السَّلَامُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
As-Salam
The All-Perfect
As-Salam is the One who is free from every imperfection, and because He is free of any defect, whoever is with Him finds tranquility. Its verse is 59:23, a row of Names, and it is mentioned once in the Quran. The Prophet ﷺ corrected his Companions with it: Allah Himself is As-Salam.
Key verse
﴿هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾He is Allah: there is no god except Him: the King, the Most Holy, the All-Perfect, the Source of Serenity, the Watcher ˹of all˺, the Almighty, the Supreme in Might, the Majestic. Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him ˹in worship˺!
The scholar's text
The One who is free from every imperfection. It is because He is free of any defect that one who is with Him experiences tranquility.
(هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
(He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him.) Al-Hashr 59:23
It is mentioned 1 time in the Holy Quran
السلام، المنزه عن كل نقص. ولأنه منزه عن كل عيب يجد من كان معه الطمأنينة.
(هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
ورد في القرآن الكريم مرة واحدة.
Three Meanings
In its verse, 59:23, As-Salam comes third, after the King and the Most Holy. Al-Qurtubi, on that verse, reports three meanings scholars gave it. First, the One who is safe from every fault and free of every flaw, which is the definition above. Second, the One who greets His servants in Paradise, as 36:58 says. Third, al-Khattabi's view: the One from whose wrongdoing His creation is safe. The first describes Him in Himself, al-Qurtubi explains, and the other two describe what He does.
Arabic: الملك القدوس السلام
تأتي في آيته: ﴿ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ﴾. وذكر القرطبي ثلاثة أقوال: «الأول: معناه الذي سلم من كل عيب وبرئ من كل نقص»، «الثاني: معناه ذو السلام؛ أي المسلم على عباده في الجنة؛ كما قال: سلام قولا من رب رحيم»، «الثالث: أن معناه الذي سلم الخلق من ظلمه»، وهو قول الخطابي، «وعليه والذي قبله يكون صفة فعل. وعلى أنه البريء من العيوب والنقائص يكون صفة ذات». والأول هو التعريف أعلاه.
Allah Himself Is As-Salam
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said that when they prayed behind the Prophet ﷺ, they would say in the sitting: “Peace be on Gabriel, Michael, peace be on so and so”. Some narrations of the report have them saying peace be on Allah. The Prophet ﷺ turned to them and said: “Allah Himself is As-Salam (Peace)”, and taught them the tashahhud instead (Sahih al-Bukhari 831). Peace is not wished upon Allah: He is its source.
Arabic: إن الله هو السلام
قال عبد الله بن مسعود: كنا إذا صلينا خلف النبي ﷺ قلنا: «السَّلاَمُ عَلَى جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَى فُلاَنٍ»، وفي بعض رواياته: «السَّلاَمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ»، فالتفت إلينا رسول الله ﷺ فقال: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّلاَمُ»، ثم علمهم التشهد (صحيح البخاري 831). فالسلام لا يطلب لله، بل هو منه.
The Home of Peace
﴿وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ دَارِ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾And Allah invites ˹all˺ to the Home of Peace and guides whoever He wills to the Straight Path.
10:25 says Allah invites all to the Home of Peace. Allah named Paradise so, al-Sa'di explains, because it is safe from every harm and every lack, its bliss being complete, lasting and good in every way. 6:127 gives the same name to the reward: they will have the Home of Peace with their Lord, who will be their Guardian because of what they used to do.
Arabic: والله يدعو إلى دار السلام
تقول آية يونس: ﴿وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ دَارِ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ﴾، قال السعدي: «وسمى الله الجنة دار السلام لسلامتها من جميع الآفات والنقائص، وذلك لكمال نعيمها وتمامه وبقائه، وحسنه من كل وجه». وفي الأنعام: ﴿لَهُمْ دَارُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ﴾.
A Greeting From the Merciful Lord
﴿سَلَـٰمٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ﴾And “Peace!” will be ˹their˺ greeting from the Merciful Lord.
Al-Qurtubi's second meaning is 36:58: Peace, a greeting to the people of Paradise from the Merciful Lord. Al-Sa'di stops at what that means. Here the Lord speaks to them and greets them, and when the Merciful Lord greets them, their safety is complete from every side and theirs is a greeting with none above it and no bliss like it. Peace is their greeting when they enter (14:23) and on the Day they meet Him (33:44).
Arabic: سلام قولا من رب رحيم
قول القرطبي الثاني في آية يس: ﴿سَلَـٰمٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ﴾، قال السعدي: «ففي هذا كلام الرب تعالى لأهل الجنة وسلامه عليهم، وأكده بقوله: قَوْلًا وإذا سلم عليهم الرب الرحيم، حصلت لهم السلامة التامة من جميع الوجوه، وحصلت لهم التحية، التي لا تحية أعلى منها، ولا نعيم مثلها». وهي تحيتهم حين يدخلونها: ﴿تَحِيَّتُهُمْ فِيهَا سَلَـٰمٌ﴾، ويوم يلقونه: ﴿تَحِيَّتُهُمْ يَوْمَ يَلْقَوْنَهُۥ سَلَـٰمٌ﴾.
The Ways of Peace
﴿يَهْدِى بِهِ ٱللَّهُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ سُبُلَ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ وَيُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾through which Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace, brings them out of darkness and into light by His Will, and guides them to the Straight Path.
5:16 says Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace. Al-Sa'di explains them as the ways that keep a person safe from punishment and bring him to the Home of Peace: knowing the truth and acting on it, in general and in detail. Among people the word becomes a greeting. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Should I not direct you to a thing which, if you do, will foster love amongst you: (i. e.) give currency to (the practice of paying salutation to one another by saying) as-salamu alaikum” (Sahih Muslim 54).
Arabic: يهدي به الله من اتبع رضوانه سبل السلام
تقول آية المائدة: ﴿يَهْدِى بِهِ ٱللَّهُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ سُبُلَ ٱلسَّلَـٰمِ﴾، قال السعدي: «-سبل السلام التي تسلم صاحبها من العذاب، وتوصله إلى دار السلام، وهو العلم بالحق والعمل به، إجمالا وتفصيلا». وبين الناس تصير الكلمة تحية، قال النبي ﷺ: «أَوَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ» (صحيح مسلم 54).
From the Sunnah
Whenever we prayed behind the Prophet (ﷺ) we used to recite (in sitting) 'Peace be on Gabriel, Michael, peace be on so and so. Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) looked back at us and said, 'Allah Himself is As-Salam (Peace)
كُنَّا إِذَا صَلَّيْنَا خَلْفَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قُلْنَا السَّلاَمُ عَلَى جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَى فُلاَنٍ وَفُلاَنٍ . فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّلاَمُ،
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ تَبَارَكْتَ ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ
O Allah: Thou art Peace, and peace comes from Thee, blessed art Thou, Possessor of Glory and Honour
Sahih Muslim 592: what the Prophet ﷺ said after the closing salam of the prayer, as Aisha reported
Related Names
Questions about As-Salam
What does As-Salam mean?
As-Salam is the One free of every flaw, so that whoever is with Him finds tranquility.
Why do we not say peace be upon Allah?
Because, the Prophet ﷺ said, Allah Himself is As-Salam (Sahih al-Bukhari 831).
Why is Paradise called the Home of Peace?
Paradise is called the Home of Peace for its safety from every harm and lack, al-Sa'di says on 10:25: its bliss is complete and lasting.
What should be said after the prayer?
After the closing salam the Prophet ﷺ would say: O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace; blessed are You, Possessor of Glory and Honour (Sahih Muslim 592).