The Etiquettes of Greeting

Written by: His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Salam bin Muhammad Hafizullah

Narration:

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Let the younger greet the elder, the passerby greet the one sitting, and the fewer greet the larger group.” This is agreed upon. In a narration by Muslim: “And the rider should greet the one walking.” [Bulugh al-Maram: 1242]
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The younger should greet the elder, the passerby should greet the one sitting, and the fewer should greet the larger group.” [Agreed upon] “In one narration of Muslim, it states that the rider should greet the walker.”

Source:

[Bukhari: 6231, 6232, 6234], [Muslim, Salam: 2160], [Bulugh al-Maram: 1242]. See [Tuhfat al-Ashraf: 275/10, 394].

Vocabulary:​

ليسلم الصغير على الكبير
This phrase is not present in Sahih Muslim, making it difficult to consider the entire hadith as agreed upon.
والراكب على الماشي
This phrase is also found in Sahih Bukhari in addition to Muslim. [Al-Istidhān: 25]

Benefits:​

1. The wisdom behind the order of greeting is explained by scholars according to their understanding; the ultimate wisdom rests with Allah, and He has complete knowledge.
2. The command for the younger to initiate the greeting is due to the greater right of the elder over the younger, as the younger is instructed to honor and respect the elder.
3. The command for fewer people to initiate the greeting is based on the fact that the larger group has more right over the smaller group, and also to prevent arrogance and self-importance when the larger group greets the fewer or one person first.
4. The passerby should greet the one sitting first, as he is akin to the one entering who is commanded to greet. Additionally, it is challenging for a seated person to greet every passerby repeatedly, whereas the passerby does not face such difficulty.
5. The rider should greet the one walking first because Allah has bestowed upon him the blessing of riding, and he has the right to adopt humility. If the walker were instructed to greet the rider first, there would be a risk of arrogance developing in the rider.
6. When both parties are equal in status, both are commanded to initiate the greeting. “Spread the greeting of peace.” Among them, the one who initiates is preferable. As it has been stated regarding two people who have disconnected: “The better of them is the one who initiates the greeting.” [Agreed upon]
   Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) stated: “Among two walkers, the one who initiates the greeting is preferable.” [Sahih al-Adab al-Mufrad 983/754]
   This hadith is also authentic. [Sahih 1146]

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, “When two people meet, who should greet first?” He replied, “The one who is closer to Allah.” [Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Umamah, and he said it is good]. Also see [Sahih al-Tirmidhi 2167].

1. If the person who is supposed to greet first does not do so, the other should greet, for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasized spreading greetings. [Bukhari 9335]