Al-Adab al-Mufrad

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin Abdul Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) that he asked Abu Bakr bin Sulaiman bin Abi Hathmah (may Allah have mercy on him): Why did Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) write: «من ابی بکر خليفۃ رسول اللہ», then after him Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to write: from «عمر بن خطاب خلیفۃ ابوبکر», and who was the first to start writing "Ameer al-Mu'mineen" (Leader of the Believers)? He said that my grandmother Shifa told me, and she was among those who migrated in the beginning, and whenever Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the market, he would definitely visit her. She said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to the governors of Kufa and Basra to send me two strong and intelligent men so that I may inquire from them about Iraq and its inhabitants. So both governors sent Sayyiduna Labeed bin Rabee'ah and Sayyiduna Adi bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with them). They came to Madinah Tayyibah and tied their mounts in front of the mosque, and when they entered the mosque, they met Sayyiduna Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him). Both of them said to him: O Amr! Seek permission for us from Ameer al-Mu'mineen Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) quickly went to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: «السلام عليك يا أمير المؤمنین». Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: O son of Aas! Where did you get this name from? Explain the reason for what you said. He said: Certainly, Labeed bin Rabee'ah and Adi bin Hatim have come, and they told me to seek permission for us from Ameer al-Mu'mineen. So I said: By Allah, you have chosen the right name for him. He is indeed an Ameer (leader) and we are believers. From that day, this title became established.

It is narrated from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah (may Allah have mercy on him) that when Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came for his first Hajj after becoming the Caliph, Sayyiduna Uthman bin Hunaif Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) came to meet him, and he said: «السلام عليك أيها الأمير ورحمة الله». The people of Syria disliked this manner and said: Who is this hypocrite who is diminishing the greeting to the Commander of the Faithful? Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sat down on his knees and then said: O Commander of the Faithful! These people are angry with me over something which you know better than they do. By Allah, I greeted Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) in the same way, and none of them disliked it. Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the one among the people of Syria who had said this: Wait. He has said exactly what they used to say. But when this trial befell the people of Syria, they began to say that there should be no deficiency in the greeting to our Caliph. O people of Madinah! I think that you call the collector of charity "O Amir" (and that is why they felt bad).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that I came to Hajjaj, but I did not greet him with salam.

It is narrated from Tamim bin Hazlam, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said: I remember who was the first to be greeted with the title of "Amir" in Kufa. Sayyiduna Mughirah bin Shu'bah, may Allah be pleased with him, came out from the door of Rahbah, and a man from Kindah came. People think that he was Abu Qurrah Kindi. He greeted (Mughirah) and said these words: «السلام عليك أيها الأمير ورحمة الله، السلام علیکم»! Sayyiduna Mughirah, may Allah be pleased with him, disliked this manner and said: «السلام عليكم أيها الأمير، السلام علیکم»! (What kind of manner is this?) Am I not included among those people (then what is the need for a separate greeting for me?) Samak, may Allah have mercy on him, says: Afterwards, Sayyiduna Mughirah, may Allah be pleased with him, accepted it.

It is narrated from Ziyad bin Ubaid Himyari (may Allah have mercy on him) that we went to Sayyiduna Rufa’i bin Sakan Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was the governor of Antabalis. We were present there when a man came and greeted with these words: «السلام عليك أيها الأمير». So Sayyiduna Rufa’i (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: If you had greeted us, we would have replied to your greeting, but you have greeted Muslimah bin Makhlad (Sayyiduna Muslimah, may Allah be pleased with him, was the governor of Egypt at that time). Go to him, he will reply to your greeting. Ziyad says that when he was in a gathering and we came and greeted, he would say: «السلام علیکم».