866/1 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do not initiate the greeting to the Jews and Christians. And if you meet one of them on a road, force him to the narrowest part of it.” [Narrated by Muslim]
“Force him to the narrowest part of it”: This applies when the road is not wide enough, so that the Muslim uses the wider part and the disbeliever is forced to the roadside. It does not mean crowding with the disbeliever when the road is wide enough for all.
1) It is not permissible to initiate the greeting of peace to a disbeliever, for this would be a form of honoring him, whereas a disbeliever should be humiliated, not honored.
2) Vexing the disbelievers is something required in the religion. Yet we should do so without being unjust to them or breaking any covenant with them. We must establish justice and avoid oppression.
Someone may ask: Is it permissible to initiate talk to disbelievers with other than the greeting of peace, such as saying: “How are you?” or “How are you doing today?” or “May Allah keep you sound” or the like?
The answer is: Yes, this is permissible and nothing is wrong with it, for these are normal questions and a supplication that Allah keeps their heart free from polytheism. The reported prohibition pertains to the greeting of Islam.
867/2 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If the people of the Scripture greet you, say: ‘Wa ‘alaykum’ (And upon you).” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
There are circumstances surrounding this Hadīth which ought to be mentioned for a better understanding. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “A group of Jews sought permission to enter the Prophet’s place. They said: ‘As-Sām ‘alaykum.’ (Death be upon you – the Arabic terms Salām [peace] and Sām [death] sound very close) I said: ‘Rather, upon you is death and curse.’ Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘O ‘Ā’ishah, Allah loves gentleness in all things.’ I said: ‘Didn‘t you hear what they said?’ He said: ‘I said: ‘Wa ‘alaykum’ (And upon you).” [Narrated by Muslim]
‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the Jews greet you, they say: ‘Al-Sām be upon you.’ So say: ‘Upon you.’”
Al-Sām means death and ruin.
It is clear from the two Hadīths that we should only say to them “Wa ‘alaykum”, if they show their evil intent by saying ”As-Sām”. But if they give the Islamic greeting, i.e. “As-Salām ‘alaykum”, we should return it according to the instructions in the Qur’an: {And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner].}
1) The believer should be smart, not getting deceived by the cunning and evil of the disbelievers. He should be guided by the light and insight derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
2) It is permissible to respond to aggression and injustice in the like manner, without exceeding the limits.
3) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was compassionate towards his Ummah, as he taught them the cunning ways of their enemies so that they could be on guard.
868/3 - Usāmah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a gathering that had a mix of Muslims, polytheists - idol worshipers - and Jews, and he greeted them. [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) It is permissible to give the greeting of peace to a gathering that comprises a mix of Muslims and disbelievers with the intention of addressing the Muslims among them only with the greeting of peace.
2) One of the reasons behind the prohibition of initiating the greeting of peace to a disbeliever is that “Islam is superior and nothing is more superior to it.” [Narrated by Al-Darāqutni; classified as Sahīh] (authentic)]