O people, spread the greeting of peace, feed others, maintain kinship ties, and pray at night when people are asleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace
Authenticعَنْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: لَمَّا قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمَدِينَةَ انْجَفَلَ النَّاسُ قِبَلَهُ، وَقِيلَ: قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، ثَلَاثًا، فَجِئْتُ فِي النَّاسِ لِأَنْظُرَ، فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنْتُ وَجْهَهُ، عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ وَجْهَهُ لَيْسَ بِوَجْهِ كَذَّابٍ، فَكَانَ أَوَّلُ شَيْءٍ سَمِعْتُهُ تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ أَنْ قَالَ: «يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ، وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ، وَصِلُوا الْأَرْحَامَ، وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ، تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلَامٍ».
‘Abdullāh ibn Salām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madīnah, the people rushed to meet him, and it was said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has come! The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has come! The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has come! Three times. I came with the people to see him, and when I saw his face clearly, I knew that his face was not the face of a liar. The first thing I heard him say was: "O people, spread the greeting of peace, feed others, maintain kinship ties, and pray at night when people are asleep, and you will enter Paradise in peace."
Explanation
When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madīnah and the people saw him, they rushed toward him. Among them was ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a Jew. As he saw him, he knew that his face was not one of a liar, given the light, beauty, and true awe that appeared on it. The first thing he heard from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was that he urged the people to perform deeds that lead them to enter Paradise, such as the following: First: Spreading and proclaiming the greeting of peace and frequently doing it, greeting those you know and those you do not know. Second: Feeding people through charity, gift, and hospitality. Third: Upholding kinship ties from the father's or mother's side. Fourth: Offering the supererogatory prayer of Qiyām al-Layl while people are asleep.
Benefits
- It is recommended to spread the greeting of peace among the Muslims. As for a non-Muslim, we should not initiate the greeting of peace with him. If he gives the greeting, saying: Assalāmu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you), the response should be: Wa‘alaykum (and upon you).
Source · Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
From the Hadith Encyclopedia (hadeethenc.com).