Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

A man from the tribe of Banu Amir narrates that he sought permission from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by saying: "May I come in?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his servant, saying: "The manner in which this man is seeking permission is not good, so go to him and tell him that he should seek permission by saying: 'As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?'"

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting at home when a man from the tribe of Banu Amir sought permission, saying: "May I come in?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to his servant): "Go to this man and teach him the manner of seeking permission, and tell him that he should seek permission with these words: 'As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?'" The man heard all of this and (acting upon it) said: "As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?" So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted him permission and he entered.

A man from the tribe of Banu Amir came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “May I come in?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his slave girl: “This man did not ask permission in a good manner, so go and tell him to say: ‘As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?’” The man himself heard this and, before the slave girl reached him, he said: “As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Wa alaik (and upon you), come in.” I went to you and asked: “What have you brought?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I have brought goodness to you. I have come to you so that you worship Allah, Who is alone and has no partner, and abandon the worship of idols like Lat and Uzza, and perform five prayers in the day and night, and fast in the month (of Ramadan) in the year, and perform Hajj to the House of Allah, and take wealth (zakat) from the rich and distribute it among the poor. Indeed, Allah has taught words full of goodness, and that is knowledge which only Allah knows. There are five things which only Allah knows: Indeed, with Allah alone is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. No one knows what he will earn tomorrow, nor does anyone know in which land he will die. Remember, Allah is All-Knowing and All-Aware.” (__QUR_N__: Surah Luqman: 34).

Khalidah bin Khubul says: Safwan bin Umayyah sent me to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with milk, a cloak, and small cucumbers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the upper part of the valley. I greeted him and went to him without seeking permission. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Go back and (first) say: As-salamu alaikum, may I come in?"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do not grant permission to the one who does not begin with salam.

It is narrated from Abu Sa'id and others, they say: Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was sitting in a gathering of the Ansar when suddenly Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who was frightened and anxious, arrived there and said: I sought permission to go to Sayyiduna 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) three times, but I was not granted permission, so I turned back. Sayyiduna 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked me: What stopped you? I said: I sought permission three times, but I was not granted permission, so I was about to return, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any man seeks permission (from someone) three times and he is not granted permission, then he should return." Sayyiduna 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! You must present a witness for this hadith, (otherwise). Now you tell me, has anyone heard this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! From this gathering, the one who is the youngest will stand with you. I (Abu Sa'id) was the youngest. I went with them and informed Sayyiduna 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that I too had heard this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I used to serve the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and would go to him without permission. One day I came and (as usual) went straight inside. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Son! Go back. A new command has been enforced; (from now on) do not enter upon me without permission."