This, then, is fairness. For that reason some scholars have said that if a non-Muslim clearly says al-salām ʿalayka (peace be upon you), pronouncing the lām so there is no ambiguity, you may reply ʿalayka al-salām (and upon you be peace). The basis on which the Messenger ﷺ told us, “Say only: and upon you,” is no longer present. In the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar recorded by al-Bukhārī it is mentioned that they would say al-sām ʿalaykum (death be upon you), so the Prophet instructed, “When they greet you, say: and upon you.” The rationale is plain: we say wa-ʿalaykum because they have said al-sām ʿalaykum. But if they explicitly say al-salām, we respond wa-ʿalaykum al-salām, for the people most committed to justice are the Muslims—praise be to Allah.

Accordingly, if they say al-salām ʿalaykum, we answer wa-ʿalaykum al-salām; if they say ahlan wa-sahlan (welcome), we reply ahlan wa-sahlan; and if they say marḥaban (greetings), we return marḥaban. We give them exactly what they give us.

Some people today find the following situation perplexing: we may have to deal with non-Muslims who serve as managers in certain companies. A Muslim might enter the office of the company president—who is a Jew or a Christian—and wonder what to say. Our advice is to utter only the single word al-salām, intending the greeting for yourself or for any Muslim present. By omitting the word “upon you,” the non-Muslim cannot tell to whom the salām is directed. This is permissible when you fear some harm from him.

If, however, you do not fear any harm and he is indifferent to whether you greet him or not, then simply enter, see to your business, and forgo any greeting at all.