DAILY POST #40
Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalaani rahimahullaah said:
It is reported from Ali- radiyallaahu anhu – who said: The Messenger of Allah – salallaahu alayhi wasallam – said:
“When a group of people pass by ,it is sufficient if one of them make salam ,and it is sufficient for those who are sitting that one of them responds. “
Transmitted and recorded by Imaam Ahmad and Imam Bayhaqi in his “Sunan” (49/9).
Imam Abu- Dawud also related the hadith in his sunan #5210 and imam Al-Albani declared the hadith as ‘Hasan’ in the book “Al-irwaa”#778.
Though some scholars mentioned that the hadith is not transmitted from Imam Ahmad. Allaahu A’alam!
COMMENTARY
The hadith shows the importance of the following:
1.That It is sufficient if one person among a group of people make salam.
2.The permissibility of all the group of people to make salam individually. This is because the messenger of Allah salallahu-alayhi-wasalam used the word “sufficient” in the hadith. This implies if all the group of people should make salam individually, then there is nothing bad in doing that but rather it is an increment in goodness inshaa Allah
3. it also shows the permissibility of one person to represent others in any thing that is “fardu kifaya”(action that is Uplifted from others if done by one person).
4. it is not allowed to feel sad on others if only one person make salam among a group of people, for the messenger of Allah salallahu-alayhi wasallam permitted that.
5.The optimum importance of making salam to a Muslim. And we can see this from the hadith that no matter what might be the case, at least one person should make salam within a group of people that are passing by to the one sitting.
Allaahu A’alam!
Baarakallaahu feekum!
