Sura Nur:27. O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them; that is better for you, in order that you may remember.) (28. And if you find no one therein, still enter not until permission has been given. And if you are asked to go back, go back, for it is purer for you. And Allah is All-Knower of what you do.) (29. There is no sin on you that you enter houses uninhabited, you have any interest in them. And Allah has knowledge of what you reveal and what you conceal.)

Isn't it amazing that Allah is so Merciful that He even takes care of how to enter each other's privacy? It might seem like a minute detail to us, but Allah is creating an Islamic society in Sura Nur and He doesn't leave any stone unturned. The greeting of Assalamu Alaikum is also mandated here. All over the world, no matter which corner we are in, Muslims have an identical identity: they greet each other with salam. What a beautiful uniformity.

I remember a few times when I called someone that I wanted to visit that person and that person told me she was busy. I felt upset and hurt. But Allah is telling us here that it is okay, it is their right, they can be busy at that particular moment and that it is better for us that we go back. It creates a sense of humbleness in us. Can you imagine how Caring Allah is to care about our own small privacy? How generous and Gracious He is!

We learned that this asking of permission and familiarization is called "isti'nas".

My children and I had this experience a few days ago. We were invited to come to someone's house and decided to follow the above ayat after ringing the bell 3 times(sunnah) and not hearing a response. It had been so hard to go out with all the children at the early hour to this sister's house. But we are told that it is okay and this action is purer for us. What other comforting words can there be for our lives? I was just happy to be living this ayat with my children as the week before we had studied it.