Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: By him in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another: should I not guide you to something doing which you will love one another: spread out salutation among you.
‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr said : A man asked the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him): When aspect of Islam is best? He replied: that you should provide food and greet both those you know and those you do not know.
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Peace be upon you! He responded to his salutation. He then sat down. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Ten. Another man came and said: Peace and Allah's mercy be upon you! He responded to his salutation when he sat down. He said: Twenty. Another man came and said: Peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you! He responded to him and said when he sat down: and blessings be upon you! He responded to him and said when he sat down: Thirty.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ عَوْفٍ عَنْ أَبِي رَجَاءٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمَ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَشْرٌ ثُمَّ جَاءَ آخَرُ فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ فَجَلَسَ فَقَالَ عِشْرُونَ ثُمَّ جَاءَ آخَرُ فَقَالَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ فَجَلَسَ فَقَالَ ثَلاَثُونَ
Hadith 5196
Da'if in chain — Al-Albani
How to greet others with salam
Narrated Mu'adh ibn Anas:
(This version is same as previous No 5176 from the Prophet (ﷺ), adding that): Afterwards another man came and said: Peace and Allah's mercy, blessings and forgiveness be upon you! whereupon he said: Forty. adding: Thus are excellent qualities rewarded.
The virtue of the one who initiates the greeting of salam
Narrated AbuUmamah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Those who are nearest to Allah are they who are first to give a salutation.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ فَارِسٍ الذُّهْلِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي خَالِدٍ وَهْبٍ عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ الْحِمْصِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِنَّ أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِاللَّهِ مَنْ بَدَأَهُمْ بِالسَّلاَمِ
Hadith 5198
Sahih — Al-Albani
Regarding who should be greeted first
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying : The young should salute the old, the one who is passing by should salute the one who is sitting, and a small company should salute a large one.
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُسَلِّمُ الصَّغِيرُ عَلَى الْكَبِيرِ وَالْمَارُّ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِ وَالْقَلِيلُ عَلَى الْكَثِيرِ
Hadith 5199
Sahih — Al-Albani
Regarding who should be greeted first
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying: one who is riding should salute one who is walking. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition.
Regarding when a man parts from another, then meets him again, he should greet him with the salam
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
When one of you meets his brother, he should salute him, then if he meets him again after a tree, wall or stone has come between them, he should also salute him.
Mu'awiyah said: 'Abd al-Wahhab b. Bakht transmitted a similar tradition to me from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A'raj, from Abu Hurairah, from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
Regarding when a man parts from another, then meets him again, he should greet him with the salam
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:
Umar came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was in his wooden oriel, and said to him: Peace be upon you. Messenger of Allah, peace be upon you! May Umar enter ?
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to some children who were playing: He saluted them.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ قَالَ قَالَ أَنَسٌ أَتَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى غِلْمَانٍ يَلْعَبُونَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ
Hadith 5203
صحيح دون القعود في الظل — الألباني
Regarding greeting children
Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us when I was a boy among the boys. He saluted us and took me by my hand. He then sent me with some message. He himself sat in the shadow of a wall, or he said: near a wall until I returned to him.
Asma', daughter of Yazid, said : the Prophet (ﷺ), passed us by when we were with some women and gave us a salutation.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي حُسَيْنٍ سَمِعَهُ مِنْ شَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَتْهُ أَسْمَاءُ بِنْتُ يَزِيدَ مَرَّ عَلَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي نِسْوَةٍ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْنَا
Hadith 5205
Sahih — Al-Albani
Regarding greeting Ahl-ad-dhimmah
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
Suhayl ibn AbuSalih said: I went out with my father to Syria. The people passed by the cloisters in which there were Christians and began to salute them. My father said: Do not give them salutation first, for AbuHurayrah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Do not salute them (Jews and Christians) first, and when you meet them on the road, force them to go to the narrowest part of it.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of the Jews greets you saying: Death may come upon you, reply: The same to you.
Abu Dawud said: Malik b. 'Adb Allah b. Dinar transmitted it in a similar manner, and al-Thawri transmitted it from 'Abd Allah b. Dinar. He said in this version: The same to you.
Anas said: The Companions of the prophet (ﷺ) said to the prophet (ﷺ): The people of the Book salute us. How should we reply to them? He said: say : the same to you.
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَرْزُوقٍ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالُوا لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ يُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْنَا فَكَيْفَ نَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالَ قُولُوا وَعَلَيْكُمْ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَكَذَلِكَ رِوَايَةُ عَائِشَةَ وَأَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْجُهَنِيِّ وَأَبِي بَصْرَةَ يَعْنِي الْغِفَارِيَّ
Hadith 5208
Hasan Sahih — Al-Albani
Regarding saying the salam when leaving the gathering
Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you comes to an assembly, he should give a salutation and if he feels inclined to get up, he should give a salutation, for the former is not more of a duty than the latter.
It is disliked to say "alaikas salam"(upon you be peace)
Narrated AbuJurayy al-Hujaymi:
I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: Upon you be peace, Messenger of Allah! He said: Do not say: Upon you be peace, for "Upon you be peace" is the salutation to the dead.
What has been narrated about one person responding on behalf of a group
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
AbuDawud said: Al-Hasan ibn Ali traced this tradition back to the Prophet (ﷺ): When people are passing by, it is enough if one of them gives a salutation on their behalf, and that it is enough for those who are sitting if one of them replies.