Part 10

This clear prohibition allows for no interpretation.

Question: When it is necessary to greet the People of the Book, may we greet them with greetings of peace?

Answer: The prohibition in the previous hadith is clear and is

' Related by Muslim (2055)

Chapter -2 The Manners Of Giving Greetings Of Peace 67

not open to interpretation. When it is necessary to greet them, one should use a wording other than the \slamic greeting. For example, one may say, “How are you,” or anything similar. Abu Sa‘ad said, “If one wants to greet a Dhimee (one from the People of the Book who lives in a Muslim land by agreement and under the protection of the Muslims), he should not do so with ‘AsSalaam,’ but with, ‘May Allah guide you,’ or, ‘May Allah make pleasant for you your morning.”” Commenting on Abu Sa‘ad’s words, An-Nawawee said, “What Abu Sa’‘ad said is fine for when one needs to [greet them]. One may say, ‘Good morning,’ or, ‘Happiness to your morning,’ or, ‘Good health to your morning’ ...or anything similar. But if one does not need to do so, then the chosen view is to say nothing, for in saying those greetings, we show a display of love when we are ordered not to love them...And Allah knows best.”

13) Answering A Greeting From The People Of The Book With “Wa- ‘Alaikum (And The Same Upon You)”

Ina narration related by Anas Ibn Maalik , the Messenger of Allah # said,

“When [someone from] the People of the Book gives you greetings of peace, say, ‘Wa-‘Alaikum.’”"1)

Question: When we hear someone from the People of the Book clearly and unequivocally say, ‘As-Salaamu-‘Alaikum (Peace be upon you), should we respond with, ‘Wa-‘Alaikum,’ in applying the apparent meaning of the previous hadith, or should we reply, ‘Wa-‘Alaikumus-Salaam'?

Answer: Some scholars maintain that, if we are sure that he gave greetings of peace, we should answer with, ‘Wa-‘AlaikumusSalaam.’"] They say that this is in keeping with the principles of

"I Bukhaaree (6258) and Muslim (2163) "I In another narration, the Prophet # explained that some Jews would pass by and say, ‘As-Saam ‘Alaikum,’ which sounds like, ‘As-Salaamu ‘Alaikum,

justice, and Allah 3% ordered us to be just and generous in our dealings. Others hold - and their opinion is stronger - that we should respond to their greetings with the wording that is related in the previously mentioned authentic hadith: ‘“Wa-’Alaikum (And the same upon you).””

14) When You Come Across A Gathering Which Consists Of A Mix Of Muslims And Disbelievers, It Is Permissible To Initiate Greetings Of Peace

The Prophet # was once riding on a donkey, upon which there was a saddle, and underneath the saddle there was a coarse Fadakee (ascribed to a place call Fadak) garment; and Usaamah Ibn Zaid 4 was seated behind the Prophet #%. The Prophet 2% was visiting Sa‘ad [bn ‘Ubaadah % in the precincts of Banee AlHaarith Ibn Al-Khazraj, and this was before the Battle of Badr. They passed by a gathering that contained a mix of Muslims, polytheists that worshipped idols, and Jews. ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubai Tbn Sulool - who later outwardly accepted Islam and become well known as the leader of the hypocrites - and ‘Abdullah Ibn Rawaahah were among those seated in the gathering. When the dust of the mount was raised over the gathering, ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubai covered his nose with his robe and then said, “Do not raise dust upon us.” The Messenger of Allah #% then extended to them greetings of peace, after which he % stopped, descended, and invited them unto Allah 4. And he recited the Qur’an to them..."

Scholars agree that it is permissible to initiate greetings of peace to a gathering that contains a mix of Muslims and disbelievers; An-Nawawee related this consensus. And this ruling is not in conflict with the hadith in which the Prophet #% forbade Muslims from initiating greetings of peace with the People of the

but which in Hebrew means, ‘Death upon you.’ This is why we should respond with, ‘And the same upon you.’ But if one is sure that they did indeed say, ‘As-Salaamu-‘Alaikum, then some scholars hold that one should respond with, ‘Wa-’Alaikumus-Salaam.’

5) Bukhaaree (6254) and Muslim (1798)

Chapter -2 The Manners Of Giving Greetings Of Peace 69 Book, because that hadith applies to situations wherein one encounters an individual from the People of the Book or a group of them (without any Muslims being among them). When there are both Muslims and disbelievers in a gathering, one extends greetings of peace with the intention of addressing the Muslims only. It was said to Imam Ahmad, “We have dealings with Jews and Christians, and we go to their homes. When we go to them, they [sometimes] have a group of Muslims with them, so should we give greetings of peace to [all of] then?” He said, ‘Yes, but you should intend your greetings of peace for the Muslims.” AnNawawee issued the same ruling, saying that it is Sunnah to greet them all but that one should have the intention that his greetings are only directed at the Muslim or Muslims that are present.

