What Has Been Related About Greeting The People Of The Book With Salam

Narrated Abu Hurairah:

That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do not precede the Jews and the Christians with the Salam. And if one you meets one of them in the path, then force him to its narrow portion."

[He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Ibn 'Umar, Anas, and Abu Basrah Al-Ghifari the Companion of the Prophet ﷺ.

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. And regarding the meaning of this Hadith: "Do not precede the Jews and the Christians": Some of the poeple of knowledge said that it only means that it is disliked because it would be honoring them, and the Muslims were ordered to humiliate them. For this reason, when one of them is met on the path, then the path is not yielded for him, because doing so would amount to honoring them.

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " لاَ تَبْدَءُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى بِالسَّلاَمِ وَإِذَا لَقِيتُمْ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ فَاضْطَرُّوهُمْ إِلَى أَضْيَقِهِ " . قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَأَنَسٍ وَأَبِي بَصْرَةَ الْغِفَارِيِّ صَاحِبِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ .

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَمَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ " لاَ تَبْدَءُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى " . قَالَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّمَا مَعْنَى الْكَرَاهِيَةِ لأَنَّهُ يَكُونُ تَعْظِيمًا لَهُ وَإِنَّمَا أُمِرَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ بِتَذْلِيلِهِمْ وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا لَقِيَ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ فَلاَ يَتْرُكُ الطَّرِيقَ عَلَيْهِ لأَنَّ فِيهِ تَعْظِيمًا لَهُمْ .