Is it permissible to return the greeting with fewer words than the one who initiated the greeting?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Regarding the previous question.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Regarding the previous question, it seems to me that I heard from one of the scholars that it was sufficient to reply with the word "Salam"?
The Shaykh : How? What is sufficient?
The questioner : Replying to a Muslim with the word "Salam," is this sufficient, or is there something in the Sunnah regarding this?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you. Which Muslim is it that you reply to with just this word? The one who said: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh"? You will say: No, or at least you will say: I do not know.
The questioner : I say yes.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : That he replies with the word "Salam" as you heard the fatwa, meaning.
The Shaykh : I heard the fatwa that if a Muslim greeted with a complete greeting as we explained earlier, saying: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," what is sufficient in replying to him?
The questioner : I heard the word "Salam."
The Shaykh : Yes. Is this returning the greeting?
The questioner : This is what I am asking about, does it mean?
The Shaykh : This is clear. Because it says in the verse:[An-Nisa 4:86] The reply is: if one said: "As-salamu alaykum," the reply is: "Wa alaykum as-salam"; if one said: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi," the reply is: "Wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi"; if one said: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," the reply is: "Wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," and the better is: "wa maghfiratuhi." As for one who completed the greeting with three phrases, and you say: "Wa alaykum," this is not sufficient.
The questioner : Even with two phrases?
The Shaykh : My brother, two phrases against two phrases, I gave you three examples, I listed them for you in this matter.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Regarding the previous question, it seems to me that I heard from one of the scholars that it was sufficient to reply with the word "Salam"?
The Shaykh : How? What is sufficient?
The questioner : Replying to a Muslim with the word "Salam," is this sufficient, or is there something in the Sunnah regarding this?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you. Which Muslim is it that you reply to with just this word? The one who said: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh"? You will say: No, or at least you will say: I do not know.
The questioner : I say yes.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : That he replies with the word "Salam" as you heard the fatwa, meaning.
The Shaykh : I heard the fatwa that if a Muslim greeted with a complete greeting as we explained earlier, saying: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh," what is sufficient in replying to him?
The questioner : I heard the word "Salam."
The Shaykh : Yes. Is this returning the greeting?
The questioner : This is what I am asking about, does it mean?
The Shaykh : This is clear. Because it says in the verse:
greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner]
فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَاThe questioner : Even with two phrases?
The Shaykh : My brother, two phrases against two phrases, I gave you three examples, I listed them for you in this matter.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.