Greeting to an infidel and responding to their greeting
Greeting to an infidel and responding to their greeting
Question: Nowadays, we live in a mixed society with infidels. People greet them, and they also greet in return, which is responded to. Please clarify whether greeting an infidel and responding to their greeting is prohibited in the light of the Quran and Sunnah, or is it only prohibited from an ethical perspective? Is there any Hadith that prohibits responding to an infidel's greeting?
Answer: Greeting is a form of supplication and also a symbol of Islam. Therefore, one should not greet an infidel with ''As-salamu alaykum'' (السلام علیکم). If they greet, one should only respond with ''Wa alaykum'' (وعلیکم). This is mentioned in a Hadith:
Narrated by Anas: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ''When the People of the Book greet you, say: 'Wa alaykum' (قال رسول اللہﷺ اذا سلم عليكم أهل الكتاب فقولوا:وعليكم).
(Jami'-ul-Fatawa, Volume: 3, Page: 340).