Basic Ethics & Manners Surah: Al-Nur (27)

Seeking Permission (Isti'dhan) and Its Conditions

لَا تَدۡخُلُواْ بُيُوتًا غَيۡرَ بُيُوتِكُمۡ حَتَّىٰ تَسۡتَأۡنِسُواْ وَتُسَلِّمُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهَا
— النور الآية 27
Verse: "O believers, do not enter houses other than your own until you have asked permission and greeted their inhabitants." (24:27)

Rulings derived:
  1. Greeting before entering: Saluting is required before seeking permission — "tasta'nisu" means to seek permission and greet.
  2. Three times: Established in the Sunnah that permission is sought three times — if granted, enter; if not, leave. (Bukhari 6245)
  3. No peering: "It is not permissible for anyone to look into a household without their permission" — permission before looking, not after.
  4. Departing if denied: "If you are told 'go back,' then go back — that is purer for you" (24:28) — departing is a virtue, not a humiliation.
Isti'dhan in modern times: Includes phone calls and messages — "permission three times" is a general principle for all means of communication.

Exception: No permission needed for uninhabited buildings — "No blame upon you for entering uninhabited houses." (24:29)
Source: Al-Qurtubi (12/218); Al-Jassas (3/370); Bukhari (6245); Ibn Kathir (6/42)
Tags: الاستئذانالنورآداب الزيارةالخصوصية

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نُهدي ثواب هذا العمل عن والديّ محمد ذيب و اعتدال عبد الحميد (رحمهما الله تعالى) وذويهما ولعامة المسلمين