Guidance from the Beloved ﷺ (3) Offering Peace as a Key to Love and Unity
Do everything your religion urges you to do until the very end, with the conviction that the ultimate destination is Paradise. And as a Muslim, you should aspire to a noble goal therein. Am I exaggerating or letting my imagination run wild? Not at all!
If you do not trust me, trust the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “By the One in whose Hand is my soul! You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not (truly) believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread the greetings of Salam amongst yourselves.” (1)
Reflect on these noble words; they effortlessly lead you to faith, love, and Paradise. It is as if simply spreading peace earns you love from hearts, regardless of differences in their schools of thought or feelings. When Muslims come to know you in this way, their love will rain down upon you.
Through this gentle statement, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) achieves his purpose by guiding you to a virtuous deed that ensures success in this world and salvation in the Hereafter. He teaches you how to cultivate love, harmony, and remove discord and animosity in this world, thereby securing entry to Paradise in the Hereafter.
Peace is the greeting Allah has ordained for His servants. Spreading it means bringing it to the forefront of every matter and proclaiming it at the start of every situation. According to some scholars, the greeting is: “Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings”. Engrave this noble phrase in your mind, and one day life events will demonstrate how extending peace extinguishes all feelings of hatred in your heart and towards you, even from those you silently resent or who silently despise you.
Listen carefully to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who perhaps waited until a companion had finished asking, “What is the best act of Islam?” before he replied, “To feed others and to give greetings of Salam (peace) to those whom you know and to those whom you do not know.” (2)
Commit this to memory and keep the words of peace on your tongue and their meaning in your heart. Greet the Muslim with peace even if you meet them again after a short while. Forget the baseless saying, “Exchanging peace too often diminishes familiarity.” I caution you against such thinking because how can love grow between two people who ignore one another, no matter how loudly they claim to seek it?
Make your tongue always ready to extend peace. Do not just take my word for it; reflect on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “When one of you meets a brother (in Faith) he should greet him. Then if a tree or a wall or a stone intervenes between them and then he meets him again, he should greet him.” (3)
What governs us are the commands of Allah the Almighty and the instructions of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). In every command or instruction in the Quran and Sunnah, seek a place for yourself. In this directive, you will feel the peace of these words. When you say “Peace be upon you”, you are offering a general supplication for the person to be safe from all harm. When they respond with “And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessings”, you will feel the warmth of these words as they return the same supplication to you. Can two individuals meet and not exchange even a whisper of peace, audible to the other, despite being so close?!
Do not think of peace here as anything but a key to entering hearts. It allows you to achieve what you want—and what do you desire other than Paradise? Can someone who truly seeks Paradise ever forget it? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) calls out to you: “Spread the greetings of Salam (peace) amongst yourselves (i.e. between each other).”
Do you not realize that extending peace and the adthan (call to prayer) make a person feel as if they are in their true homeland, no matter how far away it may be? Do you not know, as a Muslim, that saying peace aloud is more likely to bring security and happiness to the heart of another Muslim? By extending peace, you fulfill a sunnah, and if peace is extended to you, responding to it is obligatory by consensus of scholars.
Imam al-Nawawi said: “Responding to the greeting of peace is obligatory by consensus. If the greeting is directed at one individual, responding becomes an individual obligation on that person. If it is directed at a group, it becomes a communal obligation; if one of them responds, it suffices for all, and if all responds then they’ve fulfilled the obligation, but if no one responds, all are sinful.” (4) This is clearly emphasized in the ayah: “And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner].” (An-Nisa: 86) This ayah underscores the obligation of returning peace and motivates you to respond with an even better greeting.
Who should initiate the greeting of peace? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked: “O Messenger of Allah! When two persons meet, who should greet the other first?” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The person nearest to Allah (i.e., one who is more obedient and therefore closer to Allah will say: As-Salam first).” (5) This profound statement teaches us that extending peace does not diminish your worth but rather brings you closer to Allah and His mercy. So, do not pass by a path or enter a gathering without leaving behind the sweet fragrance of peace.
Safwan bin Umayyah narrated: “I entered upon the prophet without seeking permission nor giving Salam.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Go back and say: As-Salamu Alaykum, may I enter?” (6) Such noble conduct prevents us from acting inappropriately. After all, Allah says, “O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants.” (An-Nur: 27) Thus, entering a house without peace or permission is a shortcoming in one’s character.
Consider Allah’s invitation to peace: it publicly assures security for you and others. Embrace it and act upon it. Why not greet the inhabitants of a home with peace when Allah Himself has greeted you? “But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other - a greeting from Allah, blessed and good.” (An-Nur: 61) In his commentary, Imam al-Tabari stated: “When you enter a house where no one is present, say: ‘Peace be upon me and upon the righteous servants of Allah.’”
The essence of our discussion is that the morals emphasized by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)—“ O people, extend greetings (saying Salam to each other), keep relations with your kin, provide food (to people) and pray at night when people are asleep and you will enter Paradise in peace”—have various forms but a single goal: they are simple means to Paradise. Pursue them if you are determined.
Now we can agree that spreading peace leaves no room for hatred among people. Even if hatred gnaws at our hearts, spreading peace can either uproot it or, at the very least, contain it. Imagine this scenario, and you will feel the truth of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) words. Peace is even extended to children. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) once passed by some children and greeted them, saying: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this.” (7)
And now, peace be upon you, dear reader. Do not neglect extending peace when leaving a gathering, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When one of you arrives at the gathering, then give the Salam. Then when he stands, let him give the Salam, the first is more worthy than the last.” (8)
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- Sahih Muslim (54); authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Ibn Majah (57).
- Sahih al-Bukhari (12) and Sahih Muslim (39).
- Authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawood (5200).
- Al-Majmu’ Sharh Al-Muhadhdhab by An-Nawawi (4/499).
- Sahih Abi Dawood (5197); authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih At-Tirmidhi (2694).
- Sahih At-Tirmidhi (2710); authenticated by Al-Albani in Abu Dawood (5176).
- Sahih al-Bukhari (6247) and Sahih Muslim (2168).
- Hadith Hasan: Abu Dawood (5208) and At-Tirmidhi (2706).
