Darul Ifta Ibn Masood

Replying to Salaam on Whatsapp

· 18 Rajab 1445 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

If a person sends a greeting over Whatsapp, is it necessary to type a reply, or if a person replies to this greeting from where they are and doesn’t type it out, will that be fine?

Answer

The Kitaabs of Fiqh state that it is necessary to respond to the Salaam in a manner that the person who initiated the Salaam hears the reply. If this is not possible, then one should indicate to the reply so that the person that initiated the Salaam knows that you have replied. In conclusion, one may reply via a voice note so that the reply is verbally heard, or one should reply in writing so that the other party knows that you have replied.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

قَالَ فِي شَرْحِ الشِّرْعَةِ: وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إنَّ السَّلَامَ سُنَّةٌ وَاسْتِمَاعَهُ مُسْتَحَبٌّ، وَجَوَابُهُ أَيْ رَدُّهُ فَرْضُ كِفَايَةٍ، وَإِسْمَاعُ رَدِّهِ وَاجِبٌ بِحَيْثُ لَوْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهُ لَا يَسْقُطُ هَذَا الْفَرْضُ عَنْ السَّامِعِ حَتَّى قِيلَ لَوْ كَانَ الْمُسَلِّمُ أَصَمَّ يَجِبُ عَلَى الرَّادِّ أَنْ يُحَرِّكَ شَفَتَيْهِ وَيُرِيَهُ بِحَيْثُ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ اصم لسمعه (رد المحتار ص413 ج6)

Answered by
Mufti Mohammed Desai
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Source: Darul Ifta Ibn Masood — https://fataawa.co.za/replying-to-salaam-on-whatsapp/
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/ibnmasood-29897

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