Verse. 579

'Abdullāh Ibn 'Abbās / Muḥammad al-Fīrūzabādī

تفسير : (when ye are greeted with a greeting) when someone greets you with a greeting, (greet ye with a better than it) this is for those of your religion and belief by adding to the formula of greeting (or return it) or return the exact greeting, if the one who greets you happens to be of another religion. (lo! allah taketh count of all things) of greeting and the return of greetings, just as he is a witness and will reward all. this verse was revealed about a group of people who refrained from returning greetings.

Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī

تفسير : and when you are greeted with a greeting, as when it is said to you, ‘peace be upon you’, greet, the one that greeted you, with better than it, by responding to him with, ‘peace be upon you, and god’s mercy and blessings’, or return it, by saying back to him what he said; in other words, it is a duty to greet in one of these two ways, the former being the preferred one. surely god keeps count of, he holds [you] accountable for, all things, and requites accordingly, including things such as returning a greeting. the sunna specifies that one should not return the greeting of an disbeliever, an innovator, a wicked person, and of the one that greets a person who is in the act of relieving himself, or one in the bath, or one eating — indeed it is actually disapproved with the exception of the last. to the disbeliever [who says ‘peace be upon you’] one should simply say, ‘and upon you’.

Sahl al-Tustari

تفسير : when you are offered a greeting, respond with a better one, or [at least] return it…this means that you should surpass the greeting that issued [from that person] by acting with sincere friendship (naṣḥ) for god’s sake, exalted is he. the prophet <img border="0" src="images/salatonmassenger.jpg" width="24" height="22"> said, ‘peace (salām) is one of the names of god which he made manifest on earth, so spread it among yourselves.’ his words, exalted is he: