As-Salaamu ‘Alaykoum (السلام عليكم) – Peace be upon you.
Muslims say this every time they meet each other and usually when they leave. I love it because it isn’t a mere “Hello”; it is a blessing. Of course, as with anything you say often, it is possible to forget what exactly you are saying, but when I say it to my Muslim friends I try to be conscious to really mean it. I want peace for them.
I also love it because it so biblical.
- It is part of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:26, “The Lord . . . give you peace.”
- It was used among the ancient Israelites (Judges 19:20, “And the old man said, ‘Peace be to you.’”)
- King David used it (2 Samuel 25:6, “And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.’”).
- An angel spoke it to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 10:19, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.”).
- The Apostle Paul used it as a greeting in almost all his letters (Colossians 1:2, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”).
- The Apostle Peter used it (1 Peter 5:14, “Peace to all of you who are in Christ.”).
- The Apostle John used it (3 John 15, “Peace be to you.”).
- Jesus Christ used it (Gospel of Luke 24:36, “Peace be to you.”).
- Jesus Christ commanded his followers to say it (Gospel of Luke 10:5, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’”).
- God used it (Judges 6:23, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.’”).
Isn’t it remarkable to see so many biblical examples of this and yet as Christians we don’t regularly speak peace to one another? This is definitely something we can learn from our Muslim friends.
I’m hopeful that as this blog continues we can begin to understand a biblical theology of peace. If I can better understand peace then I can better speak one of my favorite greetings, “As-salaamu ‘Alakoum”.
An Egyptian Christian friend of mine says this as well. I like how he takes both of your hands and looks you in the eye. It is very warm and friendly.
I am excited about your website. I just returned from 16 days in Indonesia. I fell in love with the Muslim people and was given a great burden for their souls. I went to several places of prayer and observed their devotion as well as a couple of Mosques. I gained a deeper understanding of them than I could ever gain from a book or from many uninformed perspectives that I have been given.
God bless this site!
Bill,
It is so true that in meeting people we learn so much more than we ever could by reading a book. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Peace be to you my brothers and sisters! I began adopting this greeting just yesterday, and am encouraged to read your account here. Thanks for sharing.
I thought the greeting was specific to the muslim faith, doesn’t it have any religious connotations?
Thanks for the nice post.
Muslims are usually portrayed as coming from outer space. The truth is that Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the same product in different packaging. All are sons of Abraham, Ishmail (Ismail) and Isaac.
Everyone in these three groups have six days for themseleves and one day for God. Sunday is for Christians, Saturday is for Jew and Friday is for Muslims. Moreover, Muslims have eleven months for themselves and one month for God. That month is called Ramadan.
Salam,
Ali
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