Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadīyah, Vol. 1, p. 364
If two people are praying individually in the same place, and one of them finishes his prayer earlier, then while leaving the masjid he says “al-salāmu ʿalaykum,” can the other person — who is still in prayer — reply to his salām? Please explain in light of Qurʾān and Sunnah.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The person engaged in prayer may reply to salām, but not verbally. Instead, he should reply with a hand gesture, because speaking is prohibited in prayer, and saying “wa ʿalaykum al-salām” aloud is considered speech.
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
قُلْتُ لِبِلَالٍ: كَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِمْ حِينَ يُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي؟ قَالَ: يَقُولُ هَكَذَا، وَبَسَطَ كَفَّهُ، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: قَالَ يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ
(Narrated by the five except Aḥmad; in al-Nasāʾī and Ibn Mājah the narrator is Ṣuhayb instead of Bilāl. See Nayl al-Awṭār 2/331; Subul al-Salām 1/140)
Translation:
“I asked Bilāl (رضي الله عنه): How did you see the Prophet ﷺ reply to the salām when people greeted him during prayer? He said: The Prophet ﷺ would do this — and he spread his palm — and in another narration: he would reply with a hand gesture.”
Imām al-Shawkānī mentioned that similar narrations are also reported from:
Al-Muttaqī al-Hindī wrote:
“It is authentically proven from the Prophet ﷺ through the ḥadīths of Umm Salamah, ʿĀʾishah, and Jābir (رضي الله عنهم) that he replied with a gesture during prayer.”
He said:
والأحاديث المذكورة تدل على أنه لا بأس أن يسلم غير المصلي على المصلي لتقريره ﷺ على ذلك وجواز الرد بالإشارة
(Nayl al-Awṭār, Bāb al-Ishārah fī al-Ṣalāh li-Radd al-Salām aw Ḥājah Taʿruḍ, 2/331-332)
Translation:
“The mentioned aḥādīth indicate that there is no harm if a non-praying person greets one who is praying, since the Prophet ﷺ approved of this. It also proves the permissibility of replying by gesture.”
From these authentic and ḥasan aḥādīth, the following is established:
◈ It is permissible to offer salām to a person who is praying.
◈ The person in prayer may reply with a hand gesture, but not with words.
Some scholars prohibited this practice, citing certain aḥādīth, but as Imām al-Shawkānī explained, those prohibitions refer specifically to verbal replies, not to gestures.
For detailed discussion, refer to Nayl al-Awṭār.
هٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Question:
If two people are praying individually in the same place, and one of them finishes his prayer earlier, then while leaving the masjid he says “al-salāmu ʿalaykum,” can the other person — who is still in prayer — reply to his salām? Please explain in light of Qurʾān and Sunnah.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The person engaged in prayer may reply to salām, but not verbally. Instead, he should reply with a hand gesture, because speaking is prohibited in prayer, and saying “wa ʿalaykum al-salām” aloud is considered speech.
Ḥadīth Evidence
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
قُلْتُ لِبِلَالٍ: كَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِمْ حِينَ يُسَلِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي؟ قَالَ: يَقُولُ هَكَذَا، وَبَسَطَ كَفَّهُ، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: قَالَ يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ
(Narrated by the five except Aḥmad; in al-Nasāʾī and Ibn Mājah the narrator is Ṣuhayb instead of Bilāl. See Nayl al-Awṭār 2/331; Subul al-Salām 1/140)
Translation:
“I asked Bilāl (رضي الله عنه): How did you see the Prophet ﷺ reply to the salām when people greeted him during prayer? He said: The Prophet ﷺ would do this — and he spread his palm — and in another narration: he would reply with a hand gesture.”
Other Narrations
Imām al-Shawkānī mentioned that similar narrations are also reported from:
- Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنها)
- ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها)
- Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (رضي الله عنه)
- Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه)
- Buraydah al-Aslamī (رضي الله عنه)
- Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه)
- Muʿādh ibn Jabal (رضي الله عنه)
- al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah (رضي الله عنه)
- Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه)
- Asmāʾ (رضي الله عنها)
Al-Muttaqī al-Hindī wrote:
“It is authentically proven from the Prophet ﷺ through the ḥadīths of Umm Salamah, ʿĀʾishah, and Jābir (رضي الله عنهم) that he replied with a gesture during prayer.”
Clarification of Imām al-Shawkānī
He said:
والأحاديث المذكورة تدل على أنه لا بأس أن يسلم غير المصلي على المصلي لتقريره ﷺ على ذلك وجواز الرد بالإشارة
(Nayl al-Awṭār, Bāb al-Ishārah fī al-Ṣalāh li-Radd al-Salām aw Ḥājah Taʿruḍ, 2/331-332)
Translation:
“The mentioned aḥādīth indicate that there is no harm if a non-praying person greets one who is praying, since the Prophet ﷺ approved of this. It also proves the permissibility of replying by gesture.”
Conclusion
From these authentic and ḥasan aḥādīth, the following is established:
◈ It is permissible to offer salām to a person who is praying.
◈ The person in prayer may reply with a hand gesture, but not with words.
Some scholars prohibited this practice, citing certain aḥādīth, but as Imām al-Shawkānī explained, those prohibitions refer specifically to verbal replies, not to gestures.
For detailed discussion, refer to Nayl al-Awṭār.
هٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
