Abu Sa'id Kbudri reported Allah's Apostle (may peace be
upon him) as saying: Avoid sitting on the paths. They (his
Companions) said: Allah's Messenger. there is no other help
to it (but to sit here as we) hold our meetings and discuss
matters there. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) said: If you have to sit at all, theg fulfil the rights,
of the path. They said: What are their rights? Thereupon he
said: Keeping the eye downward (so that you may not stare at
the women), refraining from doing some harm to the other and
exchanging mutual greetings
(saying as-Salamu 'Alaikum to one another)
and commanding the good and forbidding the evil.
Praise be to Allaah.
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.