10 Islamic Rulings Related to Greeting (Salām) During Quran Recitation
Source: Fatāwā al-ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Duʿāʾ, Page 488
Is it permissible to greet (say Salām to) someone who is reciting the Qur’an?
(Question by: Sher Muhammad Biyār, Kohistan)
Imām Ahl al-Sunnah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal al-Shaybānī (164 AH – 241 AH) has narrated a Hadith on this topic:
“ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī RA said: We were sitting in the mosque reciting the Qur’an when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us and greeted us with Salām. We returned his greeting. Then he said: ‘Learn the Book of Allah and preserve it.’ (Qabāth, the narrator, adds: I think he also said: ‘And recite it melodiously.’) By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad! Indeed, it escapes the heart faster than a camel escapes its tether.”
➤ Musnad Aḥmad: 4/150, Ḥadīth 1749 – Chain: Ḥasan
➊ ʿAbdullāh ibn Yazīd al-Makkī al-Muqriʾ
– A primary narrator in the Six Canonical Books
– Considered thiqah (reliable) by consensus
– Ibn Ḥajar: "Thiqah, virtuous... recited the Qur’an for over seventy years…”
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Pg. 287, No. 3715)
➋ Qabāth ibn Razīn al-Lakhmī
– Ṣadūq, a Qur’an reciter
– Declared thiqah by Ibn Ḥibbān; graded “lā baʾsa bih” by Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī and Imām Aḥmad
(Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Vol. 15, Pg. 207)
➌ ʿAlī ibn Rabāḥ al-Lakhmī
– Narrator in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Sunan Arbaʿah
– Narrated by al-Bukhārī in Al-Adab al-Mufrad and Khalq Afʿāl al-ʿIbād
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Pg. 271)
➍ ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī RA
– A renowned Companion, jurist, and scholar
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 4641)
◈ Due to Qabāth, the chain is classified as Ḥasan li-dhātihi
◈ Shaykh al-Albānī declared: “Its chain is authentic.”
(Silsilah al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah, Vol. 7, Pg. 847, Ḥadīth 3285)
◈ This was the last Hadith verified by Shaykh al-Albānī before the completion of Ṣaḥīḥah at Ḥadīth no. 4035
① It is permissible to say Salām to someone reciting the Qur’an.
② The one reciting the Qur’an is allowed to reply to the greeting.
③ Learning, memorizing, and acting upon the Qur’an is obligatory.
— The narrators of this Hadith actively sought Qur’anic knowledge and taught it.
④ The Qur’an should be recited melodiously (with beautification).
— The wording “wa taghannaw bih” is affirmed through supporting reports.
⑤ This Hadith also appears in abridged form in other books:
⑥ In Musnad Aḥmad, when the phrase “ḥaddathanī abī” appears, it means:
– Narrator: ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
– Ḥadīth source: Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
– This denotes the start of non-supplementary (non-Zawāʾid) ḥadīths.
⑦ Some claim one should not greet someone who is eating — this is incorrect.
– Just as it is allowed to greet one praying or reciting Qur’an, it is also Sunnah to greet someone who is eating.
⑧ When entering the mosque, greeting those present is Sunnah.
⑨ It is allowed to greet someone engaged in prayer.
– The person praying may reply with a gesture.
– Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Masājid, Bāb Taḥrīm al-Kalām fī al-Ṣalāh, Ḥadīth 540/36
— Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh RA greeted the Prophet ﷺ during prayer; the Prophet ﷺ responded by gesturing.
— Similar practice was observed by the Companions:
– Nāfiʿ (Tābiʿī) reports:
Ibn ʿUmar RA once greeted someone during prayer; when that person replied verbally, Ibn ʿUmar said:
“When someone greets you during prayer, do not respond verbally but with a gesture.”
– Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Vol. 2, Pg. 74
– Al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī, Vol. 2, Pg. 259 – Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ
Further references:
“Nayl al-Maqṣūd fī al-Taʿlīq ʿalā Sunan Abī Dāwūd” (Mixed Vol. 1, Pg. 292, Ḥadīth 27)
⑩ Students memorizing the Qur’an must exert special effort.
– Regular revision of new and old lessons is essential.
– If possible, dedicate off days to orally review the previous week's memorization.
– The Qur’an is easily forgotten without frequent revision.
(Shahādat: November 2002)
◈ Saying Salām to someone reciting the Qur’an is permissible and supported by sound Hadith.
◈ The reciter may reply to the Salām.
◈ These rulings are established from authentic narrations and practice of the Companions.
Hādhā mā ʿindī wa-Allāhu Aʿlam bi-ṣ-Ṣawāb
Source: Fatāwā al-ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 1, Kitāb al-Duʿāʾ, Page 488❖ Inquiry:
Is it permissible to greet (say Salām to) someone who is reciting the Qur’an?
