That is, until you seek permission and offer greetings. This wording has also been transmitted as a reading. According to the correct view, seeking reassurance here means seeking permission: isti’nās follows the istif‘āl pattern and is derived from uns (familiarity and reassurance). It means asking the household for permission to enter, thereby ascertaining who is inside and whether anyone is there, and informing them that one intends to enter. The visitor is thus reassured by their permission, and they are reassured by his request.
There is disagreement over whether one should begin with the greeting or with the request for permission. The correct view is that the request for permission should come first. If permission to enter is granted, one greets those in the house and enters.
It has been reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not grant permission to anyone who does not begin with the greeting.” We have discussed this fully in the subsection entitled “He Sold a Sheep,” in the transmission of ‘Īsā in the al-Jāmi‘ section of al-‘Utbiyyah. Success comes through Allah.
Section
Supplicating for One Who Sneezes
It has been reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When one of you sneezes, let him say, ‘Praise be to Allah.’ When he says, ‘Praise be to Allah,’ he should be told, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ When this is said to him, let him reply, ‘May Allah guide you and set your affairs right.’”
It has also been reported that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “When one of you sneezes, let him praise Allah, and let whoever is with him say, ‘May Allah have mercy on you.’ Let him reply to you, ‘May Allah forgive us and you.’”
Mālik said that, when replying to someone who has invoked mercy upon him, the person who sneezed may say either, “May Allah forgive us and you,” or, “May Allah guide you and set your affairs right,” as he wishes. Al-Shāfi‘ī said, “Whichever of these he says is good.” The followers of Abū Hanīfah said that he should say, “May Allah forgive us and you,” and should not say, “May Allah guide you and set your affairs right.” It has been reported that Ibrāhīm al-Nakha‘ī said, “‘May Allah guide you and set your affairs right’ is something the Khawārij used to say, because they do not seek forgiveness for people.”
The correct view is Mālik’s: he may reply with whichever of these he wishes, since both have been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Al-Tahāwī, ‘Abd al-Wahhāb and others preferred the wording, “May Allah guide you