Is it permissible for a Muslim to greet a non-Muslim first?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
A Muslim is not permitted to initiate the greeting of salam with non-Muslims, due to the prohibition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) against it. However, it is obligatory to return their greeting if they initiate it, by saying "Wa alaykum" if one is uncertain about their exact wording. As for greetings like "Ahlan wa sahlan" (welcome), it is not permissible to initiate them except out of necessity, such as to avert harm or to maintain kinship ties.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/2956
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 2956
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy