Zakir Naik – Can a Muslim Greet a Non-Muslim with Assalaamu Alaikum

Zakir Naik
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The speaker discusses the use of the word "will" in the Bible and the importance of not wishing back if a non-M-thistelf wishes a death on you. The speaker also discusses the importance of having a "will" in the Bible and how it can be used to request peace to a non-M-thistelf. The speaker suggests that most advised individuals should not wish to be killed, but rather be greeted with "will" to request peace.

AI: Summary ©

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			The brother asked a common question that can
		
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			a Muslim
		
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			greet a non Muslim with a salamu alaykum?
		
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			Or if a non Muslim
		
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			greets a salamu alaykum, can you wish back?
		
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			And I'm aware
		
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			that there are many scholars
		
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			who do say
		
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			that when a Muslim wishes you
		
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			have to say.
		
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			And this answer
		
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			is based in several hadith which are given
		
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			in Sahih Muslim. And if you read Sahih
		
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			Muslim,
		
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			word number 3 in the book of Salam,
		
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			chapter number
		
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			904,
		
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			hadith number 5,380
		
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			to 5,390.
		
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			There are 11 hadith
		
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			mentioned in, say, Muslim regarding this topic.
		
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			But if you analyze the hadith,
		
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			the first few hadith say
		
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			that
		
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			when the Jews
		
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			wished
		
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			in Arabic means,
		
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			may death be on you.
		
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			When the Jews wish you
		
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			may death be on you, the prophet said,
		
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			wish them back
		
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			may it be on you too.
		
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			So the reference to context is that when
		
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			the non Muslims
		
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			knowingly
		
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			wish evil for you,
		
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			sounding similar
		
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			to When the wish, may death be on
		
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			you,
		
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			you have to wish back saying
		
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			on YouTube.
		
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			But many of the scholars say that when
		
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			even the non Muslims wish,
		
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			you have to wish back
		
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			which
		
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			if you go into details, you can get
		
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			the reply from the Quran and the Sahihadeel.
		
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			Let's see what does the Quran say
		
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			regarding
		
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			greeting back.
		
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			And I said in my talk in Surinissa,
		
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			chapter 4 was 86,
		
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			which says,
		
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			That's when anyone
		
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			greets you courteously,
		
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			wish back
		
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			more courteously
		
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			or a greeting
		
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			which is of equal
		
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			because Allah is careful in keeping of the
		
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			accounts. Where greeting back is concerned,
		
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			we can greet them back. So regarding
		
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			the question, if someone wish you
		
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			what should you reply based on this Quranic
		
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			verse, you can wish back more courteously
		
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			or at least the same. That's what the
		
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			Quran
		
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			says. Regarding, can you wish them first?
		
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			There are hadith of beloved prophet in the
		
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			same same Muslim who says that when you
		
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			meet a halikita, but you are a Christian,
		
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			don't wish them, etcetera. And there are various
		
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			different opinion in the various groups of scholars.
		
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			But when you go to the Quran,
		
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			Quran and the Sahid is the best example
		
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			to be followed.
		
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			The Quran says in,
		
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			chapter number 19, verse number 47, that when
		
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			Abraham, peace be upon him, when his father
		
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			who was a mushrik, removes him from his
		
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			house,
		
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			he says,
		
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			I will pray to Allah
		
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			to forgive you.
		
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			Quran says that Ibrahim told his father,
		
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			and I will pray to my
		
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			almighty God to forgive you.
		
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			Further, if you read in Surataha chapter number
		
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			20 verse 47,
		
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			it says
		
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			that Musa Alaihi Salam and Harun Alaihi Salam,
		
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			Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them.
		
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			They were commanded by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
		
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			that when they delivered the message to pharaoh
		
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			and his
		
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			people, to wish them by saying, peace be
		
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			on them, those who receive guidance. And this
		
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			was one of the way the prophet when
		
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			dictated
		
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			letters. He said to the non Muslim kings
		
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			that peace be on you, those who receive
		
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			guidance.
		
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			Further, if you read in Sura Far Khan,
		
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			chapter 25, verse 63, it says, that
		
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			when those approach you who are ignorant,
		
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			tell them
		
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			Tell them peace.
		
