A person began to greet us while we were in the mosque, and some responded while others did not respond aloud. What is the ruling on those who responded secretly?
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The questioner : A person began to greet us while we were in the mosque, and some responded while others did not respond aloud. What is the ruling on those who responded to the greeting secretly?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. It has not reached me a specific Sunnah that one who enters the mosque should give a general greeting. However, the Sunnah has come that one who comes to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) should greet him, as in the hadith: This hadith is well-known and is called by the scholars the hadith of the one who spoiled his prayer. But if he greets when he enters the mosque and it reaches the people sitting there, it may be said that this is prescribed based on the general texts. In this case, it is obligatory for one of the people present to respond to him with a response that he can hear, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:86] A response that is not heard is of no benefit and does not fulfill the requirement. Therefore, those who responded to him have fulfilled the requirement, so there is no need for everyone to respond. In fact, we may say that it is not desirable for everyone to respond, because some people may be praying, and the response from everyone would disturb them.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. It has not reached me a specific Sunnah that one who enters the mosque should give a general greeting. However, the Sunnah has come that one who comes to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) should greet him, as in the hadith:
The man who entered the mosque and prayed a prayer in which he did not settle, then came and greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), so he returned the greeting to him and said: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.
الرجل الذي دخل إلى المسجد فصلى صلاة لا يطمئن فيها ثم جاء فسلم على النبي صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم، فرد عليه السلام، وقال: ارجع فصل فإنك لم تصلِّAnd 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 رُدُّوهَاThe questioner : May Allah bless you.