Part 9

“Verily, from the signs of the Hour is when greetings will be for acquaintances [only].””

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And in another narration: ‘For a man to extend greetings of peace to another man, only doing so because he is an acquaintance (i.e., he does not give greetings to Muslims he does not know). And in yet another narration, the Prophet #8 said, “Verily, before (or just before) the Hour, greetings of peace will be exclusive (to those one knows or to people of status)...”"7!

7) It Is Recommended That The One Who Is Arriving Initiate The Greeting This practice is widespread among the people, and it is supported by many revealed texts, which indicate that it is tecommended for the person who is arriving, and not the person who is stationary, to initiate the greeting. We have hitherto mentioned the story of the three Companions 4 who went to the Prophet # - how each of them gave a different greeting, and each received a different reward for his greeting (the person who gave the most complete greeting received the reward of 30 good deeds). Each one of them was arriving, so it was upon them to extend greetings first. Similarly, if one passes by a person who is sitting, the former must initiate the greeting, regardless of

1! AL-Albaanee mentioned it in As-Silsilatus-Saheehah (648), and it is related by Ahmad (1/387).

1 Ahmad (1/407. 408). Al-Albaanee said, “This chain is authentic and fulfills the condition of Muslim.” Refer to As-Saheehah (647)

whether he is the younger or older of the two, and regardless of whether the person sitting down is alone or is among a group of people sitting down.

8) It Is Sunnah For The Rider To Greet (The Pedestrian, The Pedestrian To Greet The One Who Is Seated, The Few To Greet The Many, And The Young To Greet The Old

There are a number of authentic narrations that support this ruling. One example is a hadith related by Abu Hurairah , in which the Messenger of Allah 3% said,

oe hadig set Me etdhig std le sii si 25h “The rider greets (greets here means to initiate greetings of

peace) the walker, the walker greets the one who is seated, and the few greet the many.’

And this wording is related by Al-Bukhaaree: ‘The young one greets the old, the passer-by greets the one who is seated, and the few greet the many.”! Some scholars have discussed the reasoning behind those particular people initiating the greeting: the younger person greets his elder, because the latter has the right to be respected and honored by the former, and it is good manners for one to respect and honor his elders. The rider is situated higher than the walker - situated higher physically and even financially since he can afford a mount; so by the rider having to initiate the greeting, he is made to show humility and is reminded that he should not be arrogant. The passer-by initiates greetings to one who is seated, because the situation of the passer-by is likened to a person who enters upon the people of a household. And the few greet the many, because the rights of the many are more and greater.)

Question: If the said order of precedence is not followed, are ') Bukhaaree (2632) and Muslim (2160)

5! These reasons are outlined in Fathul-Baaree (11/19)

Chapter -2 The Manners Of Giving Greetings Of Peace 63

there any negative implications? For example, if the elder person initiates the greeting, if the walker initiates greetings to the rider, if the many greet the few, or if the seated person greets the walker, is there any sin involved?

Answer: When people go against the order of precedence outlined in the aforementioned hadith, they are not sinning, but nonetheless, they are leaving the better deed. Al-Maaziree said, ‘When one avoids a recommended act, that does not necessarily mean that he is performing a disliked act; it may simply mean that he is forsaking the better deed. So if the person who is required to initiate the greeting does not do so, and the other person initiates the greeting instead, the former has forsaken a recommended deed, while the latter has performed the Sunnah deed, unless the latter did not give ample time to the former to initiate the greeting, in which case the latter has also forsaken a recommended deed.”"!

Second Related Question: If two pedestrians meet one another, or if two riders meet one another, who should initiate the greeting?

Answer: Based on the previously mentioned hadith, the younger of the two should initiate the greeting. If they are of a similar age and are equal in all respects, then the one who initiates the greeting is the better of the two, for when the Prophet # was speaking about two people who sever ties from another, he ## said,

Cay fee ek ae

“And the better of the two is the one who initiates the greetings of peace.)

And in a hadith related by Jaabir #, the Prophet #% said, “When two pedestrians gather, whichever of the two initiates the

0 Fathul-Baaree (11/19) 2) Bukhaaree (6077)

greetings of peace is the better one.’

Third Related Question: When two people are walking together and are separated momentarily by a barrier - such as a tree or a wall - is it legislated for them to give each other greetings of peace when they meet again?

Answer: Yes, it is recommended for them to give greetings of peace, even if the same situation is repeated over and over again. Abu Hurairah 4 related that the Prophet # said,

Si ile Sak ea

Shs Of cle Lat net wet eal bp “When one of you meets his brother, he should give him greetings of peace; and if they [then] become separated by a tree or a wall or a [large] stone [as they are walking], he should greet him when they meet again (after having passed the barrier that separated them),”")

9) Greeting A Stranger Women (i.e., A Women That One Is Not Allowed To Be In Seclusion With)

There are at least three opinions in this matter. Some scholars hold that it is forbidden for a man to greet a stranger woman; others maintain that it is permissible, so long as there is no fear of temptation; and yet a third group of scholars give a more detailed ruling. They say that if one comes across a young, beautiful woman, it is not permissible to greet her, but that if she is old, it is permissible. Imam Ahmad ~ may Allah have mercy on him - held this last opinion. Saaleh said, “I asked my father, ‘May one greet a [stranger] woman?’ He said, ‘As for an older

" Bukhaaree, in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (994). In Al-Fath, Ibn Hajr ruled that its chain is authentic (11/18). And in As-Saheehah, Ash-Shaikh Al-Albaanee ruled that the hadith is authentic. (1146)

21 Related by Abu Daawood (5200), with two chains, one of them goes back to the Prophet 3 while the other stops sort at a Companion #. AlAlbaanee said, “It is authentic, both the narration that is ascribed to the Prophet #j and the narration that is ascribed to a Companion.”

Chapter 2 The Manners Of ‘Giving Greetings Of Peace 65

10) It Ils Recommended To Greet Young Children

This is to encourage and train children from a very young age to apply Islamic manners. Anas bn Maalik reported that when he used to walk with the Prophet # and when they would pass by a group of children, the Prophet # would extend greetings of peace to them." By greeting children one not only trains them to follow Islamic manners, but one also accustoms oneself to the qualities of humbleness and gentleness in dealings.

Question: When an adult (it is at the time of puberty that one becomes an adult in Islam) greets a child, is it compulsory for the child to return the greeting? And when a child greets an adult, is it compulsory for the adult to return the greeting?

Answer: It is not binding upon the child to return the greeting because compulsory acts of worship are not binding upon children (i.e., no sin is imputed to the child for not returning the greeting; nonetheless, children should of course be trained to

extend and return greetings of peace). But when a young child greets an adult, the latter has to respond (i.e., he sins if he does not respond), an opinion that is held by the majority of scholars.

11) The Etiquette Of Greeting People Who Are Awake In A Place Wherein Some People Are Sleeping

In such a situation, the person who greets should lower his voice to such a pitch that those who are awake will be able to hear him, while those who are sleeping will not be aroused from their slumber. Al-Miqdaad Ibn Al-Aswad .& related that when the Prophet # would come at night, he would give a greeting that would not arouse the one in slumber but would be audible to one who was awake.'! This is an example of the Prophet's lofty manners: at the same time that he made sure not to disturb those who were sleeping, he also made sure not to miss out on the rewards of extending greetings of peace.

12) It Is Forbidden To Initiate Greetings Of Peace To The People Of The Book

The Prophet # said, pe Bo Bil Aa OP ply sitaty 54) hs Ye “Do not initiate greetings of peace to the Jews and Christians, and if you meet one of them in the road, force them to its narrowest part (i.e., when there is narrowness in the road, do not be the one who makes way, but instead maintain the honor of Islam, and make the other person take the narrower part of the road).””