Don't Knock Like The Police

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

A house is a place of rest/tranquility. You should recognize that a house is a place where others rest and when something is at rest, you don't cause disturbance. When you enter it, you enter in the manner that preserve that stillness and tranquility.

We have spiritual home and physical home. Our spiritual home is our heart. And Allah is meant to dwell in our hearts by His remembrance. We should remind ourselves this with respect to people's house and our own houses. In our own houses we should make it houses of remembrance of Allah.

When you knock at somebody's door or ring their door bell, don't do it in an annoying way. Don't make it louder than necessary. Don't knock so hard that the person on the other side thought you are the police.

The Companions would knock at door of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the tips of their fingers. Of course, in our times (with big homes, media noises, etc), the knock is not too soft that the person inside the house could not hear the knock.

The governing concern is gentleness and kindness. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever lack kindness, lack all good."

Generally, the sunnah is to knock or ring the doorbell 3 times and leave enough time in between the knocks or rings such that a person can complete 4 cycles of prayer, so if the person inside is praying, he has enough time to finish the prayer and come to the door. Normally it is enough to stop at 3 knocks or ringing. Make each knocks or rings clear enough that a person in a normal circumstances would have heard it.

If after 3 knocks or rings, no one come to the door, then leave. If it is something important or the person you know is expecting you, then you may knock or ring the doorbell more than 3 times. If you think the person might be sleeping, you might want to call them before you come.

The important thing is don't start behaving like a spy--by going to the window and knocking at the window or going around the back door and knocking the back door or calling their cell phone to see if they are actually home, etc.

Also, when knocking or ringing the doorbell, be considerate of the neighbors and don't annoy the neighbors, particularly at night.

If you are asked to identify, identify yourself with your own name, and if necessary, explain who you are. It is not proper manners to say "Me" or "It's Me" or "I am here for so and so" and the like. This is done without being excessively loud but make yourself clearly heard.

When visiting someone or going home, bring a little gift. Little gestures make a difference. Don't be self-centered. Be for others and you will find that Allah will be for you. By opening to others and being of care and concern for others, your care and concerns will be taking care of by Allah. Be merciful to those on earth and the Lord of the heavens will be merciful to you.

Mercy is seeking good for others and do good for others. We seek the favors of Allah, so even little things, like entering and leaving the house, become ways of shining light into our lives.

May Allah make us among those who follow the sunnah of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, with all its subtleties. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam