SALAAM

Greetings of Peace

“And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet (in return) with one better than it, or (at

least) return it (in a like manner)” (4:86)

QURAN

A man asked the Prophet (s.a.w),

"What Islamic traits are the

best?"

The Prophet (s.a.w) said,

"Feed the people, and greet

those whom you know and

those whom you do not know." (Bukhari)

Hadith

The Prophet (s.a.w) said,

"If you people greet all whom you

meet, provide food, care for the

well-being of your kindred, and

pray at night when people are

asleep, you will enter Paradise in

peace."

(Tirmidhi).

Hadith

A Poem

GREETINGS OF PEACE

When God sent Adam to greet the angels, He said:

“Their reply will be yours and your offspring’s as well.”

“Assalaamu ‘Alaikum” to the angels Adam said

“Assalamu ‘Alaika wa Rahmatullah” they said

“Peace be upon you,” was what Adam said

“Peace and God’s mercy be upon you” they said.

The Islamic way – whenever Muslims

meet,

They greet each other with salutations of

peace

It’s also a pact, this simple exchange

“We’ll steer clear of causing each other any

pain.”

“Oh brother of mine, you’ll be safe from me.”

“No harm from my hand or tongue will there be.”

‘As-Salaam’ is God’s attribute, so when you

say this

It’s a supplication as well as remembrance of

Him.

Of the rights Muslims have on each other, one

is this

To greet them and answer the greeting they

give

To not do so, amounts to being miserly

A good Muslim shouldn’t have this bad quality

Our Prophet (saw) told us that we must do

so Greet those we know and those we

don’t know

And when the angels arrive to take a good soul,

They greet him so that he will feel reassured.

The doorkeeper of Paradise, this salutation he’ll

give,

To all the good souls when they are entering it.

And from every gate, saying this, angels will enter

too

“You were patient in the world, so peace be upon

This salutation is not only used by

mankind

God will send greetings to those in

Paradise.

Our Prophet (saw) said, we won’t enter Paradise

Unless we are believers and mutual love is its sign.

We should foster this love, work on making it strong.

And by greeting each other, our hearts will bond.

There’ll be no vain speech and no sinful

talk

In Paradise, this salutation will be heard

by all

Cheerfully said or with a smile on your face,

A gesture will do for someone far away.

The young greet the old, the standing the

seated

For those on conveyance, the pedestrian is

greeted.

The etiquette of this greeting should be known

by us

No mumbling or shouting to make ourselves

heard.

On entering a house, convey this message of peace

If no people are there, there are those you can’t see.

It’s a source of blessings for the people in it

So when leaving the house, once again say this

Send greetings of peace to even the dead

Never think twice to greet those you don’t

know

It helps the affection between Muslims to

grow.

If someone is busy doing some vital task

When the Quran is being read or there’s a religious

talk

The need to answer may distract their thoughts

For it’s hard to refocus when concentration is lost.

Or when someone is eating or answering nature’s

call

We’ve also been told of the occasions we should

not

Offer greetings of peace, so do give it thought

The person who greets first is closer to God

His lack of conceit makes him dear to his Lord.

The command to greet has been issued by Him

Hence let it be done by every Muslim.

Greetings between Muslims- they’re important,

you know why?

It’s what we Muslims are recognized by.

Our Prophet (saw) would greet every Muslim

he met

And even told us the reward we can get:

“Assalaamu ‘Alaikum” –

10 blessings

“Assalaamu ‘Alaikum wa rahmatullah” – 20 blessings

“Assalaamu ‘Alaikum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu” –

30 blessings

ASSALAAMU ‘ALAIKUM WA

RAHMATULLAHI WA

BARAKAATUHU