Responding to the greeting of a Christian
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The first and third questions of Fatwa No. ( 16426 )
Q 1: What is the ruling in Islam regarding returning the greeting to a Christian, following his funeral, and offering condolences to him ?
A 1: If a disbeliever greets a Muslim, he should return the greeting by saying: "And to you." This is what is reported in the authentic hadith, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 2163a, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to follow the funeral of a disbeliever; because that is part of his loyalty, and loyalty to him is forbidden. As for offering condolences to him, there is no harm in it, if the Muslim sees the Sharia benefit in doing so, he says: (May Allah improve your consolation and mend your loss), and he does not say: and may Allah forgive your deceased; because seeking forgiveness for a polytheist is not permissible.
Q 1: What is the ruling in Islam regarding returning the greeting to a Christian, following his funeral, and offering condolences to him ?
A 1: If a disbeliever greets a Muslim, he should return the greeting by saying: "And to you." This is what is reported in the authentic hadith, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
When the People of the Book offer you salutations, you should say: The same to you.
إذا سلم عليكم أهل الكتاب فقولوا: وعليكم
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.