This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: Greetings will only be exchanged with well-known people
عن ابن مسعود رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : بين يدي الساعة تسليم الخاصة
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Near the Day of Judgment, greetings of peace will be said only to specific people.
Reference: Ahmad (509/1 - 525) Hakim (493/4) Abdul Razzaq (5137) Majma' al-Zawa'id (635/7) Al-Bazzar (3407) Al-Adab al-Mufrad (1053) As-Silsilah as-Saheehah (246/2)
Aamir bin Aswad (may Allah have mercy on him) said that we went to a mosque with Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) where the congregation was standing. Then the people bowed (ruku'), and we also joined in bowing. During this, a man came and said, "Abu Abdur Rahman" (the kunya of Ibn Masood), "Peace be upon you." Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) said while still in the bowing position: Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth. At the end of the prayer, some people asked him why he said "Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth" in response to that person's greeting. Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard from the Prophet (peace be upon him):
إن من أشراط الساعة إذا كانت التحية على المعرفة
"Among the signs of the Day of Judgment is that greetings of peace will be said only based on recognition."
Reference: Ahmad (483/1 - 507) Hakim (569/4) Tabarani Kabir (9490) Majma' al-Zawa'id (67/8) Mushkil al-Athar (1591) As-Silsilah as-Saheehah (684)
It is narrated from Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: One of the signs of the Day of Judgment is that a person will only greet with peace the one whom he knows.
Benefits:
➊ The limitation of saying As-Salamu Alaikum and only those who have knowledge greeting each other is a sign of the Day of Judgment.
➋ This sign has been apparent since the time of Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) and is gradually increasing.
➌ The general command of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is:
أيها الناس أفشوا السلام
“Spread the greeting of peace among people.”
Reference: Tirmidhi: Book of the Description of the Day of Judgment: Chapter on the Hadith of Spreading Salam (2485) Ibn Majah (1334)
In another hadith, it is stated:
A Muslim has six rights over another Muslim. When you meet him, say Salam.
Reference: Muslim: Book of Salam: Chapter on the Right of a Muslim over a Muslim to Return Salam (2162)
➍ In the present era, the mentioned sign of the Day of Judgment is at its peak. People only greet those with whom they have social interaction, and even there, one initial Salam is considered sufficient for the whole day.
➎ Some people want to greet everyone who comes and goes, but they face the difficulty of distinguishing between Muslims and non-Muslims because initiating Salam with non-Muslims is not correct.
The Prophetic hadith is:
لا تبدؤوا اليهود والنصارى بالسلام
“Do not initiate Salam to the Jews and Christians.”
Reference: Muslim: Book of Salam: Chapter on the Prohibition of Initiating Salam to the People of the Book (2167)
And many Muslims have such appearance, demeanor, and clothing that distinguishing them from non-Muslims is not only difficult but impossible.
➏ The mentioned sign will appear on bad people, so while spreading Salam, we should avoid being included in the list of those bad people because the Prophetic hadith is:
أفشوا السلام
“Spread Salam among yourselves.”
Reference: Tirmidhi: Also (2485)
