The Etiquette of Greeting

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The young should greet the old, a single individual should greet two together, the fewer number of people should greet the larger number, the person on horseback should greet the one on foot, the person walking should greet the one standing, and the person standing should greet the one sitting.

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'There are five things that I will never leave until death: … and greeting the young, in order that it may remain a practice after me.

Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'Do not extend the greeting of peace to the Jews, nor to the Christians, nor the Magians, nor the idolaters, nor to those who drink alcohol, nor to chess and dice players, nor to an effeminate person, nor to a poet who slanders chaste women of fornication, and nor to someone performing his prayer - and that is because the person praying cannot return the greeting, for verily the initiation of the greeting on the part of the greeter is voluntary whereas returning the greeting is obligatory. Nor [greet] the usurer, nor someone who is sitting in the lavatory, nor someone taking a bath, and nor an outrightly corrupt person who openly commits immoral acts.

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) narrated, 'The Prophet (SAWA) used to greet women and they used to return his greeting. The Commander of the Faithful (AS) also used to greet women, but he used to dislike greeting young [unmarried] girls and used to say, 'I fear lest their voices may be pleasing to me, whence I would end up with more [consequence] than the reward I anticipated [from the greeting].