with the greeting, and when you meet them on the road, force them to its narrowest part.” (1) But if one of them greets us, we return his greeting. Thus, if he says, “Peace be upon you,” we say, “And peace be upon you.” But if he says, “Death be upon you,” we say, “And upon you.”

There are three possibilities in this matter: if he gives an explicit greeting of peace, we return it explicitly; if he says, “Death be upon you,” we say, “And upon you,” as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said. (2) And if he says, “Death be upon you,” running the words together, we say, “And upon you.”

The fourth condition is his saying, “to it,” that is, to the wedding feast. This excludes the case where he invites him to something other than a wedding feast, for accepting such an invitation is not obligatory. This is the view held by the majority of scholars. Their evidence is the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “The worst food is the food of the wedding feast: those who would refuse it are invited to it, while those who would attend it are denied it. Whoever does not accept the invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.” (3) This is the relevant proof.

Some scholars—this being the position of the Zahiris—hold that accepting an invitation is obligatory even when it is not for a wedding feast, because this is among the rights of one Muslim over another. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said concerning the right of one Muslim over another: “If he invites you, accept his invitation.” (4),