Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeat the greeting three times in order to single out one person over another?
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Al-Halabi : Here, meaning in al-Nawawi’s (may Allah have mercy on him) *Tamam al-Athar* in *Al-Adhkar*, he mentions within a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): He says in the commentary: “The point is — meaning this is what al-Mawardi said — the point is that if some people are singled out for the greeting, the original ruling is to do it once; but if the gathering is large and some people are singled out for the greeting, it is permissible. So what is the ruling in your view?”
The Shaykh : No, the greeting three times is like asking for permission three times. That is, when one stands to ask for permission, he says: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you, peace be upon you,” just as he would repeat the word so that it is understood and comprehended by the listener.
Al-Halabi: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the greeting, like asking for permission, is not for singling out one person over the others. And for this reason, I mentioned earlier that the ruling that such a matter is a religious innovation is not possible except for one who has thoroughly examined the Sunnah. Did you find in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) met Abu Bakr, who is the best of people after him (peace be upon him), and said to him: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you, peace be upon you”?
Al-Halabi : In terms of the practical Sunnah, no, of course not.
The Shaykh : That is the point. And the verbal Sunnah, as we always say, must be interpreted by the practical Sunnah. That is one thing. The second thing is that what we were discussing, even if we accept that interpretation which we do not approve of, is something else. He greets everyone he shakes hands with: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you,” twenty people, ten people, ten greetings. No, if that interpretation is correct, it is a specific case. Yes.
Al-Halabi : May Allah reward you with good.
That he used to repeat a word three times so that it would be understood from him, and that when he greeted, he would greet three times.
أنه كان يعيد الكلمة ثلاثا لتفهم عنه , وكان إذا سلم سلم ثلاثاThe Shaykh : No, the greeting three times is like asking for permission three times. That is, when one stands to ask for permission, he says: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you, peace be upon you,” just as he would repeat the word so that it is understood and comprehended by the listener.
Al-Halabi: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the greeting, like asking for permission, is not for singling out one person over the others. And for this reason, I mentioned earlier that the ruling that such a matter is a religious innovation is not possible except for one who has thoroughly examined the Sunnah. Did you find in the Sunnah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) met Abu Bakr, who is the best of people after him (peace be upon him), and said to him: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you, peace be upon you”?
Al-Halabi : In terms of the practical Sunnah, no, of course not.
The Shaykh : That is the point. And the verbal Sunnah, as we always say, must be interpreted by the practical Sunnah. That is one thing. The second thing is that what we were discussing, even if we accept that interpretation which we do not approve of, is something else. He greets everyone he shakes hands with: “Peace be upon you, peace be upon you,” twenty people, ten people, ten greetings. No, if that interpretation is correct, it is a specific case. Yes.
Al-Halabi : May Allah reward you with good.
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