Should we say salam when entering an empty home?

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QUESTION:
I know it’s written in Hadith that we should do salam when entering the home, but what about if the home is empty? Should we do salam then as well?

ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

As a general principle, one should greet with salām when entering the home, regardless of whether anyone is present inside or not. Nevertheless, when entering an empty home, the appropriate words of salām that can be uttered are:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
as-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhi s-ṣāliḥīn
“Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah”

And Allah Ta’ālā Knows Best
Zayd Imran

Concurred by:
Hanif Yusuf

References

وإذا دخل الرجل بيته يسلم على أهل بيته، وإن لم يكن في البيت أحد يقول: السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين، رواه سعيد عن قتادة
[al-Muhīt al-Burhānī: 5:327: Dārul Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah]

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْبَيْتِ أَحَدٌ فَيَقُولُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
[al-Bahr al-Rā'iq: 8:236: Dār al-Kitāb al-Islāmī]

وَإِنْ دَخَلَ بَيْتًا لَيْسَ فِيهِ أَحَدٌ يَقُولُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، فَإِنَّ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَرُدُّ - عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ
[Radd al-Muhtār: 6:413: Dār al-Fikr]

جب خالی مکان میں داخل ہوں تو اس طرح سلام کرنا چاہئے: "السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين
[Kitāb al-Nawāzil: 15:248: al-Markaz al-'Ilmī]

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Posted in Social ConductAadaab (Ettiquettes & Manners)MiscelleaneousDaily Matters on 17th Jul 2023 by Our Imam | 733 Views