Topics on the Salam.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows, this is our monthly meeting, which takes place on the night of every third Sunday of the month. And this night is the night of Sunday, the sixteenth of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, in the year 1418.
The topic of this meeting is to clarify that the believers are brothers, as Allah Blessed and Exalted is He said: . And His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: . And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This faith-based brotherhood, which Allah the Exalted established in the Qur'an, and His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) established in the Sunnah, must have its implications. And its implication is complete advice to your believing brothers, and fulfilling their rights, and that the believing brother to you should be like your brother by blood. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has clarified, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has clarified the rights of a Muslim over his brother. Among them is that he should greet him with the salam when he meets him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And the salam is a confirmed recommended practice (sunnah) for everyone who meets his brother, and let the salam be in clear, distinct, standard Arabic: "As-salamu 'alayk" or "Salamu 'alayk," either with the definite article or without it. Both are permissible. But some scholars prefer the article, meaning they prefer that you say "As-salamu 'alayk." And some say that omitting it is better. And some distinguish between writing and speaking. So in writing he says: "As-salamu 'alayk," and in speaking he says: "Salamu 'alayk." And the matter in this is broad. If you wish, say: "Salamu 'alayk." And if you wish, say: "As-salamu 'alayk." And if you wish, say: "As-salamu 'alaykum." And if you wish, say in the singular: "As-salamu 'alayk." The important thing is: do not leave off the salam, and gesturing does not suffice for the salam. Rather, gesturing without the salam is prohibited. And saying "Welcome" or "How are you this morning" or "How are you this evening" does not suffice for the salam. Rather, it is obligatory to say "As-salamu 'alayk" or "Salamu 'alayk." And with what does the one greeted respond? He responds by saying "Wa 'alaykum as-salam," "Wa 'alaykum as-salam." And if he greets, ten good deeds come to him. And if he responds, ten good deeds come to him. And if he adds "Welcome," "Greetings," "May Allah keep you," and the like, that is among the beloved things, because this increases love in the hearts. And it is not permissible for a person to boycott a Muslim for more than three days, whatever the reasons, as long as he is a Muslim, you do not boycott him for more than three days. You meet him and do not greet him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Now, is it permissible to boycott him if he is openly committing sin? Like a man who shaves his beard, lets his garment hang below the ankles, smokes, and rarely attends the mosque. Is it permissible for him to boycott him for these sins? The answer: We look. Has this person exited Islam with these actions? Answer, no. He is still a Muslim, even if he does not pray in congregation, even if he smokes, even if he shaves his beard, and even if he lets his garment hang below the ankles. He is a Muslim, so he falls under the saying: . Yes, if you suppose that if you boycotted him and did not greet him, he would be ashamed and shy and leave the sin. Then here, boycotting is good, because it is a cure. But if you know that if you boycott him, he will only increase in turning away from you, and hating your advice, and he continues in his sin, then here we say: what is the best? That you do not boycott him. The best is that you do not boycott him, and there is no difference between the one close to you and the one far from you, the believers are all brothers.