Hadith: Do not initiate the greeting of peace to the Jews or Christians, and if you meet one of them on the way, force him to narrowest part thereof
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«لَا تَبْدَؤوا الْيَهُودَ وَلَا النَّصَارَى بِالسَّلَامِ، فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمْ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَاضْطَرُّوهُ إِلَى أَضْيَقِهِ».
[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم] - [صحيح مسلم: 2167]
المزيــد ...
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Do not initiate the greeting of peace to the Jews or Christians, and if you meet one of them on the way, force him to narrowest part thereof."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 2167]
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbids initiating the greeting of peace to the Jews or Christians even if they are Dhimmis (free non-Muslim subjects living in a Muslim country), let alone others from the disbelievers. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) further explained that if we meet one of them on the road, we should force him to the narrowest part thereof, as the believer is the one entitled to walk in the middle of the road and the disbeliever is the one who should make way. A Muslim should in no way be abject.
Benefits from the Hadith
- It is impermissible for a Muslim to initiate the greeting of peace to any of the Jews, Christians, or others from the disbelievers.
- It is permissible to respond to their greeting of peace, in case they are the ones to initiate it, by saying: And upon you.
- It is impermissible for a Muslim to hurt a disbeliever on purpose by deliberately and unnecessarily bearing down on him to force him to move to the narrowest part of the road. However, if the road is narrow or crowded, then the Muslim is more entitled to it and the disbeliever should move away.
- Manifesting the Muslims' honor and the humiliation of others without oppression or using foul language.
- Imposing restrictions upon the disbelievers due to their disbelief in Allah Almighty could cause them to embrace Islam and, thus, be saved from Hellfire if this motivates them to learn the reason behind such restrictions.
- There is nothing wrong if a Muslim starts by saying the following to a disbeliever: How are you? How are you doing this morning? How are you doing this evening? And similar things if there is a need for this because the prohibition is taken to refer to the greeting of peace.
- At-Tībi said: Based on the chosen opinion, the heretical innovator should not be initiated with the greeting of peace. If one happens to greet with peace someone he does not know and it turns out to be a Dhimmi or a heretical innovator, then he should say: I take back my greeting of peace, by way of derogation.
Categories
More ...
- Hadith: The five (daily) prayers, Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, and Ramadan to the next Ramadan, are expiation of the sins committed in between them, so long as major sins are avoided
- Hadith: A Muslim owes another Muslim five rights: responding to the greetings, visiting the sick, following the funerals, accepting the invitation, and responding to the sneezing person
- Hadith: Some people dispose of Allah's property wrongfully. For them will be Hellfire on the Day of Judgment
- Hadith: Do not insult the dead, because they have attained the fruits of their deeds
- Hadith: It is unlawful for a Muslim to desert his fellow Muslim for more than three nights. As they meet, both of them turn their backs on each other. However, the best of them is the one who starts by greeting the other
- Hadith: The one who severs the ties of kinship will not enter Paradise
- Hadith: The most hateful of men to Allah is the one given to fierce violent disputation