5 - السَّلامُ

[ummtaalib]

السَّلامُ

Translation 

  السَّلامُis translated in English as “The Source of Peace” (Sukoon). It is mentioned only once in the Qur’an in verse 23 of Surah Hashr.

 

Definition

Ibn Katheer (رحمه الله) says السَّلامُ is that Being Who is pure from all faults and shortcomings and He is complete is His Dhaat (Essence), Sifaat (Attributes) and Af’aal (Actions). The descriptions may seem similar to الْقُدُّوس which means that Being Who is pure from all faults, but here it says Allah ta’ala is perfect in His Dhaat, Sifaat and Af’aal.

 

السَّلامُ is the One who is Free from all imperfections and deficiencies, because of the Perfection of His Being, of His Attributes and His Actions.

 

Al Qurtubi states: السَّلامُ is the One who is safe from all deficiencies. He explains as Salaam in three ways:

1)      The One free from every fault, and He is absolved of every deficiency.

2)      He gives Salaam to His 'Ibaad (slaves) in Jannah. We learn from the Qur’an that the dwellers of paradise will be greeted with salaam, by Allah, by the angels and by each other. In Surah Yaseen verse 58, Allah ta’ala says: سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ  People in Jannah will be told “Salaam, a statement from their Rabb, the Most Merciful.”

3)      The One Whose creation is free from His dhulm (injustice). He keeps His creations safe from any injustice on His part and His creation is free from injustice from Him. What does this tell us? Allah is السَّلامُ and there is no way He can be unjust. Many times we read in the Qur’an: وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللّهُ وَلَكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ, ‘Allah did not wrong them, rather they wronged themselves’.

 

Another definition is: "That Being in Whom one has hope for ‘Aafiyah (safety, protection and goodness.)" 

 

 

Salaamati from Sharr on Three Occasions

According to Sufyaan bin Uyayna RA there are three occasions in a person’s life when he/she is overwhelmed by fear: when he emerges from the womb (Birth), at the time of death when he sees creation he has never seen before i.e. the beginnings of the afterlife, and on the Day of Judgement. It is mentioned in Surah Maryam regarding Yahya AS that Allah ta’ala granted him Salaamati from the Sharr (Difficulty) of these three occasions.  This shows that this is the same manner Allah ta’ala will deal with the Believers and we should seek Salaamati from Allah ta’ala. If a person tries to live a good life in this world then he/she will attain it. In Surah Nahl it is mentioned:

الَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ طَيِّبِينَ ۙ يَقُولُونَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Those whom the angels cause to die (when they are) good. They say: Peace be unto you! Enter the Garden because of what ye used to do. [Surah Nahl:32]

 

 

 

The Concept of Protection/Security

Another point regarding this name is the concept of protection which is something we are all concerned about and it comes from this trait of Allah ta’ala. We have to have Yaqeen (Certainty) in it. The Asbaab (Means) are there and we should take measure for protection however we must realize that true protection comes from Allah ta’ala. 

 

Let us consider the example of cancer. If cancerous cells are developed in the body and the immune system is strong, it fights and kills those cells but if for some reason they are not strong or the cancer cells are too strong, it leads to cancer. You do not know the immune system is fighting the cancer cells in your body and this is Allah ta’ala being As-Salaam. He is there protecting you in so many different ways and we do not even realize it. You leave home in a car and one small thing could have led to an accident and you say, “That was a close call.”

 

If Allah ta’ala was to take away His being As-Salaam, we cannot do anything. We would be sitting ducks. If Allah ta’ala does not protect someone, no one can do anything to help them and if He wants to protect someone no one can do anything to harm them. The following is an episode regarding Amr bin Al-‘Aas RA who was the governor of Egypt and played an important part in internal conflicts within Islam after the death of the third Khalifah, ‘Uthmaan ibn Affaan RA.
 

Following the murder of Uthman RA and the dispute between the supporters of Ali RA and the supporters of Muawiyah RA as successors, Amr RA represented Muawiyah RA in the arbitration as opposed to Abu Musa Ashaari RA who represented Ali RA.

 

During the unrest of this time members of an extremist group planned to assassinate three important Muslims simultaneously. They were Ali RA, Muawiya RA and Amr bin Al-‘Aas RA.

 

One of them traveled to Kufa to kill Ali RA. He was Abdur-Rahmaan ibn-Muljim.  When Ali RA came to lead the Fajr Salaah, ibn-Muljim struck Ali RA. He got seriously injured and died a couple of days later. 

