What is the ruling on one who is greeted with the salam in a gathering, a group, commercial establishments, or otherwise?
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The questioner : He says: What is the ruling on one who is greeted with the salam in a gathering, a group, commercial establishments, or otherwise, and returns the salam without verifying the religion of the one who greeted him? And conversely, what is the ruling on one who greets a group or these groups of different religions from among the non-Muslims? And what is the ruling on the phrases "with safety", "may you be well", or "may you have a good evening", or "may Allah bid you farewell", or "in the safety of Allah"?
The Shaykh : Yes. These are three issues asked about by the person who submitted this question. The first question is: one who is greeted with the salam by a person whose religion one does not know, whether he is a Muslim or a disbeliever. The answer to this is that we say: if someone greets you with the salam, return the salam to him by saying "and upon you the peace" or "and upon you the peace" if he is a believer, and return the salam to him by saying "and upon you" if he is a disbeliever, unless he explicitly states the salam with its letters, saying "peace be upon you", in which case there is no harm in saying: "and upon you the peace". If they said "peace," then "and upon you the peace." If they said "salam," then "and upon you salam." This indicates that if they greet us with the explicit phrase "peace be upon you," we return it to them and say "and upon you the peace". This is supported by the saying of the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:86] And this is general.
As for the second issue in his question: it is greeting a group or a person whose Islam one does not know. The answer to this is that we say: greet with the salam one whom you are most likely to believe is a Muslim, especially if you are in a country where most of its people are Muslims, because the ruling follows the majority. However, if you are most likely to believe that he is not a Muslim, or that this group is not Muslim, then it is not prescribed for you to greet them with the salam. If you fear fitnah, greet them in a way that implies ambiguity, and say: "peace," but do not say: "upon you," while intending by "peace" to be upon those who followed the guidance.
As for the third issue in his question: it is parting, meaning that when a person wants to leave, he says "in the safety of Allah", "with safety", or "may Allah bid you farewell", and the like. These words are permissible, but it should be accompanied by the salam, for it is prescribed for a person to greet with the salam when leaving, just as it is prescribed for him to greet with the salam when meeting. He would say, for example, if he wants to leave: "peace be upon you, in the safety of Allah," and the like. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he bid farewell to a traveler, would say:Sunan Abi Dawud 2600Sahih (Al-Albani).
The questioner : The listener Abdullah Muhammad from Yemen sent a message.
The Shaykh : Yes. These are three issues asked about by the person who submitted this question. The first question is: one who is greeted with the salam by a person whose religion one does not know, whether he is a Muslim or a disbeliever. The answer to this is that we say: if someone greets you with the salam, return the salam to him by saying "and upon you the peace" or "and upon you the peace" if he is a believer, and return the salam to him by saying "and upon you" if he is a disbeliever, unless he explicitly states the salam with its letters, saying "peace be upon you", in which case there is no harm in saying: "and upon you the peace". If they said "peace," then "and upon you the peace." If they said "salam," then "and upon you salam." This indicates that if they greet us with the explicit phrase "peace be upon you," we return it to them and say "and upon you the peace". This is supported by the saying of the Exalted:
And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it
وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُمْ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَاAs for the second issue in his question: it is greeting a group or a person whose Islam one does not know. The answer to this is that we say: greet with the salam one whom you are most likely to believe is a Muslim, especially if you are in a country where most of its people are Muslims, because the ruling follows the majority. However, if you are most likely to believe that he is not a Muslim, or that this group is not Muslim, then it is not prescribed for you to greet them with the salam. If you fear fitnah, greet them in a way that implies ambiguity, and say: "peace," but do not say: "upon you," while intending by "peace" to be upon those who followed the guidance.
As for the third issue in his question: it is parting, meaning that when a person wants to leave, he says "in the safety of Allah", "with safety", or "may Allah bid you farewell", and the like. These words are permissible, but it should be accompanied by the salam, for it is prescribed for a person to greet with the salam when leaving, just as it is prescribed for him to greet with the salam when meeting. He would say, for example, if he wants to leave: "peace be upon you, in the safety of Allah," and the like. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he bid farewell to a traveler, would say:
I entrust to Allaah your religion what you are responsible for and your final deeds.
أستودع الله دينك وأمانتك وخواتيم عملكThe questioner : The listener Abdullah Muhammad from Yemen sent a message.