The Quran Says "Salamun Alaikum"

Here is the last one for today. 

This is to follow up on the very, very long list of things that are NOT found in the Quran. 

We have discussed earlier that the oft used phrase 'Allahu Akbar' is not found in the Quran.  The word 'akbar'  as a name for Allah is simply not found in the Quran.  

Most Muslims (not all though) do not know that the very common greetings Assalamu Alaikum (peace be upon you) and its reply Wa Alaikum Salam (and upon you be peace) are different from what is mentioned in the Quran.  The Quran does not mention Assalamu Alaikum orWa Alaikum Salam. 

What is found mentioned (numerous times) in the Quran is only Salamun Alaikum - a slight yet significant difference from Assalamu Alaikum.  These are greetings or 'haiyy' in Arabic.

There are some Arabs and Turkish people who use the Quranic version 'Salamun Alaikum' when they greet each other.  I know a professor of Islamic studies of Lebanese descent here in Kuala Lumpur who always greets people with 'Salamun Alaikum'. This is the correct Islamic greeting exactly from the Quran.

Also when people sing the nasyid (lagu-lagu nasyid)  and the qasidah (songs that praise the Prophet) they frequently sing 'Ya Nabi Salamun Alaika'.  They never sing 'Ya Nabi Assalamu alaikum'.   So there is a difference even in the nasyid and the qasidah.

Now here is the exact reference in the Quran : 

Surah 6:54 'When those who believe in our revelations (ayat) come to you, you shall say, "Salamun Alaykum".

This is a very clear statement in the Quran.  So where does the slightly different Assalamu Alaikum come from?  The answer to this question perhaps lies in the reply greeting. 

In daily practise when Muslims say Assalamu Alaikum the reply greeting is 'Wa Alaikum Salam'  which means 'and upon you be peace'.

The Quran does NOT mention this  'Wa Alaikum Salam' reply greeting at all.

The Quran only mentions one type of greeting 'Salamun Alaikum'.  When one person says 'Salamun Alaikum' the reply can also be  'Salamun Alaikum'. 

However it is the Jews, the Hebrew and Yiddish speaking Jews, who greet with  "Shalom-aleichem" (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם)  which means "Peace be upon you". And their appropriate reply greeting in Hebrew  is "aleikhem shalom" or "upon you be peace." 

Hence the reply greeting "aleikhem shalom" of the Jews is very similar to the "wa alaikum salam" of the Muslim practise, which is NOT found in the Quran.  

Hence you cannot blame the Jews if they say that both the "assalamu alaikum" and the reply "wa alaikum salam" of the Arabs more closely reflects their Jewish greeting.

The Quran however will have no problem and no issue with the Jews because the Quranic greeting is slightly different.

Surah 6:54 'When those who believe in our revelations (ayat) come to you, you shall say, "Salamun `Alaykum".

We cannot find the greetings assalamu alaikum, wa alaikum salam, shalom aleikhem andaleikhem shalom anywhere in the Quran.

Folks, there is a slightly deeper message to this walkabout. Muslims must bear in mind that the Quran was brought to us by the Nabi who was also our Rasul (Messenger).  Can the Nabi say one thing in the Quran and then  - after putting down the Quran - say something else, something slightly different or even something completely different from the Quran? 

It is the same Rasul who taught the Muslims :


Surah 61:2 O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?
Surah 61:3 Most abominable in the sight of GOD is that you say what you do not do.

Meaning, you cannot say one thing today and then do something else another day. You cannot "cakap tak serupa bikin".

Honest Muslims need to ponder how come so many things that you believe or things that you uphold cannot be found inside the Quran?  Then when there are somethings that are indeed mentioned in the Quran, you do not follow it or you do not believe in doing it.  

Note: Nice Quote Tuan Syed