"A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum (Peace be upon you).'" [He said:] "So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Ten.' Then another came and he said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah (Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah).' So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Twenty.' Then another came and said: 'As-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh (Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah, and His Blessings).' So the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Thirty.'"
Hadith Commentary: The Virtues of Extended Greetings
This blessed narration from Jami' at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2689) demonstrates the immense reward for perfecting one's Islamic greeting. The Prophet (ﷺ) quantified the spiritual merit of each enhanced form of salutation, showing that adding "Wa Rahmatullah" doubles the reward from ten to twenty good deeds, while including "Wa Barakatuh" increases it to thirty.
Scholarly Analysis of the Graduated Rewards
The scholars explain that the numbers mentioned (ten, twenty, thirty) refer to the multiplied rewards recorded for the speaker, demonstrating Allah's boundless generosity in rewarding even small acts of worship when performed with excellence.
Imam at-Tirmidhi classified this hadith as hasan (good), and scholars note this teaching encourages Muslims to use the complete greeting as it contains more comprehensive prayers for peace, mercy and blessings upon fellow believers.
Practical Implementation in Daily Life
This teaching from "Chapters on Seeking Permission" illustrates that Islamic greetings are not mere formalities but acts of worship carrying substantial spiritual weight. The complete greeting "As-Salamu 'Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh" should be preferred whenever possible.
The graduated rewards system teaches that excellence (ihsan) in even simple matters like greetings is recognized and generously rewarded by Allah, encouraging Muslims to perfect all aspects of their conduct.