Author: Abdulrazzaq al-Maghribi
Date published: 2026-08-22
Updated: 2026-08-22
Greeting the innovators with the salam
Greeting an innovator with salam, whether by initiating the greeting or returning it, is generally considered discouraged by the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, regardless of the sect to which he belongs.
However, it is not forbidden to do so, especially if the innovator is likely to respond positively and return to the truth, or if refraining from greeting him would otherwise result in harm to you.
٦٧٤ - حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، نا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ، أنا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ يَعْنِي الْأَحْمَرَ، عَنْ حَمْزَةَ الزَّيَّاتِ، عَنْ أَبِي الْمُخْتَارِ، قَالَ: شَكَى ذَرٌّ سَعِيدَ بْنَ جُبَيْرٍ إِلَى أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ الطَّائِيِّ فَقَالَ: مَرَرْتُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيَّ، فَقَالَ أَبُو الْبَخْتَرِيِّ لِسَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ فَقَالَ سَعِيدٌ: «إِنَّ هَذَا يُجَدِّدُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ دِينًا لَا وَاللَّهِ لَا أُكَلِّمُهُ أَبَدًا»
[كتاب السنة - عبد الله بن أحمد - المجلد ١ - الصفحة ٣٢٨]
Abū al-Mukhtār narrated: Dharr complained about Saʿeed ibn Jubayr to Abū al-Bakhtarī al-Ṭāʾī, saying: “I passed by him and greeted him, but he did not return my greeting.”
So Abū al-Bakhtarī mentioned this to Saʿeed ibn Jubayr. Saʿeed said: “This one introduces a new religion every day. No, by Allah, I will never speak to him.”
[Kitab al-Sunnah - Abdullah ibn Ahmad - Volume 1 - Page 328]
١٥٣٤ - قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: ثنا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ: ثنا شَرِيكٌ، عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ، قَالَ: «مَرَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ التَّيْمِيُّ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ»
[كتاب السنة - أبو بكر الخلال - رقم ١٥٣٤]
Ibrāhīm al-Taymī (who was Murji) passed by Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿee and greeted him with salām, but he (al-Nakha'ee) did not return his greeting.”
[Kitab al-Sunnah - Abu Bakr al-Khallal - Number 1534]
٥٨١ - سعيد بن الحكم بن مُحَمَّد بن أبي مَرْيَم أَبُو مُحَمَّد مصرى ثِقَة وَكَانَ لَهُ دهليز طَوِيل وَكَانَ الرجل يَأْتِيهِ فيقف فَيسلم عَلَيْهِ فَيرد عَلَيْهِ لَا سلمك الله وَلَا حفظك وَفعل بك فَأَقُول لَهُ مَا لهَذَا فَيَقُول قدري خَبِيث وَيَأْتِي آخر فَيَقُول لَهُ مثل ذَلِك فَأَقُول لَهُ مَا لهَذَا فَيَقُول جهمي خَبِيث وَيَأْتِي آخر فَيَقُول لَهُ مثل ذَلِك فَأَقُول لَهُ مَا لهَذَا فَيَقُول رَافِضِي خَبِيث لَا يظنّ إِلَّا قد رد عَلَيْهِ سَلَامه وَكَانَ عَاقِلا لم أر بِمصْر أَعقل مِنْهُ وَمن عبد الله بن عبد الحكم
[الثقات — العجلي — المجلد ١ — الصفحة ٣٩٦]
Al-'Ijli said:
"Ibn Abi Maryam had a long entrance hall (dahlīz). A man would come to him, stop, and greet him with salām. Saʿīd would reply: “May Allah not grant you safety, nor preserve you, and may He deal with you.”
I (Al-'Ijli) would ask him, “Why do you say this to him?” He would reply, “He is a vile Qadarī.”
Then another man would come, and he would say the same thing to him. I would ask, “Why this?” He would say, “He is a vile Jahmī.”
Then another would come, and again he would say the same thing. I would ask, “Why this?” He would say, “He is a vile Rāfiḍī.”
And it would not be thought except that he had replied to his greeting of salam.
[Al-Thiqat - Al-'Ijli - Volume 1 - Page 396]
١٨١٩ - أَخْبَرَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ ⦗١٤٥⦘ بَغْدَادَ مِمَّنْ وَقَفَ فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي، وَهُوَ الْمُغَازِلِيُّ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: «اغْرُبْ، وَلَا أَرَيَنَّكَ تَجِيءُ إِلَى بَابِي» ، فِي كَلَامٍ غَلِيظٍ، وَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ. وَقَالَ: «مَا أَحْوَجَكَ أَنْ يُصْنَعَ بِكَ مَا صَنَعَ عُمَرُ بِصُبَيْغٍ» . فَرَدَّ الْبَابَ، وَلَمْ أَفْهَمْ، فَأَفْهَمَنِي مَا فَعَلَ عُمَرُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِصُبَيْغٍ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا
[كتاب السنة - أبو بكر الخلال - رقم ١٨١٩]
Sulaymān said: “I saw Abū ʿAbd Allāh (Imam Ahmad) when a man from the people of Baghdad greeted him with salām. He was, according to what had reached me, one of those who held the doctrine of al-waqf (one who refrains from saying the Quran is uncreated).
So he (Imam Ahmad) said to the man, ‘Go away, and let me never see you coming to my door again!’—speaking to him harshly. He did not return his salam.
He also said, ‘How much you deserve to have done to you what ʿUmar did to Ṣubaygh!’ Then he closed the door. I did not understand what he meant, so one of our companions explained to me what ʿUmar—may Allah have mercy on him—had done to Ṣubaygh (Umar imprisoned him and beat him for his innovation).”
[Kitab al-Sunnah - Abu Bakr al-Khallal - Number 1819]
٧٨٤ - أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الثَّقَفِيُّ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، أَنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ سُئِلَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ لَهُ جَارٌ رَافِضِيُّ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ؟ قَالَ: «لَا، وَإِذَا سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ لَا يَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ»
[كتاب السنة - أبو بكر الخلال - رقم ٧٨٤]
Ismāʿīl ibn Isḥāq al-Thaqafī al-Naysābūrī said: "Abū ʿAbd Allāh was asked (on what to do) when a man has a Rāfiḍī as a neighbor, should he give him salam? He replied: “No. And if he (the Rafidi neighbor) initiates salam, he should not return his salam.”
[Kitab al-Sunnah - Abu Bakr al-Khallal - Number 784]
١٨٢١ - وَأَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي هَارُونَ، أَنَّ إِسْحَاقَ حَدَّثَهُمْ، قَالَ: شَهِدْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ سَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الشَّاكَّةِ، فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ، فَأَعَادَ عَلَيْهِ. فَدَفَعَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَلَمْ يُسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ
[كتاب السنة - أبو بكر الخلال - رقم ١٨٢١]
Isḥāq said: “I witnessed Abū ʿAbd Allāh (Imam Ahmad) when a man from those who doubts (on the uncreatedness of the Quran) gave him salam, but he did not return the greeting. The man repeated the greeting to him, so Abū ʿAbd Allāh pushed him out of the way and did not greet him.”
[Kitab al-Sunnah - Abu Bakr al-Khallal - Number 1821]
