Sunnats and Aadaab of the Home – Part 1

1. When entering the home, then enter the home with making salaam. This will be a means of engendering love among the inmates of the home and a means of barakah entering the home.

عن أنس بن مالك، قال: قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا بني إذا دخلت على أهلك فسلم يكون بركة عليك وعلى أهل بيتك. (سنن الترمذي، الرقم: 2698، وقال: هذا حديث حسن غريب)

Hazrat Anas (radhiyallahu anhu) reports: Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) once said to me, “O my beloved son, upon entering your home, greet your family (i.e. the inmates of the home) with salaam. This will be a means of earning blessings for yourself and your family.”

2. When entering the home, one should make salaam even if there is no one present in the home. The salaam which one will make at this time is:

اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلٰى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِيْنَ

Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah Ta’ala

عن عبد الله بن عمر قال: إذا دخل البيت غير المسكون فليقل: السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين (الأدب المفرد، الرقم: 1055)

It is reported that Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (radhiyallahu anhuma) said, “When a person enters a home wherein no one is present, he should make salaam by saying:

اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلٰى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِيْنَ

3. When one enters his home, he should make salaam loudly and make his presence known.

Through making his presence known, if there are people present in his home with whom he should make purdah (e.g. non-mahram women sitting with his wife), then they will know that he is present in the home and they will be able to make purdah from him.

Regarding the importance of making salaam when entering the home, Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahimahullah) mentioned:

Some people enter their homes without greeting the household (e.g. with salaam) and making their presence known to their families. This manner of entering the home is incorrect. It is part of the etiquette of Islam that at the time of entering the home, one enters with making salaam aloud.

The benefit of this teaching is that the wife and the inmates of the house will be able to make themselves presentable if they are not in a state in which they wish to be seen.

Similarly, it is possible that there could be non-mahram women of the locality present in the home, and without informing them of one’s presence, one’s sight could fall on them.

It is for this reason that Shari’ah teaches us to make our presence known at the time of entering the home. (i.e. through salaam).

(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 1/210)