MANNERS IN ISLAM

THE ETIQUETTE OF GREETING

It is Sunnah to extend the greeting of peace to the people of a gathering both when you arrive and when you intend to leave. Abu Hurairah (RA) related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “if one of you ends up at a gathering let him extend the greeting of peace, then, let him sit if he deems it better to sit. Then if he stands, if he stands let him extend greetings of peace, for the first (greeting, which he gave upon arriving) is not more than the last (i.e. the greeting he gives when leaving).” (Abu Daawuud)

It Is Disliked To Ask A Person To Get Up From His Seat And Then Sit In His Place

After having sat down in the Masjid or any other place wherein it is permissible to sit, and after having left for some errand, upon returning, you have the greatest right to your seat or place of sitting, provided that you returned in a short period of time. Therefore, if you find someone in your seat or spot, you have the right to ask him to move. Abu Hurairah (RA) related that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “when one of you stands from his seat and then returns to it, he is more deserving of it.” (Muslim)

So long as it is islamically lawful for you to sit in a particular seat, no one has the right to take your seat when you get up for a while, and, while you are seated, no one has the right to ask you to move. Ibn ‘Umar (RA) related that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade a Muslim from asking a man to leave his seat so that someone else can take that seat, but instead ‘make space and spread out.’ (Q58: 11)

And Ibn ‘Umar would hate to sit in the place of a man who stood up (either to give up his place or leave momentarily),(Bukhari). The wisdom behind this ruling is obvious: no one should have the right to belittle his Muslim brother, because belittling others leads to resentment; and Muslims should be humble and kind to one another, because kindness leads to mutual love and compassion. Furthermore, in lawful matters people are equal; your right is your right, and my right is mine, so when someone tries to pry away that right without having just cause for doing so, he is perpetrating a prohibited deed.

                  Source: Book of Manners by Fu’ad bn ‘Abdul-Azeez Ash-Shulhoob