when they entered upon him and said, “Peace,” he replied, “Peace—[you are] a people unknown.”
The interrogative wording, “Has there come to you…?” is intended to stir interest; Allah cast it in the form of a question so as to engage the listener. Plainly, the one addressed would answer, “No, it has not come to me,” because the incident lies in the past. We have already spoken about this verse.
As for the phrase “a people unknown,” it means: “You are people I do not recognize.” The intention is not munkar in the sense of something unlawful, but rather munkar in its lexical meaning of “unfamiliar”—that is, “I do not know you.”
- Allah, Exalted is He, also says: “When you enter houses, greet one another with a salutation from Allah—blessed and good. Thus does Allah make His signs clear to you, so that you may reason.”
The command “greet your own selves” means “greet those who are inside.” He has called them “your own selves” because a believer to his fellow believer is like a single structure, each part supporting the other—just as He says, “There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is what troubles you, full of concern for you.” The meaning, then, is: greet the occupants, for you and they are but one soul.