 

In Shaam, Muawiya RA was struck and injured by the attack however he survived. In Egypt, Amr ibn Al-‘Aas RA, did not come to lead the Fajr Salaah on that day, and the person who came to lead the prayer was killed instead. Afterwards the killer said he had intended to kill ‘Amr but Allah ta’ala intended the other person.

 

Therefore we should have certainty that Allah ta’ala is  السَّلامُ and having this certainty gives a person peace.

 

 

Salaamati of Wealth

There are some things which decreases the Salaamati and Barakah of wealth. Some are mentioned below:

·       

      Women shopping during the Jumu’ah Adhaan and Khutbah

·        Not giving people what is due to them i.e. people at work, inheritance etc.

·        Deception and dishonesty in business transactions

·        Haraam Rizq – affects Barakah.

 

If a person has a lot of wealth but it is from Haraam sources or one infringes on the rights of others, the peace (Sukoon/Salaamati) that the wealth should have brought him will be removed. He will find he has problems in his relationships with his wife, children etc. or other problems which removes the peace of heart.

 

 

Salaamati of Body

 

For the Salaamati of body, one should recite Ayatul Kursi, Surah Falaq and Surah Naas regularly.

·        Reciting Surah Faatihah, Ikhlaas, Falaq and Naas, blowing on hands and rubbing the hands all over the body is Sunnah. 

      Hazrat Mufti Wali Hasan Sahab رحمة الله عليه would say that Surah Falaq and Surah Naas are the last Surahs of the Qur'an and it indicates that Muslims will  need these Surahs during the fitnah near the end of times. So we should make it a habit to recite these Surahs abundantly. 

 

 

Salaamati of Children

·        Make a habit of giving a lot of Sadaqah

·        Give away the things they do not use. People tend to keep these things as memories

·        Teach children to recite the Surahs mentioned in Sunnah and blow over themselves

·        When children (or people of the house) leave home say “Fee-amaanillaah” – “Aman” means peace/tranquility

·        Make Du’a for them. Prophet sallalaahu ‘alayhi wasallam used to make Du’a for his grandchildren to be protected from Sharr (Evil)

·        

·        Du’a for protection:

  اَعُوْذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ ، وَهَامَّةٍ ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ

 

 

Protection against any type of Black Magic & Crisis Situations of Life

There are ten ways mentioned in the commentary of the Asmaaul Husnaa:

1.      The Salaf used to use verses of the Qur’an for all types of remedies and in difficulties

2.      One has to have Yaqeen (Certainty) in Allah ta’ala that everything happens with His command and no one can benefit or harm except by His will

3.      Preventative measure: It is very beneficial to recite Surah Baqarah. It is effective in situations of black magic or other negative effects from people. As it is quite long, a little everyday may be recited so that it is completed every week or a recording may be played in the house. Do not give money to someone else to recite it.

4.      According to some Scholars, verses of the Qur’an should be recited and then blow on water and drink it. This is very beneficial in eliminating effects of black magic

5.      Be regular in Salaah and also perform the Sunnat and Nafl prayers at home and make Dhikr. This helps one get through major difficulties

6.      Another means of protection is not to have pictures of animated things in the house. It is mentioned in a Hadith, “The angels do not enter a house in which there is an image.” [Bukhari & Muslim] It decreases Allah ta’ala’s protection in the Dunya.

7.      Keeping the home free from impurities is also beneficial

8.   Give sadaqah daily according to your ability as it is mentioned in the hadith that sadaqah prevents calamities. And according to hadith it is better to give sadaqah in the beginning of a day. 

9.      To say (according to some, to write it) مَا شَاءَ اللهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ outside the home or at one’s workplace for protection against negative effects of people

10.   Refrain from Dhulm (Injustice) of all types whether the person is a Believer or disbeliever. A conscientious decision not to be unjust to anyone brings Salaamati from Allah ta’ala. It is mentioned in a Hadith: “Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah” [Bukhari]

 

 

It is very important to be careful about hurting anyone unjustly. Some relationships are very sensitive i.e. husband/wife, parent/child etc. in which we can be unjust but think nothing of it as it’s a close relationship. Allah ta’ala protect us from the Du’a of anyone we may have unjustly hurt (sometimes people can get hurt however not unjustly). If we have hurt anyone we should seek forgiveness and if we cannot then we should make Du’a for them and Allah ta’ala will forgive us. 

