Saying Salaam

**AFDAL** · 08-12-2006

Saying Salaam
By Iman Bint Johari

We never think that someone who has less education or someone who is new to Islam can teach us something.

When we lived in Indiana, my husband was friends with a very nice revert to Islam. He was born into a staunch Hindu family and when he embraced Islam, had to keep it a secret as he feared being cut off from his parents. He had a good reason to be afraid - his sister who had reverted to Islam long before he did had been disowned.

He chose the name Imran and tried very hard to be a practising Muslim. He had a low paying job selling jewellery for a Muslim family that exploited him. They cared little about following the tenets of Islam it seems and even tried to make it such that he could not pray at work. Imran, however, kept his own and remained steadfast.

He would still try to observe his prayers and every night, would rush to the masjid, hoping to catch the Isha prayer. More often than not, he would be almost faint with fatigue, but would make the effort anyway for the simple reason that he loved Islam and loved being around Muslims.

Being a new Muslim at that time, this brother was not very knowledgeable in matters of the deen. Nevertheless, he had one admirable trait - if anyone taught him anything, he would try hard to implement it.

My husband would often have long discussions with him about Islam because he loved learning immensely. In one instance, my husband told him about the importance of the salaam.

Imran took this lesson to heart and we learnt just how much, one day. My husband told me that some time after that discussion, Imran came to him feeling hurt and angry. He had gone into the masjid and greeted the brothers before sitting down with them. He later had to leave the room for a minute and when he returned, said salaam again. He did this every time he left and rejoined them. A few of the brothers became a little annoyed and asked him why he kept repeating his salaam when he had done so the first time he met them. They told him it was completely unnecessary.

The poor brother felt very upset that the Muslims he cared so much about brushed him off that way.

It occurred to me then that sometimes, we are ignorant of many aspects of our religion and we never think that maybe someone who has less education or someone who is new to the deen can teach us something.

Even though I do not know Imran personally, he has taught me many things - he has taught me about steadfastness and about striving to implement the Sunnah in any way one can.

Here is the Hadith that Imran learnt and tried to implement:

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said:
“When one of you meets a brother in Faith, he should greet him.

Then if a tree or a wall or a stone should intervene between them and then he meets him again, he should greet him.”

(Abu Dawood)