Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1105
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَاصِمٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: مَرَّ يَهُودِيٌّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ: السَّامُ عَلَيْكُمْ، فَرَدَّ أَصْحَابُهُ السَّلاَمَ، فَقَالَ: قَالَ: السَّامُ عَلَيْكُمْ، فَأُخِذَ الْيَهُودِيُّ فَاعْتَرَفَ، قَالَ: رُدُّوا عَلَيْهِ مَا قَالَ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Anas said: A Jew passed by the Prophet ﷺ and said, “Death be upon you.” The Prophet’s Companions returned the greeting of peace. The Jew repeated, “Death be upon you,” and was seized and made to confess. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Return to him what he said.”
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic contrasts السَّامُ (“death”) with السَّلاَمَ (“peace”); the companions respond with the standard greeting before the Jew’s words are clarified.
فَقَالَ: السَّامُ عَلَيْكُمْ
The Arabic says al-sam (“death”), not al-salam (“peace”); the report hinges on the distinction.
Should the first utterance be rendered as “Death be upon you” rather than the greeting of peace?