Being a Muslim, every now and then I get asked by several people the meaning of As-salamu alaykum. It is probably the world’s second most used greeting after “Hello”, yet not many people, including some Muslims as well, know the meaning of it. The meaning of this phrase is a very simple one “May peace be upon you”. The standard response to the greeting is Wa alaykumu s-salam which means “May peace be upon you too. The word “Salam” here literally means “peace” and this is also where the word “Islam” comes from. In a broader sense, “Salam” gets defined as harmlessness, safety and protection from all evil and sins. As-Salam is also one of the 99 names of God, as he stands for forgiveness and a way of redemption for everyone from all evil. God’s message as per Islam is “You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you about something which, if you do it, will drive you towards loving each other? Greet each other with peace”
It is a greeting in Arabic that is often used by Muslims and is also widely used by people of other religions. The pronunciation however differs from country to country but always remains universally intelligible. The actual pronunciation is As-salamu Alaykum however most people these days omit the “As” and pronounce it as Salamu Alaikum. In India and Pakistan, the “u” gets omitted and we just greet as Salam-Alaikum. On several occasions, we just shorten it to “Salam”. An even lesser known part of the greeting is that it varies upon the number of people being address. For example, if you are greeting two people at the same time, it is pronounced as As-salamu alaykuma.
There is also a worldwide difference in the gesture that accompanies the greeting. For example, In Arab countries, it is accompanied with shaking hands followed by two or three light cheek to cheek kisses, alternating sides. In Pakistan, greeting is accompanied by a handshake, or raising the hand to one’s chest or a hug. In Indonesia, Salam is usually followed by a two-handed handshake.
In India, where men kissing men would definitely result in people forming a devastating opinion, we just greet by raising our hand to the forehead or follow it by a hand-shake at most. Salam can also be used as a farewell greeting but we mostly supplant it with “Khuda Hafiz” or “Allah Hafiz” which means “May God keep you safe”. Or pronunciation also changes to As-Salam-Alaikum.
Often, this greeting gets supplemented by “wa rahmatu l-lahi wa barakatuh” which means “may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you”. This usually happens when someone replies to a Salam. As Quran commands in Sura 4, verse 86, “When a greeting is offered, you answer it with an even better greeting, or (at least) with its like. Allah keeps account of all things.” The standard response to “As-salamu alaykum” is “Wa alaykumu as-salam” or “Wa ‘alaykum al-salaam” which literally means “And unto you peace”. However some people tend to reply with an ever better greeting and hence the complete response to Salam becomes “wa alaykumu as-salamu wa rahmatu l-lahi wa barakatuh”.
As per Muslim mythology, God created Adam in his image and sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. After creating him, God commanded Adam, “Go and greet that group of angels sitting there and pay heed to what they say to you in return for that will become yours and your offspring’s greeting”. Adam walked over to the angels and said, “May peace be upon you” to which the angels replied, “Peace and Allah’s Mercy be on you”. And this is how the greeting came into existence.
It is not just Muslim, almost all religions teach to greet each other in the same manner, by offering peace and respect. Jewish greeting is almost same as the Muslims. They greet each other by saying “Shalom” which also means “May peace be upon you”. Hindus greet by saying “Namaste” or “Namaskar” which is derived from Sanskrit words “Namahja” meaning “bow” or ‘adoration” or “salutation” and the word “te” means “to you”. In a way the greeting means “Bowing to you” which is paying respect to the other person.
