The Shaykh’s reminder about the etiquette of greeting when entering the assembly and when leaving it.

The Shaykh : I did not hear the brother’s greeting. I do not know if you greeted and no one responded to you, or if we simply did not hear it. How was it?

The questioner : No, I greeted.

The Shaykh : Did you greet or not?

The questioner : I was sitting here.

The Shaykh : No problem. Now, when you entered, did you greet or not?

The questioner : No, I did not greet.

The Shaykh : Then it is my duty to remind you, not just you but the people present with you, of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . That is one point. Second, note this: . Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so that our Lord may raise him to high degrees, works in terms of earning like a saw, going up and down; he earns on the way up and on the way down. So now, if the owner of a house, for example, requires you to go up, you say: "Peace be upon you." After a minute, you say "Peace be upon you" again; there is no harm in that. As came in the hadith: A man entered and said: "Peace be upon you." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . A second man entered and said: "Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy." He said: . A third man entered and said: "Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and His blessings." He said: . They asked him: What is this? He said: . Here is a lesson: Many of the people of the Sufi paths remember Allah in a manner that is not prescribed. For example, they sit, either with the group or alone, saying "Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah." If they are told, "When you enter the assembly, greet, and when you leave, greet," they find it heavy. Every time they want to pass by and go up, they want to say "Peace be upon you, peace be upon you," and they find it, in the Syrian expression, "baykha," meaning rejected, not acceptable. But your "Allah, Allah" is not "baykha." You might sit for an hour. And perhaps you have the dervishes in Egypt who hang these prayer beads on the ceiling, and every bead goes like this: tap, tap. The people are sleeping and they hear the tapping. What is the dervish doing?The Shaykh : He is remembering Allah. So reverse it: pour out, say "Peace be upon you," do not forget.