—only to forget, or a long time may pass, or something of that sort.

He then cited the ḥadīth of Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet ﷺ, when he spoke, would repeat his words three times, and when he offered salām he would do so three times. He repeated himself, however, only when the statement had not been understood; if it was understood, he did not repeat it. Thus, once the words are clear there is no need for repetition. But if they are not clear—because the listener is hard of hearing, there is a great deal of noise, or something similar—let him repeat them twice, and if that does not suffice, then three times; beyond three it is not permissible, just as one who seeks permission to enter a house must leave after asking three times without being admitted. Likewise, if he has spoken three times and the other person neither responds nor understands, he should leave it at that.

The same rule applies when you give salām and the person addressed does not hear it: repeat it a second and a third time. Similarly, if you give salām and the reply is inadequate—for example, you say, “al-salāmu ʿalayk,” and he answers, “Ahlan wa marḥaban” (Welcome!)—repeat the greeting and say, “al-salāmu ʿalayk.” If he again replies, “Ahlan wa marḥaban,” repeat the greeting a third time with, “al-salāmu ʿalayk.” If that still does not work, then leave him, but inform him that answering only with “Ahlan wa marḥaban” is insufficient; he must say, “wa ʿalayka al-salām” when greeted with “al-salāmu ʿalayk.” Allah is the One who grants success.

854 – Al-Miqdad, in his lengthy narration, said: “We used to set aside the Prophet’s ﷺ share of milk. He would come at night and give a greeting that would not wake a sleeper yet could be heard by one who was awake. One night the Prophet ﷺ came and greeted in the same manner he was accustomed to greeting….”