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			So when the ignorant come to you,
		
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			who give vain talks,
		
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			say wish them peace.
		
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			For they finish.
		
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			Chapter 28, verse 55 says that when you
		
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			are in the company of those people who
		
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			give vain talks
		
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			and who speak against Islam, tell them to
		
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			us it's our deeds, to you is your
		
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			deeds.
		
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			Peace be on you.
		
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			Wish them salaam. May those who speak against
		
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			Islam.
		
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			The Quran says, wish them salaam. So there's
		
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			no problem at all in wishing a non
		
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			Muslim salaam.
		
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			And if you read the the of the
		
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			Quranic verses,
		
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			if you read
		
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			the
		
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			regarding
		
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			Surah Mariam,
		
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			chapter 19, verse 47, it says that regarding
		
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			the explanation of this verse, when Ibrahim Al
		
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			Salam tells his father that peace be on
		
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			you,
		
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			I will ask Allah Subhanahu to forgive you.
		
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			Most of the scholars, the jammu,
		
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			scholars,
		
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			they say that here the peace
		
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			was only a form of greeting, like saying
		
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			favor.
		
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			It wasn't a form of asking protection.
		
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			So they say that this was a form
		
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			of greeting.
		
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			While in
		
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			his he
		
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			says that according
		
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			to,
		
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			he said that, yeah, it actually means peace.
		
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			And further, if you read
		
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			the statement
		
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			of Nakash, he said
		
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			that it is allowed
		
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			for the Muslims to wish salaam to the
		
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			non Muslim.
		
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			Though the majority of the scholars say
		
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			that, yeah, the greeting was only a form
		
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			of a greeting. It was not asking for
		
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			protection.
		
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			And further, if we read the statement which
		
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			says
		
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			that I agree more with the statement
		
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			of who said, and for his explanation, he
		
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			quotes
		
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			chapter number 60 verse number 8 and say,
		
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			Allah forbid not you
		
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			from being just to those people who fight
		
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			you not against religion,
		
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			nor drive you out of your house. For
		
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			Allah love those who are just.
		
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			That means you have to be just to
		
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			the people who fight you not
		
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			against your religion, or drive you not out
		
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			of your house. And he further says that
		
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			the Quran says,
		
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			chapter number 60 verse number 4, that verily,
		
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			in the lifestyle of Ibrahim Alaihi Salam, you
		
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			find a very good example. What Ibrahim
		
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			did?
		
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			You find a very good example. So when
		
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			he can wish peace to his father, why
		
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			can't you? So based on the scholars,
		
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			if you see that the various, even of
		
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			Tabri
		
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			and Ibn Kasir,
		
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			When he gives the translation
		
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			and the commentary
		
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			of chapter 4, 80, 60 says that this
		
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			was, which says that when anyone wishes you
		
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			courteously, wish back more courteously, does not refer
		
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			to the Muslim, it can refer to any
		
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			creature of Allah.
		
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			So if you analyze,
		
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			there are a few group of scholars who
		
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			say that it is preferable that you do
		
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			not wish them, only say alaikum, but there
		
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			are other group of scholars who say that
		
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			you can wish them, you can initiate the
		
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			greeting, as well as wish them back more
		
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			courtesy.
		
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			I agree more with those group of scholars
		
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			who say that you can greet
		
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			non Muslims. Because if you read the saying
		
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			of Ibn Masud,
		
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			may Allah be pleased with him, when he
		
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			was asked, can you greet
		
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			salaam to a non Muslim? He said yes.
		
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			And he did that to his companions, and
		
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			he said, we Muslims have come here to
		
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			spread peace.
		
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			If you read the saying that Abu Musaam,
		
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			alayhi, peace with him, he said that he
		
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			used to greet the non Muslims, whether Christian,
		
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			Jews, etcetera, with peace.
		
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			So there are scholar majority who do say
		
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			that you can wish, while many scholars who
		
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			say that it's preferable to say alaikum. I
		
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			agree more with those who say that you
		
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			can wish salaam to a non Muslim as
		
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			well as wish them back.
		
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			Hope that answers the question.