Sunnats and Aadaab of Greeting (Salaam) – Part 6

1. While you are relieving yourself, you should not make salaam to any person or reply to the salaam of any person. Similarly, if a person is relieving himself, you should not make salaam to him.^[1]

2. You should make salaam to your elders with humility in a low voice.

3. If you promise to convey the salaam of a person to someone else, it becomes waajib on you to fulfil the promise and convey the salaam.^[2]

4. The sunnah of salaam is not confined to adults. When one meets children, one should also greet them with salaam. When Hazrat Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would see children, he would make salaam to them.^[3]

5. Upon meeting, you should commence the conversation with salaam.

عن جابر بن عبد الله قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: السلام قبل الكلام (سنن الترمذي، الرقم: ٢٦٩٩)^[4]

Hazrat Jaabir (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Salaam should be made before the conversation.”

6. It is an adab (Islamic etiquette) that when one person is walking and another is sitting, then the one who is walking should commence the salaam and greet first. Similarly, when one person is riding a conveyance and another person is walking, then the one riding the conveyance should commence the salaam and greet first. Likewise, the young should greet the elders first, and a small group (those that are fewer in number) should greet the bigger group (those who are many) first.^[5]

أخبرني زياد أن ثابتا مولى عبد الرحمن بن زيد أخبره أنه سمع أبا هريرة يقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يسلم الراكب على الماشي والماشي على القاعد والقليل على الكثير (صحيح مسلم، الرقم: ٢١٦٠)

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The one who is riding a conveyance should greet the one who is walking first. The one who is walking should greet the one who is sitting first. Those that are few in number (a small group) should greet those that are many (a big group) first. The young should greet the elders first.”

Note: Though the Islamic etiquette is that these groups mentioned in the Hadith should greet first, however each one should endeavour to make salaam first, as it was the sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to greet first upon meeting.

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[1] وفي الخانية ويكره أن يسلم على من هو في الخلاء ولا يرد عليه السلام وكذا الآكل والقارئ والمشتغل بالعلم وكذا في الحمام إن كان مكشوف العورة (البحر الرائق ٢٣٦/٨)

[2] وإذا أمر رجلا أن يقرأ سلامه على فلان يجب عليه ذلك كذا في الغياثية (الفتاوى الهندية ٣٢٦/٥)

ولو قال لآخر: أقرئ فلانا السلام يجب عليه ذلك (الدر المختار ٤١٥/٦)

[3] صحيح مسلم، الرقم: ٢١٦٨

[4] إسناده ضعيف لضعف محمد بن زاذان كما في إتحاف الخيرة المهرة ٢٨١/٤

[5] قال في التتارخانية ويسلم الذي يأتيك من خلفك ويسلم الماشي على القاعد والراكب على الماشي والصغير على الكبير وإذا التقيا فأفضلهما يسبقهما فإن سلما معا يرد كل واحد وقال الحسن: يبتدئ الأقل بالأكثر (رد المحتار ٤١٦/٦)