What is the ruling on greeting non-Muslims and returning their greetings?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner says: I have non-Muslim colleagues at my workplace. How should I greet them, and if they greet me, how should I return their greeting?

The Shaykh : Yes. As for greeting them, you must never initiate the greeting, based on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ Even though the Jews were residents in Madinah, he prohibited initiating the greeting to them. Likewise, the Christians are not to be greeted first. That is, it is not permissible if you pass by a Jew to say "Peace be upon you," nor if you pass by a Christian to say "Peace be upon you." But I ask you, people, what is meant by "Christian"?

The questioner : There is no god but Allah.

The Shaykh : Where are the students of knowledge, people? The Christians named themselves "Christians" to deceive and mislead, because if they said they were Christians, their religion would have a kind of legitimacy, since they claimed affiliation with whom? With al-Masih, 'Isa ibn Maryam. In reality, if 'Isa ibn Maryam were alive, he would fight them; I mean, if he descended to the earth, he would fight them. And he will fight them in the end times: he will kill the pig, break the cross, and accept nothing but Islam. But he has not come yet. When they saw that if they continued with their original name, "Nasara" (Christians), Muslims would shun them, they said, "Perhaps if we call ourselves Christians, our religion will have some kind of acceptance." So they named themselves Christians. Otherwise, in the Book of Allah, they are the Nasara (Christians), as in "the Jews and the Christians," . Likewise in the Sunnah, and likewise in the books of the scholars. In the books of all the early scholars, you will find "Nasara" (Christians). But the moderns and the later ones have struck them with this [new name].
And the rest of the people called them "Christians," whereas in reality they are the Christians. And the Messiah, by Allah, and I swear by Allah, is innocent of them, as innocent as the wolf is of the blood of Yusuf. Because they disbelieve in him. Is the Messiah not a human like Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?
And does he bring them good news of what is better for them, or of what is worse? Answer, people: of what is better. And does he bring them good news of what is true, or of what is false? Of what is true. Did they accept this good news? No. Listen: Who came? The one whom 'Isa brought good news of. So when he came to them—meaning, the one he had brought good news of came to them— they denied him and rejected him. So, do they believe in al-Masih (the Messiah)?
Strange, people. No, they deny him and disbelieve in him. And we know that whoever disbelieves in a messenger disbelieves in all the messengers. Whoever disbelieves in one messenger has disbelieved in all the messengers, whether he wills it or not. And listen to His saying, the Exalted: "They denied the sleep, O man?" Yes. If one of you yawns, let him hold it in. If he cannot, let him put his hand over his mouth. Good. This is a significant statement, our brothers. If a person yawns, let him hold it in, meaning prevent the yawning. If he cannot, let him hold it in, rather, put his hand over his brother's mouth. What did we talk about? No, no. Yes, ask him and stay with us always if you wish.
Yes, did you hear, my brother? Whoever denies a messenger has denied all the messengers. Listen to His saying, the Exalted: Is there a messenger before Nuh? Yes, is there a messenger before Nuh? Absolutely not, there is no messenger before Nuh, because Allah the Exalted says And He said, the Exalted: And in a hadith:
And despite that, Allah the Exalted says about his people that they denied the messengers. All the messengers from after Nuh to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) were denied by the people of Nuh. Because whoever denies a messenger has denied all of them by virtue of the category. So, if the Christians deny Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), what do we say? They denied 'Isa, whom they claim to follow. And if the Jews deny 'Isa and Muhammad, they have denied Musa, whom they claim to be what?
That they follow him. And how beautiful is the story that happened with an uneducated man. An uneducated man who knows nothing. He had a Christian, and he said to him: "Your religion, O Muslims, is a religion of injustice and oppression. It is permissible for you to marry our women, but it is not permissible for us to marry your women. Why is this? Why is it permissible for you and not for us? Either you prevent your women from us, or you allow us to marry your women." Do you know what the uneducated man said? He said: "We believe in your messenger, and you do not believe in our messenger." Glory be to Allah. The answer is convincing from an uneducated man. It is as if he is saying: Believe in our messenger, and we will give you an example. We believe in your messenger, and you have not believed in our messenger. So put a stone in this Christian's mouth. Yes, the truth is clear, and praise be to Allah. As for his saying: Do we return their greeting if they greet us?
The answer is yes, we return their greeting. Whoever greets you, return the greeting to him. Whoever it is. The evidence is the saying of Allah the Exalted: He did not say "If the believers greet you." It is in the passive voice, or in other words, in the passive voice where the doer is not named. So it is obligatory for us to return their greeting. It is obligatory for us to return their greeting if they greet us. If he says "Welcome and greetings to Abu So-and-so," what do I say?
"Welcome and greetings to you." It is obligatory by the Qur'an. Good. If he says "Peace be upon you, O Abu So-and-so," I say "And upon you peace, O Abu So-and-so" with the explicit wording. Because Allah says: If someone asks: Did not the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: We say yes, he said that. But he said (peace and blessings be upon him): Say "And upon you." The high etiquette in Islam. We do not say "Peace be upon you," we say "And upon you." If they have said "Peace," what is upon them? What is upon him? Peace. And if they have said "Death," then upon them is death. And death is death. A Jew passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was sitting and 'Aishah was with him. The Jew said: "Death be upon you, O Muhammad." 'Aishah said: "And upon you death and curse." But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade her from this and said: "Indeed, Allah is gentle and loves gentleness in all matters. Allah is the Greatest, even in dealing with the Jews, even in dealing with the Christians. Indeed, Allah is gentle and loves gentleness in all matters. If the People of the Book greet you, say 'And upon you.' And this is something observed: that Allah the Majestic gives through gentleness what He does not give in general."
If we give an example of a man who passed by a person who had a cigarette in his hand, smoking a cigarette, which is a habit for many people, and he said to him: "May Allah reward you with good, give me a cigarette." What does the one who conditions say? You say: "My brother, what is this? It is harmful."
It is a waste of money, a waste of time, a corruption of the teeth, and a diminishment of religions. Who says this? The smoker himself acknowledges this.
But if he came to him with a payment and said: "My brother, this does not benefit you. Leave it. Control yourself from it." And he came to him with softness, and said to him: "I do not say now, leave it until the Day of Judgment. I do not say leave it little by little." If you are smoking, how much do you estimate? I don't know, two packs. How many are in the two packs? Twenty cigarettes. He said: Twenty cigarettes a day. I say: Reduce one and smoke nineteen. Is that permissible or not permissible? This is for medicine, my brothers. I am not permitting him to do it. I want him to reduce. Some people think that if we say this to him, it means we have permitted him to smoke. No, we want him to reduce. But we know that the one afflicted with smoking cannot abstain from it like that all at once. We say: Today, reduce one in a week. The second week, two. The third week, three. We raise him, as we raise a sick person when we withhold from him something that harms him. We do not cut it off all at once. And greater than this and clearer is alcohol. It was customary among people from the time of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, and they loved it. And gambling likewise. Gambling by gain, and alcohol by pleasure. Do you know how the ruling on alcohol was transferred until it reached the decision? His saying: Yes, and no? Good. Allah the Exalted revealed to His servants regarding alcohol.