 

 

Dua for Salaamati

 

يا حي يا قيوم برحمتك أستغيث أصلح لي شأني كله ولا تكلني إلى نفسي طرفة عين

"On You Who is Everliving and Sustains and Protects everything, I seek assistance through the means of your mercy, correct for me all my affairs and do not entrust me to my Nafs (myself) for the moment of a blink of an eye."

 

 

أَللّٰهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِىْ دِيْنِىَ الَّذِىْ هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِىْ وَ أَصْلِحْ لِىْ دُنْيَاىَ الَّتِىْ فِيْهَا مَعَاشِىْ وَ أَصْلِحْ لِىْ آخِرَتِىَ الَّتِىْ فِيْهَا مَعَادِىْ وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَهً لِّىْ فِىْ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ وَّ اجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِّىْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ

"O Allah! Rectify for me my Deen which is a means of guarding my matters and my world which is a means of my livelihood, and make good my hereafter in which is my returning, and make my life a means of abundance of all good and my death a means of comfort and peace free from all bad." (Sahih Muslim)

 

اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ

"O Allah! Suffice me with your halal from the haram, and make me independant with your grace from all besides you." 

 

 

‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَاىَ وَأَهْلِي وَمَالِي اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِي وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِي وَاحْفَظْنِي مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَىَّ وَمِنْ خَلْفِي وَعَنْ يَمِينِي وَعَنْ شِمَالِي وَمِنْ فَوْقِي وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُغْتَالَ مِنْ تَحْتِي ‏

"O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in my religious and my worldly affairs. O Allah, conceal my faults, calm my fears, and protect me from before me and behind me, from my right and my left, and from above me, and I seek refuge in You from being taken unaware from beneath me."

 

 

أَعُوذُ بِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ الَّذِي لَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَعْظَمَ مِنْهُ ، وَبِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ الَّتِي لا يُجَاوِزُهُنَّ بَرٌّ وَلا فَاجِرٌ ، وَبِأَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ الْحُسْنَى كُلِّهَا مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَذَرَأَ وَبَرَأَ 

"I seek refuge in Allaah, the most Greatest. There is nothing equal to His Greatness. And I seek refuge in His complete and powerful Words, which cannot be surpassed by any good or bad person, and (I seek refuge in) all the Names of Allaah which I know and which I do not know, from the evil of all those things which He created, and created them errorless and scattered them all over."

 

 

اللهم أنت السلام ومنك السلام تباركت يا ذا الجلال والإكرام 

"O Allah, You are Al-Salaam and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor." 

 

Aakhirah is Daar-as-Salaam

Allah ta’ala has called Jannah, “Daar asSalaam”. The Aakhirah is the real home, the true source of peace. No matter how much effort we put in to make this Dunya a place of Sukoon for us, there will always be problems. Jannah is the place of all types of Salaamati - peace, security and safety. That is where there will be no pain, grief or danger.

 

 

Allah ta’ala’s Invitation to Daar-as-Salaam

In the Qur’an Allah ta’ala invites us to the place of peace,

وَاللَّهُ يَدْعُو إِلَىٰ دَارِ السَّلَامِ

Allah invites you to the Home of Peace [Surah Yunus: 25]

 

Allah ta’ala calls/invites us to the place of peace. When a person is invited to a Daawat, they will make an effort and dress up and plan how to get there on time. They do not set off in home clothes or pajamas. They make sure of the directions and try to get there on time otherwise they will miss it. When Allah ta’ala invites you to Daar as-Salaam (Salaamati) it is your choice whether to accept or not and get ready on time. We should make effort for this special Daawat and invites others as well towards Salaamati and the person who cares and wishes good for others is a Shafeeq.  

 

 

Salaam in Jannah

The people of Jannah will receive Salaam from Allah ta’ala and the angels.

In surah Yaseen verse 58, Allah ta’ala says:

 

سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيم  

“People in Jannah will be told ‘Salaam’, a statement from their Rabb, the Most Merciful.” [Surah Yaaseen: 58]

 

 

 أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ – Spread Salaam

Spreading Salaam is a major part of Islam however we are lazy and negligent regarding it. It was the first thing the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam taught the people of Madeenah when he arrived there after Hijrah trying to make a community of people who were not getting along.

