Sunnah of knocking only 3 times
Allah Ta’ala likes us to keep good relations and part of this, is to visit one another on occasions.
There is a very special and important sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ which we should try to practice upon.
When our beloved Nabi ﷺ would arrive at the door of a person, he would:
1) Call out seeking permission to enter.
2) He would not call out more than 3 times. Meaning if there was no answer after 3 knocks he would return.
Some points to remember regarding this sunnah:
1) In modern times, as we are able to communicate, our intention to visit from a distance it is good practice to seek permission before going. This will save us the trouble in case they are not home and the person we are visiting will also have time to prepare for our arrival.
2) When seeking permission to enter, one will use a doorbell or knock on the door
3) If a person is busy and therefore decides not to open the door, one should not be upset by it.
4) We must remember knocking is not if the door is locked and needs opening. Even if the door has been left opened we should not enter without permission.
5) Through this sunnah we will avoid walking in on someone at an inappropriate time or condition and the person we are visiting will have the option to grant permission based on his/her availability.