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"?
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-An'aam: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 'An'im
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*." (Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id)
"As-Salaamu Alaikum" is the best Dua
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 Allaah,
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 Allaah! What a beautiful greeting!
Yet, it is utterly tragic to see that some of us have exchanged
something so beautiful for something ugly, when we stopped
saying
Assalaamu Alaikum and started with 'Good Morning' or 'Hi'. It is
especially sad to see some of our youth, who don't even know how
to
say the words clearly and properly. Some say 'Saakum", some just
mumble something incomprehensible under their breath and some
don't
even bother to say anything at all! And if they are being
really
nice to you, they just might throw you a 'hey' from afar.
And even those of us who do say salaam, some of us are so stingy
or
hesitant in doing so. Although, at the time of the Prophet (Sal
Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) the Sahaabah would compete with each
other
to see who could give salaams first. They would go to the market
just
to say salaam to people they knew and to the people they did not
know.
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)
BENEFITS OF "AS-SALAAMU ALAIKUM"
1."As-Salaamu Alaikum" is a means of immense reward
A man passed by the Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa
Sallam) while he was sitting with others, and said "As-salaamu
'alaykum." The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said, "[He
will
have] ten hasanaat." Another man passed by and said "As-Salaamu
Alaikum wa Rahmatullaah (peace be upon you and the mercy of
Allaah)."
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said, "[He will have]
twenty hasanaat." Another man passed by and said "As-Salaamu
Alaikum
wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuh (peace be upon you and the mercy
of
Allaah and His blessings)." The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa
Sallam) said, "[He will have] thirty hasanaat."
2."As-Salaamu Alaikum" is an aspect of Imaan
Once a man asked the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam)
about
which aspect of Islam was best. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi
wa
Sallam) replied: "Feeding the hungry, and saying salaam to those
you
know and those you don't know." (Bukhaari and Muslim)
3. "As-Salaamu Alaikum" is a means of entering Jannah
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "You will not
enter
Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you
love
one another. Shall I not tell you about something which, if you
do
it, you will love one another? Spread salaam (the greeting of
peace)
among you." (Muslim)
4. "As-Salaamu Alaikum" gets rid of sins
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaihi wa Sallam) also said, "When two
Muslims meet (give salaam), and shake hands, they are forgiven
their
sins before they part (with each other)." (Abu Dawud)
5. "As-Salaamu Alaikum" is the greeting of the people of Jannah
"Then, those that feared their Lord shall be driven in companies
into
Paradise . When they draw near its gates will be opened, and its
keepers will say to them: "Salaamun 'Alaikum" (Peace be upon
you),
you have done well. Ente, which is also a prayer*.a prayer of
peace and blessing*.of security and protection from all harm and
all
evil*..a blessing that Allaah Himself sends down to His beloved
slaves**a greeting of the people of Jannah itself.
Important note: The head should never be bent or bowed as a sign
of
greeting. We bend our heads only to Allah. It must also be
emphasized
that other body gestures in any form or shape (for example,
raising
eyebrows, extending the arms, smiling, winking, etc.) cannot
replace
the beautiful greeting of "As-Salaamu Alaikum
Fri 1 Jun - 16:33