Shaykh al-Islām also said:
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Allah Most High said:
“O you who believe, do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission and greeted their inhabitants,”
up to His words:
“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze.”
It is authentically established that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Permission to enter is required only on account of what one might see.”
The prohibited looking is looking at private parts, or looking with desire even at what is not a private part. Allah, Glorified is He, mentioned two kinds of seeking permission. He mentioned one in this verse, and the second in the two verses towards the end of the surah: permission sought by children and slaves. Allah Most High said:
“O you who believe, let those whom your right hands possess and those among you who have not reached puberty ask your permission on three occasions: before the dawn prayer, when you put aside your clothes at midday, and after the night prayer. These are three times of privacy for you. Beyond these times, there is no blame on you or on them.”
He thus commanded children and slaves to seek permission when waking from sleep and when intending to go to sleep,