Brief Comments on Riyaadh al-Saaliheen #31

Greeting the Kuffaar

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, pg. 2/594]

Shaikh al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

What is required from you is that whenever you meet a Muslim brother, you should greet him (with Assalaam `Alaikum). As for other than the Muslims, then you should not (be the first one to) greet them. Because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

لا تبدءوا اليهود والنصارى بالسلام، وإذا وجدتموهم في طريق فاضطروهم إلى أضيقه

“Do not greet the Jews and the Christians before they greet you and when you meet any one of them on the roads force him to go to the narrowest part of it.” [1]

So a Jew or a Christian or an apostate – like the one who does not pray – or an innovator involved in major Kufr (like grave worshiping etc), to all of these one should not be the first one to greet them even if they were the nearest of kin.

But if they greet you first, then reply to them in the similar way they greeted you. If they say: “Ahlan wa Marhabaa”, you should also reply back: “Ahlan wa Marhabaa”.

If they say: “Assalaam `alaikum”, reply: “Wa `alaikum assalaam”.

But if you doubt whether he said: “Assalaam `alaikum” (peace be upon you) or “Assaam `alaikum” (death be upon you), then you should say: “Wa `alaikum” (and upon you be the same).

But if you are not certain that he said: “Assalaam `alaikum” with an “L”, then you should say: “Wa `alaikum”. This is because the Jews used to pass by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Companions, and used to greet them, but they used to say “Assaam `alaikum”, and “Assaam” means death. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

إن اليهود إذا لقوكم قالوا: السام عليكم ، فقولوا : وعليكم

“When the Jews greet anyone of you they say: “Assaam`Alaikum (death be upon you)”; so you should say: “Wa `Alaikum””

So if they greet us with “Salaam” then upon them is “Assalaam” (peace), and if they are praying for our death, then upon them is death. And this is from the justice:

وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُمْ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَسِيباً

{When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. Certainly, Allaah is Ever a Careful Account Taker of all things.} [3]

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[1] Saheeh Muslim (4037)

[2] Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (6257, 6258) and Saheeh Muslim (4031, 4033)

[3] Surah al-Nisaa’ (4): 86