General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

The Messenger of Allah said: When one of you is invited to a meal and comes with the messenger, that is permission for him to enter. Abu Ali al-Lului said: I heard Abu Dawud say that Qatada did not hear anything from Abu Rafi.

Ibn Abbas said: Most people were not instructed to follow the verse about asking permission, but I do instruct this servant girl of mine to ask permission before coming to me. Abu Dawud said: Ata also narrated from Ibn Abbas that he instructed people to do this.

Some people from Iraq said to Ibn Abbas: What do you think of this verse, which commands us to do something that no one follows? They recited: Believers, let those whom your right hands possess and those among you who have not reached puberty ask your permission at three times: before the dawn prayer, when you take off your clothes at midday, and after the night prayer. These are three times of privacy for you; there is no blame on you or them after those times, for they move about among you. Al-Qanabi recited through the words All-Knowing, All-Wise. Ibn Abbas said: Allah is Forbearing and Merciful toward the believers; He loves privacy. People’s houses had no curtains or partitions, so a servant, a child, or a man’s stepdaughter might enter while he was with his family. Allah therefore commanded them to seek permission during those times of privacy, then provided them with curtains and good things. But since then I have seen no one observe this. Abu Dawud said: The reports of Ubayd Allah and Ata undermine this account.

The Messenger of Allah said: By Him 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 direct you to something which, if you do it, will make you love one another? Spread greetings of peace among yourselves.

A man asked the Messenger of Allah: Which aspect of Islam is best? He replied: Feed people and greet with peace those you know and those you do not know.

Imran ibn Husayn said: A man came to the Prophet and said: Peace be upon you. The Prophet returned his greeting, and the man sat down. The Prophet said: Ten. Then another man came and said: Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. The Prophet returned his greeting, and the man sat down. The Prophet said: Twenty. Then another man came and said: Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. The Prophet returned his greeting, and the man sat down. The Prophet said: Thirty.

A similar report adds that another man came and said: Peace be upon you, and the mercy, blessings, and forgiveness of Allah. The Prophet said: Forty. He added: This is how virtues are accumulated.

The Messenger of Allah said: The closest of people to Allah is the one who begins by greeting them with peace.

The Messenger of Allah said: The young should greet the old, the passerby should greet the one sitting, and the smaller group should greet the larger group.

Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah said: The rider should greet the pedestrian. The narrator then mentioned the hadith.

Abu Huraira said: When one of you meets his brother, let him greet him with peace. If a tree, wall, or stone comes between them, and they meet again, let him greet him with peace again. Muawiya also related the same wording through Abd al-Wahhab ibn Bukht.

Umar came to the Prophet while he was in an upper chamber and said: Peace be upon you, Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you; may Umar enter?

Anas said: The Messenger of Allah came upon some boys who were playing and greeted them with peace.

Anas said: The Messenger of Allah came upon us while I was a boy among other boys. He greeted us, took my hand, and sent me on an errand. He sat in the shade of a wall—or, he said, beside a wall—until I returned to him.

Asma bint Yazid said: The Prophet passed by us among a group of women and greeted us with peace.

Suhayl ibn Abi Salih said: My father and I went to Syria. They passed monasteries where Christians lived and greeted them. My father said: Do not be the first to greet them with peace, for Abu Huraira related to us that the Messenger of Allah said: Do not be the first to greet them with peace, and when you meet them on the road, make them take the narrowest part of it.

The Messenger of Allah said: When one of the Jews greets you, he says only, Death be upon you. So reply: And upon you. Abu Dawud said: Malik narrated this from Abdullah ibn Dinar, as did al-Thawri, who also gave the reply as And upon you.

The Companions said to the Prophet: People of the Book greet us; how should we reply? He said: Say, And upon you. Abu Dawud said: Aisha, Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Juhani, and Abu Basra al-Ghifari also related this.

The Messenger of Allah said: When one of you arrives at a gathering, let him greet those present with peace. When he wishes to leave, let him greet them with peace. The first greeting is no more deserving than the last.

Abu Jari al-Hujaymi said: I came to the Prophet and said: Upon you be peace, Messenger of Allah. He replied: Do not say, Upon you be peace, for that is the greeting of the dead.