Assalamu Alaikum
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As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم) is an Arabic spoken greeting used by Muslims as well Arab Christians and Jews. The term Salam in Arabic means "Peace". The greeting may also be transliterated as Salaam 'Alaykum. It means "Peace be upon you". The traditional response is wa `Alaykum As-Salaam, meaning "and upon you be peace."

This type of greeting is common in the Middle East and Africa; its Hebrew counterpart greeting is Shalom aleichem and in Maltese is Sliem ghalikom.

The greeting is almost always accompanied by a handshake. The exception is during the Islamic holiday Eid, when the hand shake is customarily preceded by three embraces. This practice however is not based on any Islamic ruling.

In Arabia the greeting is associated with two or three light kisses¹. On the Indian subcontinent, the saying of Salaam is often accompanied with an obeisance, performed by bowing low and raising the right hand till it is in front of the forehead. In Indonesia, greeting is usually accompanied by a kind of two-handed "handshake". None of these are derived from Islamic custom, but are based in cultural traditions.

Pronunciation

• Audio clip for Salam

The term As-Salāmu `Aleykum varies slightly in pronunciation from country to country, but always remains universally intelligible. The classical pronunciation of the greeting in Fus'ha (Classical) Arabic is IPA: [ʔæsːæˈlæːmʊ ʕæˈlæɪkʊm]

Many people today omit the initial 'As' and pronounce the word as "Salaamu `Aleykum".

English speakers not well acquainted with using the greeting often find it to be difficult to pronounce correctly. English speakers usually pronounce the term as [ʌsəˈlaːmə wəˈleɪkum] which may be considered amusing by native Arabic speakers.

In many parts of the world, indeed in most of the non-Arabic speaking countries the greeting is pronounced [asalaːmʊ aleıkʊm] or in a similar variation. This is especially common in Africa, the Indian sub-continent, South East Asia and in Eastern Europe. Amongst various Arabic speaking countries there is also a varied pronunciation. In Morocco the greeting is usually pronounced as [səleːmu leikum] while in Saudi Arabia the bedouins are known to pronounce the 'k' as a 'kh' whereby the greeting becomes [ʔæsːælæːmʊ ʕælejtʃʊm].

Variation

The term in Arabic uses the second person plural, even when used to address one person, similar to the use of vous in French. However the term may also be used addressing a person in the singular form both masculine and feminine, the dual form, or the feminine plural. This is how they are said:

As-Salāmu `Alayk(a') —Peace be upon you (m. sing.)

As-Salāmu `Alayk(i)' —Peace be upon you (f. sing)

As-Salāmu `Alayk(uma) —Peace be upon you (to two people of any gender)

As-Salāmu `Alayk(unna) —Peace be upon you (f. plural - to three or more females only)

As-Salāmu `Alayk(um)—Peace be upon you (To a group of three or more people, where at least one is a male - or to a member of state such as a prime minister, president, king, or queen)

The correct classical Arabic response depends on who is addressing you. The same rules apply as above; ka, ki, kuma, kunna, kum;
wa alayk(...) as-salām

(Note: According to classical Arabic pronunciation, the last vowel in each word is not pronounced unless it is followed by another word.)

Similarly, the word As-Salaam (السلام) may be replaced by Salaamun (سلامٌ). This form of the word is used in a passage of the Qur'an describing the greeting of the Angels towards the inhabitants of Paradise:

And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (saying) Salaamun ‘Aleykum (peace be upon you) for you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!’— (Ar-Ra'ad 13:23-24)

The form Salaamun `Aleykum is especially used in Turkey, where it is spelled Selamün Aleyküm.

Islamic rulings related to the use of the greeting

It is also preferred to use the greeting when arriving and also when leaving. It was reported that Abu Hurayrah said “When one of you joins a gathering, let him say salaam. When he wants to get up and leave, let him say salaam. The former is not more important than the latter.” (Saheeh - at-Tirmidhi)

• According to hadith the Islamic prophet Muhammad was asked who should "begin" the salam greeting, and he said:

"The one who is riding should greet the one who is walking, and the one who is walking should greet the one who is sitting, and the smaller group should greet the larger group." (Saheeh - Al-Bukhaari, 6234; Muslim, 2160)²

• It is also stated that one should give the Salam greeting upon entering a house, even if the house is empty. This is based upon the verse of the Qur'an:

"But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah (i.e. say: Assalaamu ‘Aleykum — peace be on you), blessed and good." (al-Noor 24:61)

• The trend of shortening the greeting to acronyms, such as A.S.,As'kum(in Malaysia) or asa, is disliked;^{citation needed} however, it is becoming common amongst Internet users in chat rooms and by people using SMS. As the full word is not written, it is disliked; however, the meaning is usually understood by the recipient. Other variations of this are adding 'wr wb' at the end as well. This trend is similar to writing (S) or 'SAWS' in place of 'Sallallaahu `Aleyhi wa Sallam'.

Salaam and popular culture

• In the United States the greeting of As-Salaamu `Aleykum is used by some African Americans possibly due to the influence of the Nation of Islam (NoI), since the NoI also uses this greeting. Though what has had a much greater impact is its predecessor, the Moorish Science Temple, translating "Salaam" into its English language equivalent "peace" as a greeting. This has penetrated far into the American mainstream due to its use by many rappers affiliated with it and related movements.³
• The stand-up comedian Azhar Usman parodies the use of Salaam greetings in his show 'Square the Circle'. He highlights the ways in which various ethnic groups pronounce the greeting.
• Radio personality Howard Stern often uses the greeting with black guests and callers.
• Musician/actor/author Henry Rollins frequently opens his weekly radio show on Indie 103.1 by shouting "Salam Aleykum!"
• A character in the HBO series Oz, Kareem Said, regularly greets others, especially his followers, with "Assalaamu Aleykum".
• The song "As-Salamu Wa-Alaykum", sung by Himesh Reshammiya, from album Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story, has been very popular in India and Pakistan.
• Hakim (Egyptian singer) released a popular song called "Essalaamu Aleikum". He repeats the words "Ess...ess...essalaamu aleikum" several times in the song.
• The phrase salaamu aleykum appears in the Queen song Mustapha.
• In The Boondocks episode "The Trial of R. Kelly", the defense attorney says, "Salaam Aleykum" to the jury, who respond with "Aleykum Salaam".
• The characters in the TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie frequently greet each other in this way.

References

External links

• LivingHalal.com Islamic audio project
• Islam Q&A - Fataawa related to the manners of greeting with Salaam
• Islamic glossary