The Third Section: Who One Should Greet with the Salam.

The Shaykh : The Fourth Issue: Who One Should Greet with the Salam. Do you greet everyone you meet? No. You do not greet a disbeliever, whether he is a Jew, a Christian, or an idolater. In other words, you do not greet any disbeliever. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is not permissible for us to initiate the greeting to a disbeliever. Pay attention to the evidence, the evidence, my brothers? This is a prohibition from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); it is not permissible for us to initiate the greeting to them.
Now, what if we are tested with a disbeliever boss, as happens in some companies, for example, where the boss is a disbeliever and the workers are under him? If they enter and do not greet him, that is a problem. And if they greet him, what then? That is also a problem. If they greet him, they fall into what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited. If they do not greet him, he challenges them and harasses them, and he may even fire them from their jobs. So what should a person do? We say: Praise be to Allah, for Allah has made a way out of every difficulty. It is possible that when you enter, you say "As-salam" only, and you intend the greeting to be for us and for the righteous servants of Allah, not for this disbeliever man. Do you understand? But some disbelievers are intelligent and know that you did not say "As-salam" alone without something behind it. Yes, so he may not be pleased if you say only "As-salam." Perhaps if you say "As-salam," he will ask, "To whom?" Yes. He also says, "As-salam upon whoever follows the guidance," meaning you did not greet me; you greeted whoever follows the guidance. A person may even stipulate this in his heart. And all of this is if you fear harm from this man. You say "As-salamu 'alayka," meaning if you become a Muslim, the peace be upon you, meaning if you become a Muslim. So you imply a condition, and he does not know of the intention. And this is if you fear his harm. But if you do not fear him, do not greet him at all. Otherwise, greet him without mentioning the preposition and the object, and intend that the greeting is for yourself. Now, is it permissible for me to say "Marhaban bi-Abi Fulan" (Welcome, Father of So-and-so) or "Ahlan bi-Fulan" (Welcome, So-and-so) if he is a disbeliever? There is nothing wrong with this, because this is not a salam; it is a greeting. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And this disbeliever man who has authority over you, if you say "Ahlan, Abu Fulan" and "Ahlan, Fulan," yes, or "Good morning" or the like, and you intend not "Good morning" for him, but "Good morning" for yourself. But "Ahlan" and "Marhaban" have no prohibition. And all of this is if a person pays attention to these matters. Some people do not pay attention and do not care.