27 Preface يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا لا تَدخُلوا بُيوتًا غَيرَ بُيوتِكُم حَتّىٰ تَستَأنِسوا وَتُسَلِّموا عَلىٰ أَهلِها ۚ ذٰلِكُم خَيرٌ لَكُم لَعَلَّكُم تَذَكَّرونَYusuf AliO ye who believe! enter not houses other than your own, until ye have asked permission and saluted those in them: that is best for you, in order that ye may heed (what is seemly).1The conventions of propriety and privacy are essential to a refined life of goodness and purity. The English saying that an Englishman’s home is his castle, suggests a certain amount of exclusiveness and defiance. The Muslim principle of asking respectful permission and exchanging salutations ensures privacy without exclusiveness, and friendliness without undue familiarity.