| Answer: Greeting a non-Muslim is no different from greeting
a Muslim. The Prophet (sws) himself said Assalāmu ‘alaykum to the non-Muslims of
his own times. Uthāmah Ibn Zayd reports:
The Prophet (sws) once passed by a mixed gathering of
the Muslims, the Idolaters and the Jews and said Assalāmu ‘alaykum to them. (Bukhārī,
Kitāb al-Jihād)
However, some people on the basis of the following Hadīth
are of the opinion that non-Muslims should not be greeted with Assalāmu
‘alaykum:
When the People of the Book greet you, reply them by
saying wa alaykum. (Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Isti’dhān)
If all the texts of this Hadith are collected and analyzed,
what comes to light is the fact that the People of the Book used to
mischievously twist their tongue in a swift manner and instead of saying the
proper words of the salutation would say Assāmu ‘alaykum (Death be to you all),
which when quickly pronounced sounded very near to the original words of
Assalāmu ‘alaykum. It was to counter this devilish prank that the Muslims were
directed to say: Wa ‘alaykum (To you too). It must be borne in mind that the
Muslims were asked to give this particular reply only after the truth had been
revealed in its ultimate form by the Prophet (sws)to the People of the Book
after many years of propagation, and in spite of that they were not willing to
submit to it. Had this ultimate stage not come, one can safely conclude that
Muslims would never have been asked to reply with equally harsh words and would
have continued to say the words: Assalāmu ‘alaykum, the best of prayers and the
best of wishes.
Today no Muslim preacher can speak with the same
authority as the Prophet (sws), and neither can he speak on behalf of the
Almighty as the Prophet (sws). Therefore, he can never be in a position to say
that the truth has been unveiled in its ultimate form. He must continue his
efforts of propagation all his life, and remain a well-wisher of all the
non-Muslims of the world, and
continue to greet them with Assalāmu ‘alaykum.
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