Is it permissible for a Muslim to return the greeting to a disbeliever if he greets him?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If a disbeliever passes by and greets a Muslim, does he return the greeting to him?
The Shaykh : Yes, you return the greeting to him, except in the case where you suspect that his greeting is hidden in meaning. Do you understand the meaning of the word "hidden"? I mean, as the Jews used to do with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when they would twist their tongues with the greeting. Instead of saying it clearly, "Peace be upon you," they would say, "The dust be upon you, the dust be upon you." How is the difference? The meaning differs completely. Look. Excuse me. Two hadiths were narrated from him on this occasion. One of them is... yes, eleven, that is correct.
The Shaykh : Yes, you return the greeting to him, except in the case where you suspect that his greeting is hidden in meaning. Do you understand the meaning of the word "hidden"? I mean, as the Jews used to do with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when they would twist their tongues with the greeting. Instead of saying it clearly, "Peace be upon you," they would say, "The dust be upon you, the dust be upon you." How is the difference? The meaning differs completely. Look. Excuse me. Two hadiths were narrated from him on this occasion. One of them is... yes, eleven, that is correct.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.