Why Do We Greet the Deceased with Salaam in Islam?

Understanding the Purpose of Salaam for the Deceased in Islam

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught us that when we meet a Muslim brother or pass by them, we should greet them with Salaam. Giving Salaam is a Sunnah act, and it is obligatory to respond to Salaam when it is given. Anyone who fails to respond to Salaam is sinful for neglecting this obligation. Salaam increases love and eliminates hatred between people, which is why the Prophet (ﷺ) instructed us to spread Salaam widely. In this article, the focus is on why we greet the deceased in the graveyard. Do the deceased hear our Salaam and respond to it?

The answer to whether the deceased hear Salaam or respond to it is a matter of the unseen, and for that, clear evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith is required. Upon searching for an answer in the Qur’an and Hadith, we find no explicit verse or authentic Hadith stating that the deceased hear or respond to Salaam. On the contrary, many verses and authentic Hadiths indicate that the deceased neither hear, speak, nor can respond. Based on these general proofs, we can conclude that the deceased neither hear Salaam nor respond to it.

An objection arises here: If the deceased neither hear nor respond to Salaam, why then do we offer Salaam to the dead?
The answer is that giving Salaam to the inhabitants of the graves is to invoke peace and blessings upon them. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not teach us to greet the deceased with Salaam; rather, he taught us to enter the graveyard and make supplications for the deceased. Therefore, let us first look at the supplications, then provide further clarification.

In Sahih Muslim, under the Book of Funerals (Kitab al-Jana’iz), there is a chapter titled: باب مَا يُقَالُ عِنْدَ دُخُولِ الْقُبُورِ وَالدُّعَاءِ لأَهْلِهَا (Chapter: What should be said upon entering the graves and supplicating for the people of the graves).
Under this chapter, three Hadiths are narrated, all of which mention a specific prayer upon entering the graveyard:

1. First Hadith:
   السلام عليكم دار قوم مؤمنين، واتاكم ما توعدون، غدا مؤجلون، وإنا إن شاء الله بكم لاحقون، اللهم اغفر لاهل بقيع الغرقد
   (Sahih Muslim: 2255)
   Translation: “Peace be upon you, O believers’ home! The promise you were given has come to you. You will be delayed until tomorrow, and if Allah wills, we will meet you. O Allah, forgive the inhabitants of Baqi’ al-Gharqad.”
   
2. Second Hadith:
   السلام على اهل الديار من المؤمنين والمسلمين، ويرحم الله المستقدمين منا والمستاخرين، وإنا إن شاء الله بكم للاحقون
   (Sahih Muslim: 2256)
   Translation: “Peace be upon the inhabitants of these homes, the believers and Muslims. May Allah have mercy on those who went before us and those who come after us, and if Allah wills, we will be with you.”
   
3. Third Hadith:
   السلام عليكم اهل الديار من المؤمنين والمسلمين، وإنا إن شاء الله للاحقون اسال الله لنا ولكم العافية
   (Sahih Muslim: 2257)
   Translation: “Peace be upon you, O people of the homes, the believers and Muslims. We, if Allah wills, will follow you. I ask Allah for health for us and for you.”
   

The words in these three supplications and the chapter under which they are found in Sahih Muslim indicate that the purpose of the Salaam is to invoke peace and blessings upon the deceased, not to greet them directly. Therefore, it is clear that the Salaam given is a supplication for peace and safety for them, not a direct greeting. This is why the words of Salaam are followed by additional sentences that are duas for the deceased’s well-being.

If the purpose of giving Salaam to the deceased was to greet them, then their response would be obligatory. However, we know that we cannot hear a response from the deceased. If someone claims that the deceased heard and responded to Salaam, then, based on their claim, the deceased would be guilty for not responding, which contradicts the established teaching that the deceased do not reply. Furthermore, the practice is to say Salaam first, then offer other words. The supplication upon entering the graveyard includes both Salaam and additional words, which clearly indicate that these are supplications for the well-being of the deceased.

In addition to Sahih Muslim, in other Hadith books where the supplication for the graveyard is mentioned, the emphasis is on prayer or seeking forgiveness, not on greeting the deceased. If the intention was to greet the deceased, a specific chapter would have been dedicated to “Greeting the deceased” as we see in the chapters dealing with general greetings in Hadith literature. For instance, Imam Nasai’s chapter on entering the graveyard contains: باب: الأَمْرِ بِالاِسْتِغْفَارِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (Chapter: The command to seek forgiveness for the believers).

Conclusion:
To offer Salaam to the deceased is essentially to make dua for their peace and safety. The deceased do not hear our Salaam nor respond to it. This is similar to how we offer peace and blessings to the righteous servants of Allah in the Tashahhud during prayers, where we say:
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 831)
“Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah.” Here, we are not greeting anyone directly, but making a prayer for ourselves and for other righteous believers.

It is now clear that when we offer Salaam in the graveyard, it is as if we are making dua for the deceased’s well-being and peace, and the deceased neither hears nor responds to our Salaam. Although some narrations suggest that the deceased might hear and respond to Salaam, such narrations have been deemed weak by scholars like Al-Suyuti and others. For example, a narration in al-Jami’ al-Saghir (8043) states:
ما منْ عبدٍ يمرُّ بقبرِ رجلٍ كان يعرفُهُ في الدُّنيا فسلَّمَ عليهِ إلا عرفهُ وردَّ عليهِ السلامَ
(Al-Silsilah al-Da’ifah: 4493)
Translation: “Whenever a servant passes by the grave of someone he knew in the world and greets him with Salaam, the deceased recognizes him and responds to his Salaam.”
However, this narration has been declared weak by scholars, including Sheikh Albani, and cannot be relied upon. Therefore, no authentic narration confirms that the deceased heard or responded to Salaam.