1167 – ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “People! Spread the greeting of peace, feed others, and pray at night while people are asleep; you will enter Paradise in peace.” Related by al-Tirmidhī, who classed it as sound and authentic.

[Explanation]
Imām al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) cites this report in his Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, under the chapter “The Merit of Night Prayer,” on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “People, spread the greeting of peace.”

Know that whenever the Sacred Law begins an address with a vocative call, it signals the gravity of what follows, for such a call brings the listener to attention. There is a marked difference between speaking in a detached manner and addressing someone directly; the latter is far more effective in prompting alertness and heedfulness.

He says, “People, spread the greeting of peace,” meaning: make the salutation manifest, proclaim it openly, and use it abundantly. The greeting is uttered by the Muslim and received by the one greeted. Thus, a Muslim should greet every person he meets who is entitled to the greeting, whether he knows him or not.

The one entitled to the greeting is the Muslim whom it is unlawful to shun. As for the unbeliever, you do not initiate the greeting with him, whether he is a disbeliever who has no connection to Islam, or a disbeliever—