Magic words for Love and Peace

اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ - : ‘As Salamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah - (May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah and His blessings)

What if you had the power to teach people (especially children) to do the most fantastic thing in the world?

LOVE!? A spell that could change… hearts?

The things that are taught in childhood, get programmed into. Children are so amazing, innocent and fascinating! They are an Amanah from Allah, and our investment for the Akhirah. Insha Allah.

And well, it’s really easy for them to learn stuff. Basically - What they see, they do.

And a few words can teach (us and) them how to change the world! It can help us stand the test of times with our faith and not only that, in the process spread WORLD PEACE! By the way, these few words can also take you to Jannah!!

But what does it mean really?

اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ is a dua - a very powerful dua!

It means:

We pray to Allah to protect you from any harm. We pray that Allah protects your Deen, Imaan, health, wealth, family, business, job, etc. May Allah save you from all deficiencies, defects, and undesired situations or things. If you add وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ (wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu)

It means: May Allah take care of you with love and kindness and grant you and increase you in His blessings! What a great way it is in comparison to mere hello, hi, or good day!

It was the first greeting of the first man and prophet Adam (عليه السلام Peace be upon him) who greeted the angles with

اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ

‘As Salamu ‘Alaikum - May peace be upon you

To which the angles replied

اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ :‘As Salamu ‘Alaikum wa Rahmatullah (May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah

And so it is, when any Muslim meets another, the standard greeting is
‘As Salamu ‘Alaikum - May peace be upon you.

A lot of Muslim parents greet their young ones as soon as they are born and/or are able to understand. Some even teach them to sign or say it.

But how many times have we stopped to think about what this really means? How powerful is it? And just how can it transform our Muslim psychology?

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says in the Qur’an

And when you are greeted, respond with a better greeting or at least similarly. Surely Allah is a ˹vigilant˺ Reckoner of all things. (An Nisa 4:86)

What does this Ayah mean?

Ayah Application : If someone does good to you, do more good in return. The greeting اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم is a dua, and when we keep giving each other better duas we help get things better for others as well as ourselves.

Genuinely wishing well for others, purifies and cleanses the heart from negativities, ill wills and other diseases of the soul.

It is the best act of our religion!

Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al ‘as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “Which act in Islam is the best?” He (ﷺ) replied, “To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.” [Al Bukhari and Muslim].
Riyad as Salihin 844 | https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:844

Hadith Application : When you teach your children to share their food you are teaching them ACTS of kindness (charity, sharing). You are also teaching them the importance of food, how many lack basic access to nutritious food. (sadly, a lot of the problems of the world are directly related to food)

And greeting with ‘As Salamu ‘Alaikum - (May peace be upon you) teaches them WORDS of kindness. We are social beings that communicate. But words followed by no action carry no weight. Especially for children, it confuses them.

Note: * In this hadith, The Prophet ﷺ has taught us to prioritize a deed over a word. And that both are important.

Here, we need to understand that just the act of greeting someone to stop, to look at them, to make an effort to give them attention and then wish well for them with - May peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah It may fill their heart with happiness, and yes peace!

Our Ticket to Jannah!

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “By Him in Whose Hand is my life! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something which, if you do, you will love one another? Promote greetings amongst yourselves.” [Muslim]. Riyad as Salihin 847 | https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:847

صبحانلله

Hadith Application : This hadith is teaching us directly how to love one another! And how crucial it is for us to do so! Our entry to Jannah depends on our ability to be kind, thoughtful and loving to our fellow Muslims! To wish well for them.

The second important feature of words of greeting in Islam is that they convey the message of peace not only to the person who is greeted but to the whole of the Muslim society as it is the plural pronoun that is used for the blessing of peace. (The pronoun ‘Alaikum has a very wide range, and all Muslims are included in it).

An obligation and command from Our Prophet (ﷺ)

‘Abdullah bin Salam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “O people, exchange greetings of peace (i.e., say: As-Salamu ‘Alaikum to one another), feed people, strengthen the ties of kinship, and be in prayer when others are asleep, you will enter Jannah in peace.” [At- Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahih].

Riyad as-Salihin 848 | https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:848

Hadith Application : The first three actions are for the people - greeting, feeding and maintaining familial relationship - this fosters a sense of belonging in people. It helps refine our character by testing us with patience, gratitude and a positive attitude. However, the last act is for Allah - the most special part of the night when Allah loves granting people what they seek - especially forgiveness.

In Conclusion

Greeting each other in Islam is an obligation and duty. But when you do it with understanding and sincerity, it is a means of purification of our souls. It helps spread kindness, goodwill and happiness around us. It opens the doors to better conversations and thus enrich the fabric of our society.

Take Action:

1. Greet and give dua to each other with اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ
2. Get into the habit of giving Duas - praying for others (out of love)
3. Try to pray at night - Tahajud, best time to get your prayers answered!

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “The person closest to Allah is the one who precedes others with greetings” (Abu Dawud).

• Gamify this for children *

1. Initiate by greeting children very excitedly - smile, high energy and hugs would be cheery on the top!
2. Express excitement and appreciation when they greet you/ back
3. Race to greet one another, make it a competition
4. Assign points (hasanats for the different kinds) اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم 10 20 اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ 30 اَلسَّلاَ مُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ Discuss the hadiths about اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم, and design a quiz around it