❝ The matter of As-salām is weighty, its status is immense, and its reward is abundant.
Scholars differed on the ruling regarding initiating As-salām, while agreeing on the obligation of responding to it.
They cite the words of Allah —ʿAzza wa Jall— as evidence:
[And when you are greeted, respond with a better greeting or at least similarly.]
They stated that His statement, {And when you are greeted,} indicates that initiating greetings is recommended, while responding to it is obligatory.
This second opinion is more likely to be correct and weightier, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established it (i.e., initiating the salām) as a right of every Muslim over his fellow Muslim when they meet. He said:
«حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ سِتٌّ:... إِذَا لَقِيتَهُ فَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ»
[The rights a Muslim has over another Muslim are six... When he meets him, he should greet him.]
Rather, he, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered the spread of Al-Salām. He said:
«لاَ تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلاَ تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا . أَوَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ»
[You shall not enter Paradise so long as you do not affirm belief (in all those things which are the articles of faith) and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another. Shall I not guide you to something that, if you do it, will foster love amongst you? Spread Al-Salām among yourselves.]
He declared that entrance to Paradise depended on it; this, and the aforementioned evidence, all indicated an obligation. ❞
— Shaykh Al-Muḥaddith ʿAbdullah Al-Saʿd (text)
~ Galandān
