Assalamu alaikum, May peace and mercy of Allah, the Almighty God be on all of you,
Sub: "Greeting with Salaam (Peace); should be discouraged or promoted?"
It is a general practice among people to express greetings upon meeting someone or wish each other. Wishing is a specific expression of feeling of someone who exchanges it according to the demand of the situation. In short, any wish, greeting or salutation should be done according to the specific circumstances.
React to in a certain way always depend upon the way of thought and principles of life of the person. Some greetings or salutations are not fit for every situation as per the logic. For example good morning, good after noon etc is not suitable for people who suffering by the loss of wealth, health or beloved one.
But the greeting of Islam, 'assalamu alaikum, peace be upon you', without question and beyond doubt suit for any situation nevertheless of time, loss, troubles, casualty, happiness, stress, tension, anxiety etc. Because of this reason we Muslims greet people with this extraordinary salutation "ASSALAMU ALAIKUM- May peace and mercy of Allah, the Almighty God be on you"
Greeting of Jesus (peace be upon him) according to Bible
It is not only a practice of Muslims but also was a practice of Jesus (peace be upon him) who greeted his disciples with "Shalom Aleichem" in Hebrew- peace be with you, quite similar in Arabic as Assalamu alaikum, peace be upon you. This same greeting of Islam can be seen in John 20:21 (New International Version) Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
It is also stated that one should give the Salaam greeting upon entering a house, even if the house is empty. This is based upon the verse of the Qur'an (al-Noor 24:61) "But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allaah (i.e. say: As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum — peace be on you), blessed and good." and similar verses you can see in Bible, Luke 10:5,6 (New International Version) "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house. If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. But unfortunately, the so called followers of Jesus Christ, Christians, given up this practice as they gave up many practices like circumcision (Luke 2:21), prohibition of taking interest/Usury (Exodus 22:25 ), eating Pork (Leviticus 11:6-8), keeping beard (Leviticus 19:27) etc
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made spreading salaam a part of faith, Al-Bukhaari (12, 28 and 6236). Ibn Hibbaan (505) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah 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.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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 Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah 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.”
So my brothers and Sisters in hunity, you should not either hesitate or discourage people from greeting Salaam "ASSALAMU ALAIKUM" but should promote it as Prophets Mohammed, Jesus (peace be upon them) has done by giving a better reply "wa alaikum al salaam wa rahmadullahi wa barakaathuhu - be on you the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah, the Almighty God".
Mammedutty Nilambur
Sub: "Greeting with Salaam (Peace); should be discouraged or promoted?"
It is a general practice among people to express greetings upon meeting someone or wish each other. Wishing is a specific expression of feeling of someone who exchanges it according to the demand of the situation. In short, any wish, greeting or salutation should be done according to the specific circumstances.
React to in a certain way always depend upon the way of thought and principles of life of the person. Some greetings or salutations are not fit for every situation as per the logic. For example good morning, good after noon etc is not suitable for people who suffering by the loss of wealth, health or beloved one.
But the greeting of Islam, 'assalamu alaikum, peace be upon you', without question and beyond doubt suit for any situation nevertheless of time, loss, troubles, casualty, happiness, stress, tension, anxiety etc. Because of this reason we Muslims greet people with this extraordinary salutation "ASSALAMU ALAIKUM- May peace and mercy of Allah, the Almighty God be on you"
Greeting of Jesus (peace be upon him) according to Bible
It is not only a practice of Muslims but also was a practice of Jesus (peace be upon him) who greeted his disciples with "Shalom Aleichem" in Hebrew- peace be with you, quite similar in Arabic as Assalamu alaikum, peace be upon you. This same greeting of Islam can be seen in John 20:21 (New International Version) Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
It is also stated that one should give the Salaam greeting upon entering a house, even if the house is empty. This is based upon the verse of the Qur'an (al-Noor 24:61) "But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allaah (i.e. say: As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum — peace be on you), blessed and good." and similar verses you can see in Bible, Luke 10:5,6 (New International Version) "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house. If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. But unfortunately, the so called followers of Jesus Christ, Christians, given up this practice as they gave up many practices like circumcision (Luke 2:21), prohibition of taking interest/Usury (Exodus 22:25 ), eating Pork (Leviticus 11:6-8), keeping beard (Leviticus 19:27) etc
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made spreading salaam a part of faith, Al-Bukhaari (12, 28 and 6236). Ibn Hibbaan (505) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah 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.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah 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 Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah 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.”
So my brothers and Sisters in hunity, you should not either hesitate or discourage people from greeting Salaam "ASSALAMU ALAIKUM" but should promote it as Prophets Mohammed, Jesus (peace be upon them) has done by giving a better reply "wa alaikum al salaam wa rahmadullahi wa barakaathuhu - be on you the peace, mercy and blessing of Allah, the Almighty God".
Mammedutty Nilambur
