Chapter: The Recommendation to Give the Salām When One Enters His House

Allah, the Exalted, says: “When you enter houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and good.” (Qur’an 24:61)

861 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me, “My son, when you enter upon your family, give them the salām; it will bring blessing upon you and upon the people of your household.” Related by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.

[Commentary]
These two chapters concern the etiquettes of the salām, as Imām al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) set out in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn. When a person greets his brother with salām, then leaves and returns—whether the interval is short or long—he should renew the greeting. For example, someone hosting guests may step inside to fetch water or food; when he comes back, he should give the salām again. This is part of Allah’s grace: He has legislated the salām and its repetition whenever people are separated, no matter how brief the absence. Allah has prescribed that we greet one another with salām, for the salām is an act of worship.