The First Topic: Initiating the Greeting of Peace . . and Greeting Women.
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The Shaykh : Then, there are several topics regarding the greeting of peace:
The First Topic: Who initiates the greeting of peace, the young person or the older one? The one who initiates is the young person, because the older one has a right over him. So the young person initiates the greeting. If he does not do so, does the older one greet? The answer is: Yes, he greets. Do not abandon the Sunnah out of stubbornness. If we assume that two men meet, one is forty years old and the other is sixty, who is ordered to greet? The one who is forty. If the one who is forty does not greet, then the one who is sixty should greet, so that the Sunnah is not lost between them because of their stubbornness. Good. The fewer number greets the larger number; the fewer number greets the larger number. If five meet six, who has the right upon them? The five, because they are the fewer. If they do not do so, then the six, the larger number, should greet, so that the Sunnah is not lost due to their stubbornness.
Does a man greet a woman, and a woman greet a man? There is a detail in this: If she is one of his mahram relatives or one of his neighbors and she is in the house, there is no harm in him greeting, on the condition that he is safe from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). As for if he does not know her, he meets her in the market and wants to greet, he does not greet, because this leads to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and leads to a bad opinion of him, that he is a man who greets women and the like. So he does not greet. Even if he passes by her while she is sitting, he does not greet, because of the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and the bad opinion involved in it. For this reason, if a man greets a woman who is sitting and she is not among his acquaintances, he would find her trembling in fear and sweating. She does not want this.
The First Topic: Who initiates the greeting of peace, the young person or the older one? The one who initiates is the young person, because the older one has a right over him. So the young person initiates the greeting. If he does not do so, does the older one greet? The answer is: Yes, he greets. Do not abandon the Sunnah out of stubbornness. If we assume that two men meet, one is forty years old and the other is sixty, who is ordered to greet? The one who is forty. If the one who is forty does not greet, then the one who is sixty should greet, so that the Sunnah is not lost between them because of their stubbornness. Good. The fewer number greets the larger number; the fewer number greets the larger number. If five meet six, who has the right upon them? The five, because they are the fewer. If they do not do so, then the six, the larger number, should greet, so that the Sunnah is not lost due to their stubbornness.
Does a man greet a woman, and a woman greet a man? There is a detail in this: If she is one of his mahram relatives or one of his neighbors and she is in the house, there is no harm in him greeting, on the condition that he is safe from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). As for if he does not know her, he meets her in the market and wants to greet, he does not greet, because this leads to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and leads to a bad opinion of him, that he is a man who greets women and the like. So he does not greet. Even if he passes by her while she is sitting, he does not greet, because of the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and the bad opinion involved in it. For this reason, if a man greets a woman who is sitting and she is not among his acquaintances, he would find her trembling in fear and sweating. She does not want this.