ISLAMIC VIRTUES

others. For one, I did not indulge in vain talk; for another my heart was free from ill-feeling towards others. The Polite Way of Seeking Permission to Enter a House Safiyah the wife of the Prophet relates how she was with the Prophet one day when Ali a Companion of the Prophet came and asked if he might enter his house. He knocked very quietly at the door and the Prophet asked for the door to be opened to him. On another occasion Saad ibn Ubadah, a Companion of the Prophet came to see the Prophet, and after asking permission to enter, he stood in front of the door so that he could see right inside. The Prophet signed to him to stand to one side, then, after a suitable interval, invited him to come in. “The actual reason for asking permission to enter is to avoid seeing inside the house,” said the Prophet. o