(Question by: Sher Muhammad Biyār, Kohistan)
Hadith and Its Chain of Transmission
Imām Ahl al-Sunnah Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal al-Shaybānī (164 AH – 241 AH) has narrated a Hadith on this topic:
“ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī RA said: We were sitting in the mosque reciting the Qur’an when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us and greeted us with Salām. We returned his greeting. Then he said: ‘Learn the Book of Allah and preserve it.’ (Qabāth, the narrator, adds: I think he also said: ‘And recite it melodiously.’) By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muḥammad! Indeed, it escapes the heart faster than a camel escapes its tether.”
➤ Musnad Aḥmad: 4/150, Ḥadīth 1749 – Chain: Ḥasan
Additional Sources of the Same Hadith:
- Al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Nasāʾī, Vol. 5, Pgs. 18–19, Ḥadīth 8035
- Kitāb: Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Chapter 28: Command to Learn and Act Upon the Qur’an
Brief Introduction to the Narrators:
➊ ʿAbdullāh ibn Yazīd al-Makkī al-Muqriʾ
– A primary narrator in the Six Canonical Books
– Considered thiqah (reliable) by consensus
– Ibn Ḥajar: "Thiqah, virtuous... recited the Qur’an for over seventy years…”
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Pg. 287, No. 3715)
➋ Qabāth ibn Razīn al-Lakhmī
– Ṣadūq, a Qur’an reciter
– Declared thiqah by Ibn Ḥibbān; graded “lā baʾsa bih” by Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī and Imām Aḥmad
(Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, Vol. 15, Pg. 207)
➌ ʿAlī ibn Rabāḥ al-Lakhmī
– Narrator in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Sunan Arbaʿah
– Narrated by al-Bukhārī in Al-Adab al-Mufrad and Khalq Afʿāl al-ʿIbād
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, Pg. 271)
➍ ʿUqbah ibn ʿĀmir al-Juhanī RA
– A renowned Companion, jurist, and scholar
(Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, No. 4641)
Status of the Chain:
◈ Due to Qabāth, the chain is classified as Ḥasan li-dhātihi
◈ Shaykh al-Albānī declared: “Its chain is authentic.”
(Silsilah al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah, Vol. 7, Pg. 847, Ḥadīth 3285)
◈ This was the last Hadith verified by Shaykh al-Albānī before the completion of Ṣaḥīḥah at Ḥadīth no. 4035
✦ Rulings Derived from the Hadith:
① It is permissible to say Salām to someone reciting the Qur’an.
② The one reciting the Qur’an is allowed to reply to the greeting.
③ Learning, memorizing, and acting upon the Qur’an is obligatory.
— The narrators of this Hadith actively sought Qur’anic knowledge and taught it.
④ The Qur’an should be recited melodiously (with beautification).
— The wording “wa taghannaw bih” is affirmed through supporting reports.
⑤ This Hadith also appears in abridged form in other books:
- Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah (Vol. 10, Pg. 477, Ḥadīth 29982)
- Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (Mawārid al-Ẓamʾān, Ḥadīth 1788)
— When one version is detailed and another brief, both are valid if the chain is sound.
⑥ In Musnad Aḥmad, when the phrase “ḥaddathanī abī” appears, it means:
– Narrator: ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
– Ḥadīth source: Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
– This denotes the start of non-supplementary (non-Zawāʾid) ḥadīths.
⑦ Some claim one should not greet someone who is eating — this is incorrect.
– Just as it is allowed to greet one praying or reciting Qur’an, it is also Sunnah to greet someone who is eating.
⑧ When entering the mosque, greeting those present is Sunnah.
⑨ It is allowed to greet someone engaged in prayer.
– The person praying may reply with a gesture.
– Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Masājid, Bāb Taḥrīm al-Kalām fī al-Ṣalāh, Ḥadīth 540/36
— Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh RA greeted the Prophet ﷺ during prayer; the Prophet ﷺ responded by gesturing.
— Similar practice was observed by the Companions:
– Nāfiʿ (Tābiʿī) reports:
Ibn ʿUmar RA once greeted someone during prayer; when that person replied verbally, Ibn ʿUmar said:
“When someone greets you during prayer, do not respond verbally but with a gesture.”
– Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Vol. 2, Pg. 74
– Al-Sunan al-Kubrā by al-Bayhaqī, Vol. 2, Pg. 259 – Chain: Ṣaḥīḥ
Further references:
“Nayl al-Maqṣūd fī al-Taʿlīq ʿalā Sunan Abī Dāwūd” (Mixed Vol. 1, Pg. 292, Ḥadīth 27)
⑩ Students memorizing the Qur’an must exert special effort.
– Regular revision of new and old lessons is essential.
– If possible, dedicate off days to orally review the previous week's memorization.
– The Qur’an is easily forgotten without frequent revision.
(Shahādat: November 2002)
Conclusion:
◈ Saying Salām to someone reciting the Qur’an is permissible and supported by sound Hadith.
◈ The reciter may reply to the Salām.
◈ These rulings are established from authentic narrations and practice of the Companions.
Hādhā mā ʿindī wa-Allāhu Aʿlam bi-ṣ-Ṣawāb
