It is narrated from Muawiyah bin Qurrah, may Allah have mercy on him, that my father said to me: O my son! When a man passes by you and says «السلام علیکم», do not reply with «وعلیک» as if you are specifying him alone, rather say: «السلام علیکم».
Hadith Referenceالادب المفرد / كتاب السلام / 1037
Hadith Gradingالألبانی:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح : الضعيفة للألباني ، تحت حديث : 5753»
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues: ➊ In the aforementioned ahadith, various ways of offering greetings of peace (salam) and responding to it have been described. It is permissible to offer salam with all the phrases mentioned above, even though in most ahadith the plural form is used. ➋ The method of conveying salam to someone in their absence and responding to it is also described in the hadith of Sayyidah Siddiqah radi Allahu anha. ➌ From this, the virtue of Sayyidah Aisha radi Allahu anha is also evident, as Sayyiduna Jibril alayhis salam conveyed salam to her.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 1037