Assalamu Alaikum ( “May peace be upon you.” )

Let us say it a little longer:
‘As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullāh (peace and mercy of Allah be upon you).’ 

Let us say it in its complete form:
‘As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu (Peace be upon you, and may Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you).’ 

How beautiful the words of Salam are — and how beautiful their meaning is!

Today we will learn about a very important yet extremely simple act that, if performed correctly, brings a tremendous reward from Allah. SubhanAllah. 

When two or more Muslims meet, they greet each other with salam first. Through salam, they pray to Allah for each other's well-being and safety.

Exchanging greetings of peace is not merely a formality; rather, in the greeting one expresses wishes for love, peace, well-being, and security. The greeting is a simple act of worship and a sacred deed. Above all, the greeting is an excellent supplication.

With just a little will, we can so easily perform such a great act of worship every day.

In a sahih hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “O people!‘ Spread the greeting among yourselves (i.e., say ’As-salamu alaykum" to one another), feed the hungry, maintain good relations with relatives and children, and pray at night when others are asleep; you will enter Paradise.

Subhanallah, among the deeds that will take you to Paradise, one is the act of saying "peace." It's a very simple deed.

Peace be upon you and Allah's beloved.  

Do you know?,

The one who greets first is more beloved to Allah. 

It is narrated in a sahih hadith from Hazrat Abu Umamah (ra) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Those who greet first are the closest to Allah.”

This hadith is included in Riyāḍuṣ-Ṣāliḥīn (Hadith no. 858) and appears in Abū Dāwūd and at-Tirmidhī, where it is said that the one who first offers the greeting is close to Allah.

A practicing Muslim offers greetings when meeting and again when parting; they greet at home and they greet outdoors. In my life I had a doctoral teacher who studied both at home and abroad. He was as learned as he was generous. He never waited for us to greet him; I could never greet him first—he always did.

Salam is a prayer.

In Islam, nothing is done for its own sake. Every action can be an act of worship if it is done for the sake of Allah's pleasure.

Generally, the greetings we hear around us are "hi," "hello," "good morning," right? They're just ordinary greetings with no underlying meaning. It's more of a social custom or culture.

For example, saying “Good Morning” only means “Good morning” — it's not a prayer or part of one's faith. And "hi," "hello," and so on don't really have any meaning. Generally, among these… Prayer for peace or Allah's blessings It doesn't stay.
Although these may express good intentions, they are like fleeting conversations.

But in Islam, by exchanging the greeting of peace, we pray for one another. We begin every conversation with peace. We start our interactions by praying for each other—what a beautiful practice, isn't it?

A colleague of mine once lamented, ‘I greet everyone—familiar or unfamiliar, young or old, high or low; some people at home don't like it.’ That should never be the case. Exchanging greetings isn't a simple matter like saying ‘good morning,’ ‘hi,’ or ‘hello’; It's not about show either. Offering a greeting doesn't make anyone inferior; on the contrary, exchanging salams removes the ego, opens the heart, and fosters love for others. Salams make family and social life peaceful, beautiful, and secure.

The importance of giving a proper greeting

Exchanging greetings carelessly is absolutely not appropriate. It's essential to exchange greetings with correct pronunciation and a clear voice. Otherwise, the greeting may sound like nonsense rhymes. Nonsense rhymes are things like ‘agdum bagdum’ or ‘itching beching’; they have no meaning. For example: ‘Sala male kum,’ ‘Salam aleikum,’ ‘Saam kum,’ etc. 

Correct pronunciation of Salam: 

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

Pronunciation– “May the peace of Allah, the mercy of Allah, and the blessings of Allah be upon you.”

وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

Wa Alaikumussalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu

Pronunciation– And upon you also be peace, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.

What is said in response to a greeting: 

وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ وَرَحْمَةُ ٱللَّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

(Walaikumussalam Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh)

(Walaikumussalam Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh)

Pronunciation– “Peace be upon you as well, and may Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.”

The perfection of faith through greetings

A Muslim's faith is not complete without the habit of exchanging greetings. One can easily earn merit by exchanging greetings.

The most important thing is that exchanging greetings removes arrogance from the heart. Islamic scholars say, ‘If your heart is waiting to receive someone's greeting, then know that you have not been humble. And arrogance is a major sin.’

In Muslim society today, brotherhood is in crisis—no one knows anyone; no one keeps track of one another; no one wishes each other well. Now everyone prefers to keep to themselves. By exchanging more and more salams, this crisis can be greatly alleviated.

The greeting of Paradise is peace. 

Allah created Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and commanded him, ‘Go and greet the angels. Listen carefully to how they respond to your greeting. This will be your greeting and that of your descendants.’ Accordingly, Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and the angels present exchanged greetings.   

It is clear that exchanging greetings is a Sunnah of Adam (peace be upon him). 

Our greeting, like ‘Salam,’ is the same as the angels‘ greeting. Likewise, the greeting of this world is ’Salam,‘ and the greeting of Paradise will also be ’Salam.‘ Subhanallah. We practice the greeting of Paradise here in the world. 

One is sinful if one does not answer the greeting. 

It is obligatory to respond to the greeting “As-salamu alaykum” with ”Wa alaykum as-salam" (and peace be upon you as well). Therefore, if someone greets you, you must reply.

In the Qur'an, Allah has said,

“When you are greeted with a greeting… (then) return it in a better or equal manner.” 
It teaches us the importance of responding to greetings.

If the response to the greeting is not heard—for example, if it's said silently or no answer is given—then the wajib (mandatory duty) has not been fulfilled and it may be a sin. 

The rules for saying Salam 

In verse 86 of Surah Nisa of the Holy Qur'an, it is said, ”And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with something better than it, or (at least) with the same.’

In this verse, Allah the Exalted has described the etiquette of greeting and responding to it. (Fath al-Qadir) The explanation of offering the best greeting or responding to it is found in the hadith, which states that,

 ‘Adding ‘arrahmatullāh’ to the response of "Assalāmu ʿalaykum"

 And adding ‘wa barakatuhu‘ to the response of ’As-salamu alaykum rahmatullāh."

 However, if someone says ‘As-salamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu,’ then you should respond in the same way without adding anything. (Ibn Kathir)

In another hadith it is reported that saying only ‘As-salāmu ʿalaykum’ earns ten virtues, adding ‘wa rahmatullāh’ earns twenty virtues, and saying it up to ‘wa barakatuhū’ earns thirty virtues. (Musnad Ahmad 4/439–440)

Greetings, greetings, greetings. Never miss an opportunity to offer a greeting or return one. I hope you understand how to offer a little extra greeting or respond to it. 

Can you start practicing this today?

Tip: When you come in from outside, greet and enter the house even if no one is home.