of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—during the prayer, we would say: “Peace be upon Allah; peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not say, ‘Peace be upon Allah,’ for Allah is al-Salām,” meaning that He is utterly free of every imperfection.

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Salām is a verbal noun and one of the formulas of supplication. It combines a declarative aspect and a performative aspect, yet the declarative dimension contradicts the performative one; this is the peace that is sought when giving the greeting ….” He went on: “Because the circumstance is one of asking for safety—which is a person’s greatest need—he couched his request in the form of one of Allah’s Names, al-Salām, from whom safety is sought. The wording therefore carries two meanings: first, the remembrance of Allah … and second, the request for safety, which is the greeter’s aim.”

2- Among the expressions that must never be used with respect to Allah Most High is, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” for a request made of Allah is not to be suspended upon (His) will; rather, one must state it decisively.

In the Ṣaḥīḥ it is related from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Let none of you say, ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will; O Allah, have mercy on me if You will.’ Let him be resolute in his plea, for no one can compel Allah.” Muslim’s wording adds: “And let him make his request great, for nothing that He grants is too great for Allah.”

The prohibition rests on two reasons:
First: Allah—glorified is He—cannot be forced to act; He does whatever He wills. A servant, by contrast, may do something while disliking it, compelled by fear or hope regarding another, but Allah is not like that.
Second: Hanging the request on the divine will betrays lukewarm resolve and little eagerness for what is being sought,