Greeting every Muslim, known to you or not, is a sunnah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) greeted everyone he met, whether he knew them or not; he never neglected to greet children he came across either. He said, "Spread the greeting of peace among yourselves," seeing the greeting as a practice that increased love among believers.
What does the hadith say?
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ خَالِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْخَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ رَجُلاً، سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَىُّ الإِسْلاَمِ خَيْرٌ قَالَ " تُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ، وَتَقْرَأُ السَّلاَمَ عَلَى مَنْ عَرَفْتَ وَمَنْ لَمْ تَعْرِفْ ".
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) , "What sort of deeds or (what qualities of) Islam are good?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, 'To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not Know
Text: Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 12. Grade: sahih (hadiths in al-Bukhari and Muslim are accepted as sahih).
What is the hadith source of this sunnah?
This sunnah rests on the following hadiths. The reference gives the collection, chapter and number where the hadith appears.
- al-Bukhari, Book of Faith, 6 (hadith no. 12)
- Muslim, Book of Faith, 93 (hadith no. 194)
- Muslim, Book of Greetings, 14 (hadith no. 5663)
How this page was prepared: sources and verification method.
More sunnahs in Greetings
As a table with references: Greetings sunnahs.
- Returning a Greeting Well: A greeting must be returned with at least its like, and if possible with something better.
- Greeting When Entering a Gathering: Giving the greeting when entering and leaving a gathering is a sunnah.
- Greeting When Entering the Home: Greeting the household as you enter your home brings blessing to it.