The Book of Greetings

Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported::

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Which act in Islam is the best?" He (ﷺ) replied, "To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.".

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported::

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah created Adam (ﷺ), He said to him: 'Go and greet that company of angels who are sitting there - and then listen to what they are going to say in reply to your greetings because that will be your greeting and your off-spring's.' Adam (ﷺ) said to the angels: 'As-Salamu 'Alaikum (May peace be upon you).' They replied: 'As-Salamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullah (May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah).' Thus adding in reply to him: 'wa Rahmatullah (and the Mercy of Allah)' to his greeting.".

Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported::

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to do seven things: to visit the sick, to follow the funeral (of a dead believer), to invoke the Mercy of Allah upon one who sneezes (i.e., by saying to him: Yarhamuk- Allah), to support the weak, to help the oppressed, to promote the greeting of 'As-Salamu 'Alaikum', and to help those who swear to do something to keep their oaths..

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported::

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something which, if you do, you will love one another? Promote greetings amongst yourselves.".

'Abdullah bin Salam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported::

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "O people, exchange greetings of peace (i.e., say: As-Salamu 'Alaikum to one another), feed people, strengthen the ties of kinship, and be in prayer when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace.".

At-Tufail bin Ubayy bin Ka'b (May Allah be pleased with him) reported::

I used to visit 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) in the morning and accompany him to the market. 'Abdullah offered greetings of peace to every one he met on the way, be they sellers of petty goods, traders or poor people. One day when I came to him, he asked me to accompany him to the market. I said to him: "What is the point of your going to the market when you do not sell, nor ask about articles, nor offer a price for them, nor sit down with any company of people. Let us sit down here and talk." He replied: "O Abu Batn (father of a belly) - Tufail had a large belly - we go to the market to greet everyone we meet.".

'Imran bin Husain (May Allah be pleased with them) reported::

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "As-Salamu 'Alaikum (May peace be upon you). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) responded to his greeting and the man sat down. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Ten (meaning the man had earned the merit of ten good deeds)." Another one came and said: "As-Salamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullah (May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah)." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) responded to his greeting and the man sat down. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Twenty." A third one came and said: "As-Salamu 'Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu (May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings)." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) responded to his greeting and the man sat down. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Thirty.".

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported::

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "This is Jibril (Gabriel) who is conveying you greetings of peace." I responded: "Wa 'Alaihis-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu (May peace be upon him and the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings).".

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported the Prophet (ﷺ) used to repeat his words thrice so that the meaning thereof would be fully understood, and whenever he came upon a gathering of people, he would greet them. He would repeat Salam thrice..

Al-Miqdad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported in a long Hadith::

We used to reserve for the Prophet (ﷺ) his share of the milk, and he would come at night and offer greetings in such a manner as did not disturb those asleep and was heard only by those who were awake. In fact, the Prophet (ﷺ) came and offered greetings as usual..