A Sunnah That Unites Us | Hidden Treasures Episode 26 | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

A Sunnah That Unites Us — Spreading Salaam in Ramadan

When the Prophet ﷺ entered into Madinatul Munawwara, one of the first narrations that he narrated — in what you would call his inaugural address to the companions in Madinatul Munawwara and the Muhajirun of Makkah — was:

"Spread the Salaam among yourselves." — In the beginning, the Prophet ﷺ says: say Salaam to everyone.

This is a Sunnah of the month of Ramadan. The Sahaba would — even if a tree would come in between them — say Salaam once again.

Salaam: For Those We Know and Those We Don't

The month of Ramadan comes with festivities and celebrations — it comes with Iftaars and Qiyams and Taraweeh and Dawahs — and everything is there. But Afshu Salaam is sometimes like... people who we know and those who we don't know.

The Sahaba would actually pursue initiating Salaam, because the Prophet ﷺ spoke about the idea that whoever initiates it is presenting a stronger level of faith. They would look forward to saying Salaam to each other, because saying Salaam would remove sins.

People look for shortcuts to getting reward. What if we were told that a shortcut to getting reward and removing sins was simply shaking our beloved brother or sister's hands and saying Salaam to them?

Ramadan Is Built Around Being Together

Ramadan is a month where we're united — not just because we started the month on the same day and end on the same day and we stand together — no. Because we say Salaam to one another. Even though we don't know where we're from or who this person is, the real enjoyment of the month of Ramadan is meeting one another.

This is why we have Taraweeh in a Jama'ah, whereas throughout the rest of the year we pray Tahajjud alone. This is why there is more reward in having the fast and breaking the fast together — and breaking it with another person — because the entire month is built around the entire idea and element of being together, being able to increase the love for one another, and feeling the pain of one another.

Loving Each Other for the Sake of Allah

مَنْ أَحَبَّ لِلَّهِ — we love each other for the sake of Allah. And to increase that love, we must say Salaam to each other and be able to meet each other with love, with a smile on our face.

Jarir ibn Abdullah says that he never saw the Prophet ﷺ إِلَّا وَهُوَ مُتَبَسِّمٌ — except that he was smiling at them. Imagine what that smile can do to a newcomer in your community, or to a youngster in your community. How the Prophet ﷺ was able to look at people and simply by that sight alone was able to increase how they felt.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3035; Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 164 — narrated by Jarir ibn Abdullah)

Salaam Is Never a Burden

So Afshu Salaam is how we begin the month of Ramadan and how we move throughout the month of Ramadan. We say Salaam to everyone, and it never becomes a burden when we know we're benefiting.

Know that in the month of Ramadan, when we're saying Salaam to each other, it's not a burden. If it is a burden, it means that we think we're better. It means that we think people are expected to come to us.

We reach out to them — because that is a proof of faith. If the first statement of the Prophet ﷺ when he came to Madinatul Munawwara, in a community of an entire community of reverts, was "say Salaam" — then that means there is definitely a benefit in how we start the month of Ramadan.

Spend these days saying Salaam to each other, meeting each other, texting each other — not just as a formality, but as an actual form of expression of love. Even if it means that we do it multiple times, it's all good, because that is what will increase our love. And avoiding it is what will remove that potential love that we have for each other.