If a Jewish person said to you "Shalom" would you answer "Aleikhem Shalom" ?
If a Muslim said "Salaam Alaikum" would you answer "As- Salaam Alaikum" or "Ma Salaami" ?
If someone said "Peace be with you" would you answer 'And Peace be unto you" ? If not formally, then informally?
I would.
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I would likely answer in kind.
My Christian Syrian relatives would also say "Salaam"!
@ Chimp
Yes to all
Sure. Nothing wrong with being polite.
Assuming I knew what was being said, I would reply the same or with a shorter greeting.
No problem, it only means "Peace" or "Harmony." We use a very similar greeting in Korea. "An-yong ha say-yo." It simply means "peace" and it used as a common greeting in face to face contact. To say "Hello" on a phone, one would say "Yo-bo say-yo." I would answer "Shalom." Especially if I were in a Hebrew speaking country or were visiting a synagogue.
chimp3,
Regarding greetings from Jews and muslims =
According to the Jewish Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 61a =
"MISHNAH. A WOMAN MAY LEND TO ANOTHER WHO IS SUSPECTED OF NOT OBSERVING THE SABBATICAL YEAR11 A FAN OR A SIEVE OR A HANDMILL OR A STOVE, BUT SHE SHOULD NOT SIFT OR GRIND WITH HER. THE WIFE OF A HABER12 MAY LEND TO THE WIFE OF AN 'AM HA-AREZ12 A FAN OR A SIEVE AND MAY WINNOW AND GRIND AND SIFT WITH HER, BUT ONCE SHE HAS POURED WATER OVER THE FLOUR SHE SHOULD NOT TOUCH ANYTHING WITH HER, BECAUSE IT IS NOT RIGHT TO ASSIST THOSE WHO COMMIT A TRANSGRESSION.13 ALL THESE RULES14 WERE LAID DOWN ONLY IN THE INTERESTS OF PEACE. HEATHENS MAY BE ASSISTED15 IN THE SABBATICAL YEAR BUT NOT ISRAELITES, AND GREETING MAY BE GIVEN TO THEM, IN THE INTERESTS OF PEACE.16 "
http://www.come-and-hear.com/gittin/gittin_61.html
According to the Jewish Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 62a =
"ASSISTANCE MAY BE GIVEN TO HEATHENS IN THE SABBATICAL YEAR. Assistance may be given to them? Has not R. Dimi b. Shishna said in the name of Rab; It is not right to hoe with heathens in the Sabbatical year nor to give a double greeting16 to heathens? — It is quite correct; what is meant is, just to say to them, Ahzuku!17 Thus R. Judah used to say to them, Ahzuku! R. Shesheth used to say to them, Asharta!18
'Nor to give double greeting to heathens.' R. Hisda used to give them greeting first. R. Kahana used to say; Peace [to you,] sir. GREETING MAY BE GIVEN TO THEM, IN THE INTERESTS OF PEACE. Seeing that we may encourage them at their work, do we need to be told that we may give them greeting? — R. Yeba said; The rule had to be stated only for their feast days. For it has been taught; 'A man should not enter the house of a heathen on his feast day, nor give him greeting.19 Should he meet him in the street, he should greet him in a mumbling tone and with downcast head.' As R. Huna and R. Hisda were once sitting together. Geniba20 began to pass by. Said one to the other, Let us rise before him, since he is a learned man.21 The other replied; Shall we rise before one who is quarrelsome? At this point he came up to them and said, Peace to you, kings, peace to you, kings. They said to him; Whence do you learn that the Rabbis are called kings? He replied; Because it is written, By me [wisdom]22 kings reign.23 They then said; And whence do you learn that double greeting is to be given to kings? He replied; From what Rab Judah said in the name of Rab; 'How do we know that double greeting should be given to a king? Because it says, Then the spirit came upon Amasai who was chief of the thirty etc.24 They said to him; Would you care for a bite with us? He replied; Thus said Rab Judah in the name of Rab; It is forbidden to a man to taste anything until he has given food to his beast, as it says [first]. And I will give grass in thy field for thy cattle, and then, Thou shalt eat and be full.25 "
http://www.come-and-hear.com/gittin/gittin_62.html
*The numbers are footnotes. All passages in the Talmud have loads of footnotes.
According to the hadiths a muslim isn't to greet a Jew or a Christian first.
"Sahih Muslim Book 026, Hadith Number 5389.
Chapter : Prohibition of saying first as-Salam-u-Alaikum to the people of the book, and how their salutations should be responded.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not greet the Jews and the Christians before they greet you and when you meet any one of them on the roads force him to go to the narrowest part of it."
http://www.hadithcollection.com/sahihmuslim/154-Sahih%20Muslim%20Book%20...
Are such greetings sincere or are they fake?
Good lord. Real research!
Thanks for that Diotrephes!
@Diotrephes:
I don't give a shit what some bronze age book says. I can think for myself. If someone wishes me peace, I will wish them the same.
chimp3,
"I don't give a shit what some bronze age book says."
That's nice but there are billions of people who do believe in those bronze age books. And there are millions who will do exactly what those books say when it comes to how they should deceive outsiders. Just saying.
I don't care what they do. I have nothing to lose. I wish them peace.
Possibly, I tend to make the effort if I go to another country to learn enough of the language to get by and be polite... I don't see why that cannot be the case again here.
First of all I have to say that I am glad to be back on atheist republic.Greetings to everyone on AR.
Anyways coming back to your question, yes I do answer 'asalamu- alaikum' with 'walaikum-asalam' everytime someone wishes me.I kind of have to, because there is always the fear of being exposed which could be dangerous.Having said that, even if that wasn't the case I would still wish a person back.I don't find anything wrong with wishing peace for someone.
Muhammed Ali: If you are an arabic speaker I have a question. I learned the response "As-Salaam Alaikum" as a barely practicing Sufi years ago. My Syrian/ Lebanese grandmother and great aunts would say "ma-salaami" . So did a Lebanese girlfriend. Is ma-salaami less formal?
chimp3
No, I don't speak Arabic.But I surely know that 'asalamu-alaikum' is not a response.'walaikum-asalam' is the response to 'asalamu-alaikum'.
However I do speak Urdu and a little Persian both derivatives of Arabic but I have never come across the word 'ma-salaami'.
Sorry for the late response.
i say .. chow!!!
I usually say "Sure".
"Hello"
I would respond back the way they greeted me. However, this past summer I worked at a Catholic School Board, and I spoke to one religious woman on the phone (the board needed to order books from her for students). At the end of the call she said "it was really nice to speak with you, you are such a charming young man, God bless you!". Being non-religious, I figured, why would I say such a thing back? I responded with "uh, thanks".