The Blog of aamsaafank

86- AND IF YOU ARE GREETED WITH A GREETING, GREET WITH A BETTER ONE OR RETURN IT (AT LEAST), FOR ALLAH TAKES ACCOUNT OF EVERY THING.

This Ayah is about the Muslim’s manners in greeting others.  The command is to return the greeting with a better one or at least the same.  Returning the greeting therefore is a Fard. 

Our greeting as Muslims is with peace “Peace be upon you”, then one may add “And Allah’s Mercy” and also “And blessings’.  Which makes the full Islamic greeting “Peace be upon you and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings”.

This greeting is fulfilling Allah’s command in the Quran: “THEIR DAWA HAS ‘GLORY IS TO ALLAH’ AND THEIR GREETING CONTAINS PEACE AND THE LAST OF THEIR DAWA IS ‘PRAISE AND GRATITUDE IS TO ALLAH THE LORD OF ALL THE WORLDS’”.  (S: 10 A: 10)

Allah the Highest is commanding us that should a Muslim be greeted, he should return the greeting with a better on, or at least return the same greeting.  This is because a greeting is a charity and a present, for Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Your greeting of peace to Allah’s slaves is Sadaqah (charity)”.  (M: Zakah; 56 & D: Adab; 160 & A: 2; 316)

This charity is easy to return with another and Allah the Highest rewards us for it. 

There are also rules and good manners which should be observed with the greeting.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “The young greets the old, those passing greet those sitting, and the few greet the many”.

He also said prayer and peace upon him: “Whoever is riding greets who is walking, and whoever is walking greets who is sitting, and the few greet the many”.  (B: Istizan; 4-7 & M: Salah; 1 & A: 3; 444 6; 19-20)

Also one should greet people in a house when he/she enters.  Allah the Highest said: “IF YOU ENTER HOUSE, GREET EACH OTHER WITH A PURE AND BLESSED GREETING FROM ALLAH, THUS ALLAH CLARIFIES HIS AYAHS TO YOU SO THAT YOU MAY UNDERSTAND” (S: 24 A: 61)

Greeting others, Muslims or otherwise, should be done in a decent, pleasant and respectable manner.  No hint of disrespect, jest or mockery should be in our tone of voice or gestures when we greet others.  One should not be greeting others using Allah’s name and greeting and in the mean time showing disrespect, jesting or mockery.

B: Bukhari    M: Muslim     Mal: Malek    A: Ahmed   D: Abu Dawood     

Da: Daremy       Ma: Ibn Magah            N: Nesae          T: Termezi