 

‘Abdullah bin Salaam RA said:

“When the Prophet came to Al-Madeenah, the people rushed to meet him, and it was said: ‘The Messenger of Allah has come! The Messenger of Allah has come! The Messenger of Allah  has come!’ Three times. I came with the people to see him, and when I saw his face clearly, I knew that his face was not the face of a liar. The first thing I heard him say was when he said:

 

‏ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ وَصِلُوا الأَرْحَامَ وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلاَمٍ ‏‏

 

“O people! Spread (the greeting of) Salam, feed others, uphold the ties of kinship, and pray during the night when people are sleeping, and you will enter Paradise with Salam.” [Ibn Majah]

 

 

 

Salaam of Greeting to Khadeejah RA

It is narrated that once Angel Jibra’eel came to the Prophet sallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam and said, “Allah sends His Salaam to Khadeejah RA.”

 

Her reply was:‘innallaaha huwas Salaam’ - indeed Allah, He is Salaam, wa ‘alaa Jibreelas Salaam, and upon Jibreel be Salaam, and upon you, O Prophet of Allah’.

 

She did not say, “and salaam upon Allah ta’ala.” It shows that Khadeejah RA understood and realised that السَّلامُ is one of the names of Allah ta’ala and He is السَّلام Himself. From this we learn that Salaam cannot be sent to Allah ta’ala.

 

 

Spreading Salaam (Greeting) creates Love

It is mentioned in a Hadith,

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, “By Him in Whose Hand is my life! You will not enter Jannah until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you of something which, if you do, you will love one another? Promote greetings amongst yourselves.” [Muslim]

 

This can be the Salaam of greeting or it can mean spreading peace among people. This is very important in this time of negativity and lack of peace. 

 

 

 

Saying Salaam to those you know and those you do not know

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr RA narrated,

A man asked the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam, “Whose Islam is a good or what sort of deeds (or what qualities of) Islam are good?” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam replied, “To feed (others) and to greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know.” [Bukhari]

 

 

A Hadith is mentioned in Musnad Ahmed that one of the signs of the end of time is that a person will say Salaam to another only because he knows him. This is so true. Sometimes we do Salaam to someone we do not know and they ask, “Do I know you?” and we have to reply no and explain we are simply doing Salaam. Therefore we should do Salaam to all Muslims (obviously to the people of your gender only)

 

 

Saying Salaam is a Safety from Spiritual Diseases

In other Hadith it is mentioned,

“The person nearest to Allah is one who is the first to offer greeting.”[Abu Dawud].

“The one who is the first to greet is free from pride (Takabbur)” [Bayhaqi]

 

 

Spreading Salaam and saying it from the heart protects us spiritually and emotionally. It saves us from the major spiritual disease of arrogance and from negative feelings. It creates love for one another and love is a positive emotion. 

 

 

Salaam when Entering the House

Anas bin Malik RA reported:

The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said to me, “Dear son, when you enter your house, say As- Salamu ‘alaykum to your family for it will be a blessing both to you, and to your family.” [At-Tirmidhi]

 

Children should be encouraged to follow this Hadith. It will become a means of Barakah for us and the children. Why? Because Salaam spreads peace and love.

 

 

Things which Increases Love between People

·        Saying Salaam whether you know people or not

·        Making place for someone in a gathering even if there is a gathering of a few

·        Calling someone by a name they like

·        Saying good things  about someone in their absence to friends and family and covering their faults and making Du’a for their Islaah.

 

 

Things to do to Enter Jannah with Salamati

These deeds shown in Hadith bring Sukoon in the heart & spreads peace and love among people

·        Feeding people

·        Silah Rahmi – maintaining family ties

·        Spreading Salaam  - we do not even need money to do this, just the use of the tongue

·        Tahajjud Salaah

 

 

Sayyiduna Thawban RA reports that when the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam would complete his Salaah, he would recite ‘Astaghfirullaah’ thrice and then say

 اللهم أنت السلام ومنك السلام تباركت يا ذا الجلال والإكرام‏

‘Allaahumma antas salaam wa minkas salaam tabaarakta (yaa) dhal jalaali wal ikraam [Muslim]

 

Why do we say this after Salaah? What do you want protection, safety and security from? From the mistakes committed during the Salaah. A Salaah in which there is no Khushoo’ (humility) is struck back on the person and not taken.  So it is as if you are saying “O Allah, if my Salaah was not proper, if there was anything You did not like, keep me safe from its consequence.”

 

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