سورة النساء

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): When one of you sneezes, pray for him. Say: "رَحِمَکُمُ الله [May Allah have mercy on you]", and let him reply: "یَغْفِرُ اللهُ لَکُمْ وَ یَرْحَمُکُمْ [May Allah forgive you and have mercy on you]". Allah the Blessed and Exalted has said: وَ إِذَا حُیِّیْتُم بِتَحِیَّةٍ فَحَیُّواْ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا [And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet with a better one than it, or return it].

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Among the good deeds are the salam (greeting) and other good acts.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The group that is smaller in number should be the first to give salam to the larger group, and the rider to the one on foot, and those riding mules to those riding donkeys, and those riding horses to those riding mules, should give salam first.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Do not give salam to the Jews, the Christians, the Magians, the idol-worshippers, those present at a table where wine is being drunk, those playing chess and backgammon [gamblers], the effeminate man (khunatha), or the poet who slanders chaste women; likewise do not give salam to one who is performing the prayer, because firstly the one praying cannot return the salam, and secondly giving salam is recommended (mustahabb) for a Muslim while returning it is obligatory (wajib); and likewise do not give salam to the one who consumes usury, to a man who is sitting to relieve himself, to a man who is in the bathhouse, or to a transgressor who openly displays his transgression and immorality.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Sama'a said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If a Jew, a Christian, or a polytheist gives salam to a Muslim, how should he reply? The Imam said: "He should only say: 'Alaykum,' meaning: upon you."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When one of you gives salam, let him give it in a loud voice, so that he does not say: 'I gave salam and they did not reply to me.' Perhaps he did give salam but did not say it loudly enough for others to hear. And when one of you returns a salam, let him return it in a loud voice, so that the one who gave the salam does not say: 'I gave salam and they did not reply to me.'

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Greet loudly with salam, speak kindly, and pray at night while people are asleep — for then you will enter Paradise with greetings of peace.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If one person from a group gives the salam, there is no need for the rest of the group to give the salam.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The miser is the one who is miserly with the salam.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Whoever says السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکُم [Peace be upon you] has ten good deeds, and whoever says السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ [Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah], twenty good deeds are written for him, and whoever says السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکُمْ وَ رَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکَاتُه [Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings], thirty good deeds are written for him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Musafaha (shaking hands) is the most complete form of greeting for one who is present and resident, and mu'anaqa (embracing) is the most complete form of salam and greeting for the traveller.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Giving the salam is recommended, but replying to it is obligatory.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْها [with a better (greeting) than it] means: to the Muslims, respond better than the greeting they gave; and أَوْ رُدُّوها [or return it] means: to the People of the Book, respond in the same way that they greet.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): There are three [situations] in which, even if it is a single person, one responds to them as to a group: at the time of sneezing, even if he is alone, one says to him يَرْحَمُکُمُ اللهُ [may Allah have mercy on you (plural)]. Whoever greets another says: السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکُم [peace be upon you (plural)]. Whoever supplicates for another, even if he is only one person, says: عَافَاکُمُ اللهُ [may Allah give you (plural) well-being], whether he is alone or someone else is with him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): If a group is seated in a gathering and another group enters, the group that has entered must greet those who are already in the gathering.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): One day a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "Peace be upon you." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you." Another man came and said: "O Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) replied: "Peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you." Another person entered and said: "Peace and the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) replied: "And upon you likewise." The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was asked: why, whatever the first and second said, you added something in your reply to their greeting, but for the reply to the third person you did not add anything? The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Because he left nothing more of the manners of greeting for me to add, so I returned to him the like of his own words."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) used to greet women and they would return the greeting to him. And the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) used to greet women, but he disliked greeting the young among them, and he would say: "I fear that the sound of her voice may please me, and then the harm of this act will come upon me greater than the reward I seek."

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Whoever meets a poor Muslim and does not greet him the same way he greets a wealthy person, will meet Allah the Mighty and Majestic on the Day of Judgement while He is angry with him.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): The closest of people to Allah and His Messenger is the one who begins his speech with the salaam (greeting).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is disliked for a person to give salaam and greeting to someone and then fall silent [with no reply coming], unless a reply to the salaam follows it.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (peace be upon him) was passing by a group of people and greeted them. In reply they said: 'Peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and forgiveness and pleasure be upon you.' Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said to them: "Do not go beyond what the angels said to our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him); they said to Ibrahim (peace be upon him): رَحْمَتُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکاتُهُ عَلَیْکُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَیْتِ [The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O People of the House]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Samaa'a said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "If someone is given salaam while he is in prayer, must he reply?" Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "He should reply saying سَلامٌ عَلَیْکُم [peace be upon you] and not say عَلَیْکُمُ السَّلَام [upon you be peace], because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) was standing in prayer when Ammar ibn Yasir passed by him and Ammar greeted him, and the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) replied to him saying سَلامٌ عَلَیْکُم [peace be upon you] [and the sunnah was established upon this]."