Question: When there is a group that contains a mix of Muslims and disbelievers, should one give this greeting: ““As-Salaamu ‘Ala Man-Ittaba’al-Huda (Peace upon he who follows the [true] guidance).”

Answer: No, one should not give this greeting but should instead give the standard Islamic greeting, with the intention of directing it to the Muslims only. Ibn Al-Uthaimeen said, ‘If there is a mixed group, containing Muslims and Christians, one should give them the customary greetings of peace, ‘Assalaamu ‘Alaikum, with the intention of addressing the Muslims among them.”

15) If One Has A Valid Islamic Excuse, He May Signal His Greeting Instead Of Uttering It

It is generally forbidden to greet people with a gesture, because it is a practice that is common among the People of the Book, and we are ordered to differ from them. At-Tirmidhee related a hadith in which it is made clear that it is forbidden to greet others with a gesture and that doing so is something that is particular to the People of the Book; however, At-Tirmidhee described the narration as containing some Gharaabah (an indication of weakness in the narration), About the same narration, Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr said, ‘Its chain contains some weakness,”” Nonetheless, with a good chain, An-Nisaaee related

the following hadith from Jaabir 4:

“Do not greet fone another] with the greeting of the Jews; their greeting is with their heads, their hands, and with a gesture.’"!

Al-Haafidh said, “The prohibition of giving As-Salaam with a gesture is specific to those that have the ability, both practicably and according to the Shariah, to utter the greeting. If one is busy or unable to utter the greeting - for example, one is busy with prayer, one is too far away from the other person, one is a mute, or the person is deaf - then it is legislated for him to extend the greeting with a gesture instead.”

16) It ts Permissible To Greet Someone Who Is Praying, And The Latter May Respond With A Gesture (But Not With An Utterance Of The Greeting)

Although many do not know this, it is in fact permissible to give

"1 Related by At-Tirmidhee (2697), and the wording here is from his narration. Ahmad (27014), Ibn Maajah (3701), Ad-Daarimee (2637), and Al-Bukhaaree (in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad - 1003, 1047) - each of these related it as well. And in his grading of the hadith, Al-Albaanee said, “Sahech (authentic).”

1 Abu Daawood (5204)

Chapter -2 The Manners Of Giving Greetings Of Peace 71

‘As-Salaam’ to someone who is praying. The Prophet’s Companions 4 would greet him while he was praying, and he would neither reproach nor blame them for doing so. His silent approval proves that it is permissible to greet someone while he is praying. Once Jaabir 4 came across the Prophet #% while he was praying. Jaabir 4 gave him greetings of peace, and the Prophet #2 responded with a gesture. After he completed his prayer, the Prophet 3% called Jaabir 2 and said,

“You gave me greetings of peace earlier, and I was praying.”

In another narration, Suhaib said, “I passed by the Messenger of Allah # while he was praying, and I gave him ‘As-Salaam,’ and he returned the greeting with a gesture.” One of the narrators said, ‘From what I know, he said, ‘He gestured with his finger.’”"] These and other narrations prove that it is permissible to greet someone who is praying and that he may respond with a gesture.

Question: When one is praying and responds to a greeting with a gesture, what form should that gesture take?

Answer: There is no specified way of gesturing a response to a greeting during prayer. This is because various narrations describe different ways in which the Prophet # signaled his response; sometimes it was with his finger (as in the abovementioned hadith of Suhaib 4); once it was with his hand, as is related in the hadith of Jaabir ; and once with a nod of his head, as in the narration of Ibn Mas’ood 4. The author of ‘Aoun Al-Ma’bood said, “From these different narrations, we gather that the Prophet # gestured one way on a certain occasion, and another way ona different occasion. Therefore, all of those forms of gesturing are permissible. And Allah 3 knows best.”

1) Related by Muslim (540) @ Related by Abu Daawood (925), and Al-Albaanee said, “sahih,” in sahih Abu Daawood (818)

17) It Is Permissible To Greet Someone Who Is Reciting The Quran, And If One Extends The Greeting, The Reciter Must Respond

Some scholars have ruled that it is permissible to greet someone who is busy reciting the Qur’an, while others have ruled that it is forbidden to do so. The former group of scholars is correct, for there is no proof to show that the reciter is an exception to many revealed texts that exhort Muslims to spread greetings of peace to one another and that command Muslims to responds to those greetings. True, a reciter is occupied with the highest form of remembrance; but that does not prevent someone from greeting him, nor is it less than compulsory for him to respond.