The Minimum Form of Salām in Ḥanbalī Fiqh

Shaykh Manṣūr al-Buhūtī and Shaykh Ibn Mufliḥ quoted the view of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, may Allah have mercy on them all, prohibiting the greeting salām on the grounds that it does not consist of what would be considered complete speech in the Arabic language.⁽¹⁾

However, Shaykh Manṣūr al-Buhūtī, may Allah have mercy on him, noted that there is a naẓar regarding this view. This could be because with the word salām, one can understand the implied meaning of "upon you," and that which is implied is treated like that which is explicitly stated, as per the general principle of Arabic.⁽²⁾

This is in addition to how the Ḥanbalī imams have presented the issue. Shaykh Manṣūr al-Buhūtī and Shaykh Ibn Mufliḥ mention the view of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, may Allah have mercy on them all, prohibiting the greeting in this manner, and then quote a view opposing his, or expressions indicating that objections exist to his position.⁽³⁾

Conclusion

Salām thus appears to be the minimum greeting that is permitted, and the rulings pertaining to the greeting apply to it — though it is not the most complete or preferred form.

Points of Benefit

• Some of our shuyūkh do not write a textual response to greetings received via text message and the like, but rather utter the response verbally.
• It is important not to open books of a madhhab and quote views on an issue without knowledge of the principles of that madhhab and how it operates, so that one may properly understand the quotation being used.

References

1. Shaykh Ibn Mufliḥ, may Allah have mercy on him, states in al-Ādāb al-Sharʿiyya (1:341):
   
   Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir said: If a person says salām, one should not respond to him, but rather should inform him that this is not the greeting of Islam, because it is not complete speech — its meaning having already been discussed. It may be argued, based on the sufficiency of responding with wa ʿalayka, that it is possible for him to respond to it.
   
   Ibn al-Athīr said in al-Nihāya: One may say al-salāmu ʿalaykum, salāmun ʿalaykum, or salām with ʿalaykum omitted altogether. He said: They used to prefer that the opening greeting be indefinite and the response be definite, with the definite article referring back to the first greeting.↩
2. Shaykh Manṣūr al-Buhūtī, may Allah have mercy on him, states in Sharḥ al-Muntahā (Dār ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1:383):
   
   One is given a choice in it — that is, in the greeting — to a living person, between making it definite or indefinite, because texts establishing the validity of both forms exist.↩
3. Shaykh Manṣūr al-Buhūtī, may Allah have mercy on him, in al-Kashshāf:
   
   A supplement: If a person says salām, one should not respond to him — this was stated by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir, because it is not the greeting of Islam, since it is not complete speech. He mentioned this in al-Ādāb al-Kubrā, as did the author in Sharḥ al-Manẓūma. I say: There is reservation regarding this.
   
   He also said: If a person says only wa ʿalayka or ʿalaykum, omitting the subject, then the apparent wording of the versifier in Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn indicates that this is sufficient, and likewise Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn held this view, saying: just as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, responded to the Bedouin, and this is the apparent sense of the text, for the implied is treated like the explicit. However, the implication of the words of Ibn Abī Mūsā and Ibn ʿAqīl is that it is not sufficient, and Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir said likewise.↩