💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
📜 Question: What is the best way to react to Muslims who regularly ignore your salaams? Can I stop greeting them with the salaam because I know they won't respond anyway?
📝 Answer: Greet them again, in case they didn't hear your salaam clearly or they were distracted by an important task which they were busy doing while you walked in on them. Try not to get tempted to interrogate them with questions like, "Why aren't you responding? Are you deaf?", "You're Muslim, right? You understand some Arabic? Then why didn't you answer my salaam?" or "Do I need to use a loudspeaker or megaphone when greeting you?".
🔹 Some of the reasons why a person may deliberately refrain from answering your salaam could be:
1] They are innocently ignorant of the fact that it is a rewarding Sunnah to initiate greeting with the salaam and obligatory / mandatory to return a Muslim's salaam.
2] They're so intimidated by your confident personality, and their nervousness or anxiety may be holding them back from answering you appropriately.
3] They thought you were saying salaam to somebody else, whilst assuming they're not obliged to answer your salaam if at least one human being (or jinn) in the same room answered you.
4] They probably weren't in a good mood. Maybe they were too worried, stressed out, or seriously distressed by another individual that they couldn't bring themselves to answer you.
5] Although they may deny it, they despise returning your greetings because they're simply jealous of something you have which they lack, such as your good manners, strong faith/Imaan, and inner peace, or they perceive you as "plastic" or "artificially friendly", which only confirms they're struggling with some major insecurities.
Continue spreading salaams and pleasant vibes for Allah's sake, even if not everyone on earth whom you encounter has your level of cheerfulness or eagerness to increase good deeds to please Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala.
Let insecure individuals keep silently rolling their eyes with jealousy while you focus on maintaining your Islamic morals and integrity. Your Akhlaaq or Aadaab mustn't decrease due to some people's awful upbringing or misery.
If a loved one, colleague, or stranger intentionally ignored your salaam, Alhamdulillah you still earn rewards for striving to follow the Sunnah of the beloved Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam. The recording Angels surrounding you and other Muslims may have also responded to your greeting, while your level of patience increased and your character is further strengthened.
~•~
📖 Abu Umamah RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "Verily, the best people to Allah are those who are the first to greet with peace."
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 5197
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Al-Albani
📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "When one of you arrives in a gathering, let him greet them with peace. When he intends to leave, let him depart with greetings of peace. The first greeting is not more worthy than the last."
Source: Sunan Abī Dāwūd 5208
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Al-Arna'ut
📖 Ali Ibn Abi Talib RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "A Muslim has six rights over another Muslim in good conduct: To greet him with peace when he meets him, to respond to his invitation, to respond to his sneeze, to visit him when he is sick, to follow his funeral prayer when he dies, and to love for him what he loves for himself."
Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2736
Grade: Hasan (Fair) according to Al-Suyuti
https://www.thenoblequran.com/q/#/sura/4/86
https://mjustsharingislam.blogspot.com/2021/06/tips-some-notes-on-general-etiquettes.html
https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/13513/%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87
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