Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question:
When some Tablighi brothers visit people to give dawat, they knock on the door thrice; however, they knock it in sets of three and consider each set of three to be one.
Is this action permissible according to the Sunnah?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)said;
إذا اسْتَأْذَنَ أحَدُكُمْ ثَلاَثًا فَلَمْ يُؤْذَنْ لَهُ فَلْيَرْجِعْ
“If anyone of you asks the permission to enter thrice, and the permission is not given, then he should return”.[1]
Imam An-Nawawi (رحمه الله) writes;
أجْمَعَ العُلَماءُ أنَّ الِاسْتِئْذانَمَشْرُوعٌ وتَظاهَرَتْ بِهِ دَلائِلُ القُرْآنِ والسُّنَّةِ وإجْماعُ الأُمَّةِ والسُّنَّةُ أنْ يُسَلِّمَ ويَسْتَأْذِنَ ثَلاثًا فَيَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ السَّلامِ والِاسْتِئْذانِ كَما صَرَّحَ بِهِ فِي القُرْآنِ
“The scholars have agreed that the seeking of permission is part of Shariah and the evidence is clear from the Quran and Sunnah and the consensus of the Ummah and the Sunnah is to give Salam and ask for permission three times, therefore to combine between Salam and seeking of permission, as stated in the Quran”.[2]
Hence, in the aforementioned case, to knock on the door thrice at once and consider it to be one is not Sunnah, as the Sunnah is considered to be thrice separately.
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] Sahih Bukhari, Hadith number 6245, 54/8, Dar Tuqin Najah, First edition 2001. 1422H.
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2153, 1694/3, Dar IhyatTurath, Beirut, Lebanon.
[2] Sharhun Nawawi Ala Muslim, 130-131/14, Dar IhyathTurath, Beirut, Lebanon. 1392 H.