Ibn Majah

Benefits and Issues:

➊ Visiting Masjid Quba and performing prayer there with special care is Sunnah. However, when traveling from another city to Madinah, one should intend to visit Masjid Nabawi. After that, one may visit other mosques of Madinah and Masjid Quba.

➋ When a scholar or a pious elder arrives in the neighborhood, the public should come to meet him and benefit from his knowledge.

➌ A person may greet (say salam to) someone who is praying.

➍ If a person who is praying is greeted (with salam), he should respond by gesture during the prayer and not reply verbally.

➎ Making any necessary gesture during prayer does not invalidate the prayer.

1187. Commentary: The summary of the narrations in this chapter is that, in the early period of Islam, it was permissible to speak during prayer as needed. In view of this, some Companions (radi Allahu anhum) greeted the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) with salam while he was performing prayer. However, by that time, speaking during prayer had been prohibited, so the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not reply to the salam verbally; rather, he responded to the salam by gesture only. After completing the prayer, he also apologized to some Companions, explaining that he did not reply verbally to the salam because speaking during prayer had now become forbidden. Nevertheless, he still responded by gesture.

The jurists among the hadith scholars and the commentators of hadith have deduced from these ahadith that it is permissible to greet someone who is praying with salam; to declare it prohibited is contrary to explicit ahadith. See: [شرح صحیح مسلم للنووي ، باب تحریم الکلام : 5/37 ، وسبل السلام ، باب شروط الصلاة : 1/264 ، و عون المعبود ، باب رد السلام : 2/292 ، والسنن الکبریٰ للبیھقي ، باب الإشارة برد السلام ، و باب کیفیة الإشارة بالید : 2/258-260 ، وغیرھا].

As for the issue of how to respond by gesture, four forms are mentioned in the ahadith themselves: with the palm, with the hand, with the finger, and with the head. Therefore, all these forms are permissible. See [عون المعبود ، باب رد السلام : 2/292].

1:
This hadith indicates that responding to greetings (salam) in prayer by gesture is legislated (mashru‘). This is also the opinion of the majority (jumhur). Some people say it is prohibited, claiming that it was initially permissible but was later abrogated. However, this is not correct. Rather, the correct view is that initially, speaking during prayer was permissible, so people would respond to salam by saying, "Wa ‘alaykum as-salam." Then, when speaking during prayer was prohibited, responding to salam verbally with "Wa ‘alaykum as-salam" also became impermissible, and in its place, responding to salam by gesture was legislated. Regarding the nature of this gesture, the narrations (ahadith) differ: some narrations indicate that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gestured with his finger, and some indicate that he gestured with his hand in such a way that the back of the hand was upwards and the palm was downwards. In some narrations, it is mentioned that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gestured with his head. From all of these, it is understood that all three forms are permissible.

2:
Under the next hadith, number 368, the author has given a ruling regarding this hadith.

Takhrij al-Hadith
[سنن ابي داود : 925، سنن الترمذي 367، سنن النسائي 1187، مسند الامام احمد : 332/4، وسنده صحيح]
Fiqh al-Hadith:
↰ Imam al-Tirmidhi rahimahullah has graded this hadith as “hasan,” while Imam Ibn al-Jarud rahimahullah (216) and Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah have declared it “sahih.”
A corroborating narration (shahid) with a “sahih” chain exists in Sunan al-Nasa’i [1188], Sunan Ibn Majah [1017], Musnad al-Humaydi [148], and others. Imam Ibn Khuzaymah rahimahullah [888] and Imam Ibn Hibban rahimahullah [2258] have graded it “sahih.” Imam al-Hakim rahimahullah [12/3] has declared it “sahih” according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and Hafiz al-Dhahabi rahimahullah has agreed with him.
From these blessed ahadith, it is established that greeting a person engaged in prayer and his responding with a gesture is permissible and correct.

«عن ابي مجلز، سٔل عن الرجل يسلم عليه فى الصلاة قال؛ يرد بشق رأسه الايمن»
“Abu Majliz (Lahik ibn Humayd, tabi‘i) rahimahullah was asked about a person in prayer who is greeted with salam. He replied: He should respond by gesturing with the right side of his head.” [مصنف ابن ابي شيبه 73/2، ح : 485، وسنده صحيح]

◈ Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rahimahullah says:
«ان شأ أشاره و أ ما بالكلام فلا يرد۔»
“If the person praying wishes, he may respond to the salam with a gesture, but he should not reply verbally.” [مسائل احمد لابي داوّد : ص 37، مسائل احمد لابي هاني 44/1]

Note: ➊
It is narrated from Imam Ishaq ibn Rahuyah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Imam Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahumullah, their statement is:
«اذا رد عليه استقبل الصلاة۔» [مسائل احمد و اسحاق 83/1]
By this statement, these imams mean that if a person praying knows that replying to salam verbally during prayer is prohibited and abrogated, yet he still does so, then he must repeat his prayer, because he has deliberately spoken during the prayer. We also say the same.

Note: ➋
If, due to ignorance, someone replies “wa ‘alaykum as-salam” to a greeting during prayer, the prayer will not be invalidated.

925. Commentary:
There is no harm in greeting (saying salam to) someone who is performing prayer, but the voice should be appropriate. However, the one praying should respond with a gesture. Also, refer to the following ahadith.