As-Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh Did you wake up this morning and say As- Salaamu Alaikum to your spouse or your child? Or did you greet them with a Good Morning or even a casual hi or hello?Have we been teaching our children the importance of greeting each other with salaam? Or when we see them off to school, do we send them off with a bye, instead of As-Salaamu Alaikum, the dua for peace and blessings? For some of us, this may seem a minor issue. Or it may even be a progressive issue. But, in our haste to adapt, we forget that saying As- Salaamu Alaikum is the best greeting there could ever be. This was the practice and teaching of Prophet Muhammad (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam), the best example for mankind. And it was Allaah Himself that prescribed the manner of greeting among Muslims as As-Salaamu Alaikum [not salaams or good morning or hey or hi or whatever] When those who believe in Our Ayaat (proofs, verses, signs, etc.) come to you, say: Salaamun Alaikum (peace be on you)..... (Surah al- Anaam:54) Ibn al-Qayyim says: Allaah, the Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Peace, prescribed that the greeting among the people of Islam should be As-Salaamu Alaikum, which is better than all the greetings of other nations which include impossible ideas or lies, such as saying, May you live for a thousand years, or things that are not accurate, such as Anim sabaahan (Good morning), or actions that are not right, such as bowing in greeting. Thus the greeting of salaam is better than all of these, because it has the meaning of safety which is life, without which nothing else can be achieved.... (Badaai al- Fawaaid) As-Salaamu Alaikum is the best Dua [prayer] The word salaam comes from the root salema, which implies to disassociate oneself from evil and harm. Thus, when we greet other Muslims, the greeting means: No harm shall come to you from me (may no evil come to you, may no harm come to you) And since As-Salaam is also one of the Beautiful Names of Allah, the greeting of salaam also means, May the blessing of His Name descend upon you, may Allah be with you, may Allah guide and protect you.Subhaan Allah! What a beautiful greeting! The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: The best of the two persons is the one who begins with salaam. (Related by an-Nawawi) And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally.( Quran, An-Nisa 4:86)
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 04:43:54 +0000