Not returning someone’s salam by calling him a hypocrite

Question

Zayd greeted ‘Umar with salam, but ‘Umar did not return Zayd’s salam. When Sa‘id, who was sitting beside ‘Umar, asked ‘Umar about not returning Zayd’s salam, ‘Umar said that Zayd is a munafiq (hypocrite), and a Muslim should not return the salam of a munafiq. Yet, praise be to Allah, all three of them are Muslims. Kindly inform us of the ruling of the Shari‘a. In the light of the Qur’an and hadith, how should the biradari (a kinship or caste community)

Answer

Returning a salam is a right of a Muslim, and it is wajib. [ar]عن أبي هريرة ﵁ قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: للمؤمن على المؤمن ستة خصال: يعوده إذا مرض، ويشهده إذا مات، ويجيبه إذا دعاه، ويسلم عليه إذا لقيه…[/ar] It is narrated from Abu Hurayra ﵁: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘A believer owes a believer six things: to visit him when he is ill, to be present with him when he dies, to…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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