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All praises are due to ALLĀH ﷻ, The Sustainer, Nourisher, and Cherisher of the Universe. Peace, Blessings, and Salutations be upon our beloved master and leader Ḥaḍhrat Muḥammed Muṣṭafā ﷺ -
ALLĀH ﷻ says in the Qur’ān-e-Karīm: “And when you are greeted, respond with a better greeting or at least similarly” (4:87)
Amongst the many factors leading to the descension and turmoil of the Ummah is the negligence in following the Mubārak teachings of Rasūlullāh ﷺ concerning greetings viz Salām.
The pristine teachings of Islām advocate love and affection amongst Muslims and disapprove of hatred and malice. Subsequently, a Muslim lives with lightheartedness and ease and not heavy-heartedness and melancholy.
One of the simplest ways to achieve an environment filled with sympathy and tenderness is by making Salām common. Sufficient for its virtue, the Islāmic greeting of Salām is the greeting ALLĀH ﷻ will declare in welcoming those who will enter Jannah. May ALLĀH ﷻ make us among them. Āmīn. It will be the greeting of the dwellers of Jannah and the greeting of the angels welcoming them.
When ALLĀH ﷻ created Nabī Ādam ﵇, HE ﷻ commanded him to make Salām to the angels and listen attentively to their reply, and ALLĀH ﷻ told Ādam ﵇ that the Salām is your greeting and the greeting of your progeny. (Bukhāri #6227) Without a doubt, the importance of the Islāmic greeting is shadowed by this initial command of ALLĀH ﷻ to Nabī Ādam ﵇.
Upon reaching Madīnah one of the very first teachings of Rasūlullāh ﷺ was pertaining to the spreading of Salām. Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh bin Salām ﵁ narrates: when Rasūlullāh ﷺ came to Madīnah and the people flocked towards him, he also joined them to hear what Rasūlullāh ﷺ will say, He ﷺ said: O People! Spread the Salām, feed the poor, strengthen the ties of kinship, and engage in Ṣalāh when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace. (Tirmizhi #2485)
To appreciate the virtues of Salām we must understand the fact that Salām is a great act of worship and can earn us multifold rewards. In fact, Salām is so valuable, it is a means for entry to Jannah. Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah ﵁ narrates that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “You will not enter Jannah until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something the doing of which will foster love amongst you?” “Yes, O Rasūlullāh ﷺ,” the Ṣaḥābah ﵃ replied. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “Make Salām a common practice among you.” (Muslim #101)
Salām means ‘peace’. Peace in terms of a person giving the guarantee that he will not harm you. Peace in terms of a Duʿā i.e. One prays for the peace of the one he is in conversation with. It is also a method of expressing love and attachment to a fellow Muslim.
Furthermore, ‘As-Salām’ is one of the attributes of ALLĀH ﷻ. It is a form of remembering ALLĀH ﷻ and a reminder for the next person about ALLĀH ﷻ. Sayyidunā Anas Bin Mālik ﵁ narrates that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “As-Salām is one of the names of ALLĀH ﷻ, ALLĀH ﷻ has placed this name in the earth. Therefore, spread the greeting among yourselves.” (Adabul Mufrad #989)
In addition to the above, emphasizing the importance of Salām, Rasūlullāh ﷺ has declared making Salām to a fellow Muslim upon meeting his right and when greeted, to reply to the Salām. (Bukhārī #1240, Muslim #2162) Yet in another Ḥadīth Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “The most miserly of people is the one who is miserly in greeting”. (Adabul Mufrad #1042)
Once, upon being asked about the most virtuous aspect of Islām Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “feeding people and greeting people whom you know as well as those whom you don’t know”. (Bukhārī #12)
Precedence in greeting is a sign that one is close to ALLĀH ﷻ in rank and virtue. It is also a sign that one is free from pride. Sayyidunā Abū Umāmah ﵁ narrates that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “The one who makes Salām is closer to ALLĀH ﷻ”. (Sunan Abū Dāwūd #5197) Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd ﵁ narrates that Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “The one who makes Salām first is free from pride”. (Shuʿabul Imān of Bayhaqī #8407)
By the same token, the profoundness of Salām can also be understood in the following Ḥadīth wherein Rasūlullāh ﷺ advises us to greet upon trivial separation Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: “when any of you meets his brother, he should make salām to him. If a tree, wall or boulder temporarily separates them, they should say Salām to each other once more when they meet up”. (Sunan Abū Dāwūd #5200)
In conclusion, the above establishes the importance of Salām and some of its enormous merits by virtue of which we can acquire tremendous rewards.
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