Replying to Salaam on Whatsapp
Question
1. If a person makes salaam in WhatsApp group, do all participants have to reply, or would one or a few participants replying enough?
Answer
A- No, it will not be necessary on each individual on the group to reply to the Salaam. If one person or a few individuals responds to the Salaam, it will suffice for the entire group.
2. If a person types, ‘Salaam’ (instead of Assalāmu Alaykum), is that a valid Salaam? Do we need to reply?
A- If Salaam was made with following words ‘Assalamualaikum or Salaamun Alaikum’ then it will be regarded as Salaam and it will be necessary to respond. The Arabic is recorded below:
Any other words of Salaam such as ‘Salaams’ or ‘Slmz’ will not be considered as a proper Salaam hence not necessary to respond.
References (Arabic / Urdu sources)
قال في شرح الشرعة: واعلم أنهم قالوا إن السلام سنة واستماعه مستحب، وجوابه أي رده فرض كفاية (الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين 6/413)
اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم or سَّلَامٌ عَلَيْكُم
ولفظ السلام في المواضع كلها: السلام عليكم أو سلام عليكم بالتنوين، وبدون هذين كما يقول الجهال، لا يكون سلاما (الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين 6/416)
- Answered by
- Maulana Abdul Kader Fazlani
- Checked & approved by
- Mufti Mohammed Desai Saheb
Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Ifta Ibn Masood. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.