The Etiquette of Greeting and Its Form

The Shaykh : Now, does the elder greet the younger, or the younger greet the elder?
The student: The younger greets the elder.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. The younger greets the elder. Does the rider greet the walker, or the walker greet the rider?
The student: The rider greets the walker.

The Shaykh : The rider greets the walker. May Allah bless you. Does the few greet the many, or the many greet the few? What do you say?
The student: The few greet the many.

The Shaykh : The few greet the many. May Allah bless you. Does a person greet with a finger? Answer: No, because if greeting with a gesture is prohibited, then this is even more so. However, some people point with a finger and then say, "Peace be upon you." In this case, the first part is not intended as the greeting, but rather as a signal. Nevertheless, it is better not to do this and to greet with words. Now, if the younger does not greet the elder, do we leave the Sunnah and the elder does not greet the younger? Or do we say, if the younger does not greet, then you, the elder, should greet? What do you say?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, you have done well. We say, you, the elder, should greet, because the younger might be distracted or unaware at that moment, or he might be ignorant. So you greet to teach him. This is why Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to greet the children when he passed by them, out of his humility (peace and blessings be upon him) and to teach the Ummah. Now, the few greet the many. You are now with three men. All of you are with three men. How many? Four. Two men meet you and do not greet. Do you greet? Yes, we greet, and we do not let the Sunnah be lost due to negligence, forgetfulness, arrogance, or anything else. Greet. So, the younger greets the elder, the few greet the many, the rider greets the walker, and the walker greets the one sitting. If the Sunnah is not fulfilled by the one who is obligated to do so, the other one greets. And whoever humbles himself for Allah, Allah will raise him. So what is the form of the greeting?
The student: Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The Shaykh : Now, you have done well. The greeting is to say, "Peace be upon you" if it is one person, and "Peace be upon you" if it is a group. The evidence is that a man came and entered the mosque and prayed a prayer in which he did not settle, then he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah." He returned the greeting to him and said, "Pray" Now, if you are addressing two people, say "Peace be upon you," because it is permissible to address two people with the plural form. And if you are greeting your mother, what do you say? "Peace be upon you, O my mother." "Upon you" with the kasrah. Why? Because when the letter kaf is used to address a woman, it takes the kasrah. Now, if you enter upon your aunts and there are four or five of them, what do you say? "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings," because the kaf of address takes the form according to the one being addressed. And how does the one who is greeted respond? Please.
The student: He responds. If, of course, he greeted with "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings," he responds with "Peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah and His blessings."

The Shaykh : I mean, he says, "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."
The student: If he greeted you.

The Shaykh : He greeted you and said, "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings." You say, "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."
The student: And His blessings. If he wants to add, he says, "And His forgiveness."

The Shaykh : There is no objection. The important thing is that you say, "Peace be upon you."
The student: Yes, "Peace be upon you."

The Shaykh : Incorrect.
The student: "And upon you peace."

The Shaykh : Now, rest. Let him finish. Let him sit.
The student: Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The Shaykh : Now, do you say "Upon you peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings" with the waw, or without it?
The student: With the waw.

The Shaykh : With the waw, and without it is also fine. I mean, "And upon you peace," or do you say "Upon you peace"?
The student: The waw is better.

The Shaykh : The waw is better, and without it is permissible. Now, may Allah bless you. What do you say about a man to whom we said, "Peace be upon you," and he said, "Welcome, and may Allah greet you, please, today is a day of joy, and this is one of the best days for us, may Allah guide you and increase you in knowledge, piety, and guidance"? Has he returned the greeting? Brother, stand up.
The student: He returned the greeting...

The Shaykh : I am asking, is this returning the obligatory greeting, or not?
The student: It is not returning the greeting.

The Shaykh : It is not returning the greeting. Now, although he mentioned two lines that could be in returning the greeting.
The student: "Peace be upon you, and upon you peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Rest. I say, if a person filled the whole world with a response that does not include "upon you peace," it is not considered returning the greeting, and he would be sinful, because returning the greeting is obligatory with the same or better, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: So he started with the better, then he said, "or return it," and this is the obligatory part. Now.