the three people? As for one of them, he took himself to Allah so Allah took him. The other, he was shy so Allah (had mercy) on him. As for the other one, he turned away, so Allah turned away from him.'"

Narrated Jabir bin Samurah: "When we went to the Prophet (ﷺ), each of us would sit wherever he wound up at."

Narrated Shu'bah: "From Abu Ishaq, from Al-Bara - and he did not hear it from him - the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by some people from the Ansar while they were sitting in the road. He said: 'If you people must do this, then return the Salam, assist the wronged, and give directions to the one who is on the route."

Narrated Al-Bara bin 'Azib: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "No two Muslims meet each other and shake hands, except that Allah forgives them before they part."

Narrated Anas bin Malik: that a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! When a man among us meets his brother or his friend should he bow to him?" He said: "No." The man continued: "Should he embrace him and kiss him?" He said: "No." He said: "Should he take his hand and shake it?" He said: "Yes."

Narrated Qatadah: that he asked Anas bin Malik: "Did the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) use to shake each other's hand?" He said, "Yes."

Narrated Ibn Mas'ud: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "taking hold of the hand is from the completeness of the greeting."

Narrated Abu Umamah: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "From the complete of visiting the ill is that one of you place his hand on his forehead" - or he said - "on his hand, and ask him how he is. And shaking hands completes your greetings among each other."

Narrated 'Aishah: "Zaid bin Harithah arrived in Al-Madinah while the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in his house. So he went and knocked at the door, so the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood naked (1), dragging his garment - and by Allah! I did not see him naked before nor afterwards - and he hugged him and kissed him." (1) They say that the meaning of naked here is that he was not wearing his Rida or upper wrap and it was that which was dragging, so the area between the navel and knees were covered. See Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi.

Narrated Safwan bin Assal: "A Jew said to his companion: 'Accompany us to this Prophet.' So his companion said: 'Do not say: "Prophet". For if he hears you (say that) then he will be very happy.' So they went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to question him about nine clear signs. So he said to them: 'Do not associate anything with Allah, nor steal, nor commit unlawful intercourse, nor take a life which Allah has made prohibited prohibited, except for what is required (in the law), nor hasten to damage the reputation of one of power so that he will be killed, nor practice magic, nor consume Riba, nor falsely accuse the chaste woman, nor turn to flee on the day of the march, and for you Jews particularly, to not violate the Sabbath.'" He said: "So they kissed his hands and his feet, and they said: 'We bear witness that you are a Prophet.' So he (ﷺ) said: 'Then what prevents you from following me?' They said: 'Because Dawud supplicated to his Lord that his offspring never be devoid of Prophets and we feared that if we follow you then the Jews will kill us.'"

Narrated Umm Hani: "I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) during the Year of the Conquest, and I found him performing Ghusl, while Fatimah was screening him with a garment. She said: "So I gave Salam and he said: 'Who is this?' I said: 'I am Umm Hani.' He said: 'Welcome Umm Hani'"

Narrated 'Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl: "The day that I came to him, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Welcome to the riding emigrant.'" There are narrations on this topic from Buraidah, Ibn 'Abbas, and Abu Juhaifah.