Chapter 132 – The Proper Etiquette of Salām

It is recommended that the one who initiates the greeting say, “As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh” (peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings). He should employ the plural pronoun –kum even if he is greeting only one person. The reply should be, “Wa ʿalaykumu as-salām wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh,” beginning with the conjunctive wa in “wa ʿalaykum.”

855 – ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “As-salāmu ʿalaykum.” The Prophet returned the greeting and the man sat down. The Prophet said, “Ten.” Another man came and said, “As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāh.” The Prophet returned the greeting and the man sat down. He said, “Twenty.” Then another came and said, “As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.” The Prophet returned the greeting and the man sat down. He said, “Thirty.” Related by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who declared it ḥasan (good).

856 – ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, “This is Gabriel conveying salām to you.” I replied, “Wa ʿalayhi as-salām wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.” Agreed upon.

In some narrations of the two Ṣaḥīḥs the words “and His blessings” are included; in others they are omitted. The addition of a trustworthy narrator is acceptable.

857 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that whenever the Prophet ﷺ spoke a statement he would repeat it three times so it would be clearly understood, and when he passed by a group and offered them salām, he would greet them three times. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.

This applies when the gathering is large.

858 – Al-Miqdād (may Allah be pleased with him) said in his lengthy narration: We used to set aside the Prophet’s share of milk; he would come during the night and give a greeting that would not wake a sleeping person, yet would make