Riyāḍ uṣ-Ṣāliḥīn · Chapter 131 of 372
Excellence of Promoting Greetings
The Book of Greetings – Chapter 131 : Ahadith 845 – 850
Imam Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi (d. 676 AH)
🎧 Listen to all hadiths in Arabic Ch 131 H 845 – 850
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Allah, the Exalted says:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَدۡخُلُواْ بُيُوتًا غَيۡرَ بُيُوتِكُمۡ حَتَّىٰ تَسۡتَأۡنِسُواْ وَتُسَلِّمُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهَا
“O you who believe! Enter not houses other than your own, until you have asked permission and greeted those in them.”
[An-Nūr 24:27]
فَإِذَا دَخَلۡتُم بُيُوتٗا فَسَلِّمُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡ تَحِيَّةٗ مِّنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُبَٰرَكَةٗ طَيِّبَةٗ
“But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah (i.e., say: As-Salamu `alaikum – peace be on you), blessed and good.”
[An-Nūr 24:61]
وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٖ فَحَيُّواْ بِأَحۡسَنَ مِنۡهَآ أَوۡ رُدُّوهَآ
“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally.”
[An-Nisā’ 4:86]
هَلۡ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ضَيۡفِ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ ٱلۡمُكۡرَمِينَ ﴿٢٤﴾ إِذۡ دَخَلُواْ عَلَيۡهِ فَقَالُواْ سَلَٰمٗاۖ قَالَ سَلَٰمٞ قَوۡمٞ مُّنكَرُونَ ﴿٢٥﴾
“Has the story reached you, of the honoured guests [three angels; Jibril (Gabriel) along with another two] of Ibrahim (Abraham)? When they came in to him, and said, `Salam (peace be upon you)!’ He answered: `Salam (peace be upon you).”’
[Adh-Dhāriyāt 51:24–25]
845 Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`as (radiyallahu anhuma) reported: A man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Which act in Islam is the best?” He ﷺ replied, “To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
846 Abu Hurairah (radiyallahu anhu) reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “When Allah created Adam ﷺ, He said to him: `Go and greet that company of angels who are sitting there – and then listen to what they are going to say in reply to your greetings because that will be your greeting and your off-spring’s.’ Adam ﷺ said to the angels: `As-Salamu `Alaikum (may you be safe from evil).’ They replied: `As-Salamu `Alaikum wa Rahmatullah (may you be safe from evil, and Mercy of Allah be upon you).’ Thus adding in reply to him: `wa Rahmatullah (and Mercy of Allah)’ to his greeting.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
847 Al-Bara’ bin `Azib (radiyallahu anhuma) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do seven things: to visit the sick, to follow the funeral (of a dead believer), to invoke the Mercy of Allah upon one who sneezes (i.e., by saying to him: Yarhamuk-Allah), to support the weak, to help the oppressed, to promote the greeting of `As-Salamu `Alaikum’, and to help those who swear to do something to keep their oaths.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
848 Abu Hurairah (radiyallahu anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “By Him in Whose Hand is my life! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something which, if you do, you will love one another? Promote greetings amongst yourselves.”[Muslim].
849 `Abdullah bin Salam (radiyallahu anhu) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, “O people, exchange greetings of peace (i.e., say: As-Salamu `Alaikum to one another), feed people, strengthen the ties of kinship, and be in prayer when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace.”[At-Tirmidhi].
850 At-Tufail bin Ubayy bin Ka`b (radiyallahu anhu) reported: I used to visit `Abdullah bin `Umar (radiyallahu anhuma) in the morning and accompany him to the market. `Abdullah offered greetings of peace to every one he met on the way, be they sellers of petty goods, traders or poor people. One day when I came to him, he asked me to accompany him to the market. I said to him: “What is the point of your going to the market when you do not sell, nor ask about articles, nor offer a price for them, nor sit down with any company of people. Let us sit down here and talk.” He replied: “O Abu Batn (belly)! (Tufail had a large belly), we go to the market to greet everyone we meet.”[Malik].