| Praise be to Allaah.
All people have the custom of greeting one another, and every group
has its own distinctive greeting that distinguishes them from other
people.
The Arabs used to greet one another with the words “An’im
sabaahan” or “An’imu sabaahan” [equivalent
to “Good morning” – Translator], using words derived
from “al-ni’mah”, which means good living after
the morning. The idea was that because the morning is the first
part of the day, if a person encounters something good in the morning,
the rest of the day will be good too.
When Islam came, Allaah prescribed that the manner of greeting
among Muslims should be “Al-salaamu alaykum,” and that
this greeting should only be used among Muslims and not for other
nations. The meaning of salaam (literally, peace) is harmlessness,
safety and protection from evil and from faults. The name al-Salaam
is a Name of Allaah, may He be exalted, so the meaning of the greeting
of salaam which is required among Muslims is, “May the blessing
of His Name descend upon you.” The usage of the preposition
‘ala in ‘alaykum (upon you) indicates that the greeting
is inclusive.
Ibn al-Qayyim said in Badaa’i' al-Fawaa’id (144):
“Allaah, the Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Peace, prescribed
that the greeting among the people of Islam should be ‘al-salaamu
‘alaykum’, which is better than all the greetings of
other nations which include impossible ideas or lies, such as saying,
‘May you live for a thousand years,’ or things that
are not accurate, such as ‘An’im sabaahan (Good morning),’
or actions that are not right, such as prostrating in greeting.
Thus the greeting of salaam is better than all of these, because
it has the meaning of safety which is life, without which nothing
else can be achieved. So this takes precedence over all other aims
or objectives. A person has two main aims in life: to keep himself
safe from evil, and to get something good. Keeping safe from evil
takes precedence over getting something good…”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made spreading
salaam a part of faith. Al-Bukhaari (12, 28 and 6236), Muslim (39),
Ahmad (2/169), Abu Dawood (5494), al-Nisaa’i, (8/107) and
Ibn Hibbaan (505) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar
that a man asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): “What is the best thing in Islam?”
He said, “Feeding others and giving the greeting of salaam
to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.”
Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath (1/56):
“i.e., do not single out anybody out of arrogance or to impress
them, but do it to honour the symbols of Islam and to foster Islamic
brotherhood.”
Ibn Rajab said in al-Fath (1/43):
“The hadeeth makes the connection between feeding others
and spreading salaam because this combines good actions in both
word and deed, which is perfect good treatment (ihsaan). Indeed,
this is the best thing that you can do in Islam after the obligatory
duties.”
Al-Sanoosi said in Ikmaal al-Mu’allim (1/244):
“What is meant by salaam is the greeting between people,
which sows seeds of love and friendship in their hearts, as does
giving food. There may be some weakness in the heart of one of them,
which is dispelled when he is greeted, or there may be some hostility,
which is turned to friendship by the greeting.”
Al-Qaadi said in Ikmaal al-Mu’allim (1:276):
“Here the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was urging the believers to soften their hearts. The best Islamic
attitude is to love one another and greet one another, and this
is achieved by words and deeds. The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) urged the Muslims to foster love between
one another by exchanging gifts and food, and by spreading salaam,
and he forbade the opposite, namely forsaking one another, turning
away from one another, spying on one another, seeking out information
about one another, stirring up trouble and being two faced.
Love is one of the duties of Islam and one of the pillars of the
Islamic system. One should give salaams to those whom one knows
and those whom one does not know, out of sincerity towards Allaah;
one should not try to impress other people by giving salaams only
to those whom one knows and no-one else. This also entails an attitude
of humility and spreading the symbols of this ummah through the
word of salaam.”
Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained
that this salaam spreads love and brotherhood. Muslim (54), Ahmad
(2/391), and al-Tirmidhi (2513) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will
not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you about
something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread
salaam amongst yourselves.”
Al-Qaadi ‘Ayaad said in al-Ikmaal (1/304):
“This is urging us to spread salaam, as mentioned above,
among those whom we know and those whom we do not know. Salaam is
the first level of righteousness and the first quality of brotherhood,
and it is the key to creating love. By spreading salaam the Muslims’
love for one another grows stronger and they demonstrate their distinctive
symbols and spread a feeling of security amongst themselves. This
is the meaning of Islam.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also explained
the reward earned by the one who says salaam, as was reported by
al-Nisaa’i in ‘Aml al-yawm wa’l-laylah (368) and
al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (586) and by Ibn Hibban (493).
They reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that a man passed by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was sitting with some others, and
said “Salaam ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).” The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “[He
will have] ten hasanaat (rewards).” Another man passed by
and said “Salaam ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (peace be
upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “[He will have] twenty
hasanaat.” Another man passed by and said “Salaam ‘alaykum
wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you and the mercy
of Allaah and His blessings).” The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said, “[He will have] thirty hasanaat.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded
us to return salaams, and made it a right and a duty. Ahmad (2/540),
al-Bukhaari (1240), Muslim (2792), al-Nisaa’i in al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah
(221) and Abu Dawood (5031) all reported that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Muslim has five rights over
his fellow-Muslim: he should return his salaams, visit him when
he is sick, attend his funeral, accept his invitation, and pray
for mercy for him [say “Yarhamuk Allaah”] when he sneezes.”
It is clear that it is obligatory to say salaam and return salaams,
because by doing so a Muslim is giving you safety and you have to
give him safety in return. It is as if he is saying to you, “I
am giving you safety and security,” so you have to give him
the same, so that he does not get suspicious or think that the one
to whom he has given salaam is betraying him or ignoring him. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that
if Muslims are ignoring or forsaking one another, this will be put
to an end when one of them gives salaam. Al-Bukhaari (6233) reported
that Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ‘It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother
for more than three days, each of them turning away from the other
if they meet. The better of them is the first one to say salaam.’”
This is a brief overview of the importance of giving and returning
salaam.
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