The Creed of Compassion-Islamic Teachings & Answering Doctrinal Misconceptions

Issue No.1020- If a person in prayer does not respond to Salām, his prayer is correct, though he has committed a sin.

Issue No.1021- It is obligatory to reply to a Salām in a way that one who greeted him can hear it. However, if he who says Salām is deaf or he is in a place where there is a lot of noise it would suffice if the greeted person replies in the usual way, and as a recommended precaution, he should also reply to his Salām by indication.

Issue No.1022- It is obligatory that a person, who is in prayer, responds to Salām with the intention of replying to Salām, not with the intention of reciting some verses of the holy Qur’an, etc.

Issue No.1025- If a person enters a place and says Salām to a group of people present there, it is obligatory upon all to reply. However, if one of them replies, it is sufficient.

Issue No.1026- If a person says Salām to a group of people among whom some are offering prayer, and one praying doubts whether the Salām was intended for him or not, it will not be necessary for him to reply in return. Similarly, if he is sure that the one who had greeted intended him as well, then he should reply, unless someone else already responded.

Issue No.1027- It is a highly recommended act to greet with Salām, and a great stress has been laid on this in the holy Qur’an and Islamic narrations. It is befitting that a riding person should greet one who is walking, and a person who is standing should greet one who is sitting, and a younger person should greet an elder.

Issue No.1028- If two persons simultaneously say Salām to each other, both should answer the Salām of the other as an obligatory precaution.

Issue No.1029- It is obligatory for a praying individual to answer the greetings and salutations of others while offering prayer even if they greet him in a foreign language. Therefore, if the individual who has greeted speaks Arabic, the praying person should greet them back in Arabic; otherwise one must greet them back in their own language.

Issue No.1030- It is recommended that one’s response to Salām be better (except in prayer where one should, as was explained before, answer in the same words) For example, when one says Salamun Alaykum [outside of the prayer], the other should say “Salamun Alaykum Wa rahmatullah” in reply.

Issue No. 1035 - If a person remains silent during prayer for a long period that it may not be said that he is offering prayer, his prayer is void. However, if one remains silent for some time and then doubts whether this amount of silence has invalidated his prayer or not, his prayer is correct. Similarly, if he performs an act during prayer in which he doubts whether it has disturbed the form of his prayer or not, his prayer will be valid.

Issue No. 1039 - If a person doubts after the prayer, whether he performed any of the invalidators or not, he should ignore his doubt and his prayer is correct.

Issue No. 1053 - If a person doubts while rising to stand, whether or not he has performed tashahhud, or while going into sajdah, doubts whether or not he has performed rukū‘, the obligatory precaution is to go back and perform it.