«سَمِعْنَا مِنَ الْبَابِ نَبْأَةَ مُسْتَنْبِحٍ ثُمَّ تَلَتْهَا صَكَّةُ مُسْتَفْتِحٍ»
We heard a cry from the doorway, as if someone were calling to be noticed; then came a knock from someone seeking admission.
A cry is heard before a knock, while the visitor remains unseen. The information available to the gathering is auditory and sequential: first one sound, then another. *Thumma* helps organize those signals in time.
A story can create suspense without describing a face or naming a character. Sound shifts attention toward the door, and the absence of visual information makes the reader await entry. This is a controlled release of sensory evidence rather than an immediate disclosure of identity.