Greetings in Arabic: as-salāmu ʿalaykum, marḥaban and their replies

As-salāmu ʿalaykum and its reply

As-salāmu ʿalaykum means peace be upon you, and its answer, wa-ʿalaykumu s-salām, reverses the words: and upon you be peace. English Wikipedia's article on the greeting describes it as a Muslim religious salutation whose use predates Islam and which is common among non-Muslim speakers of Arabic as well. Related forms exist in older Semitic languages: Aramaic šlāmā ʿalḵōn and Hebrew shalom aleichem.

The grammar of the greeting surprises learners. ʿAlaykum is the plural you, but Wiktionary's usage note says the plural form is predominantly used to one person too, and the Wikipedia article adds that the masculine plural is used even for women. A fuller version adds the mercy and blessings of God: as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu llāhi wa-barakātuh, and the reply may be extended in the same way. In colloquial speech the article notes a short salām on its own.

The greeting is old. The same article dates the use of salām as an Arabic greeting at least to the 6th-century poet Laqit bin Yamar al-Ayadi, and counts seven occurrences in the Qur'an, always in the indefinite form salāmun ʿalaykum. A third-person variant, ʿalayhi s-salām, peace be upon him, is used by Muslims after the names of prophets and angels, and is a formula of respect, not a greeting.

The greeting is not tied to a time of day, and the Wikipedia article notes that the short salām is used as a greeting in other languages as well. For a visitor it is the safest greeting in Arabic.

Marḥaban and ahlan wa-sahlan: hello and welcome

Marḥaban is the everyday hello. Wiktionary relates it to a verb meaning to be wide, the same root as the verb to welcome, so the idea is room and space for the guest. Maltese, which grew out of Arabic, still has it as merħba.

Ahlan wa-sahlan is the welcome given to a guest. Wiktionary explains it as the short form of an old phrase, you have come across your own people and you have trodden on even ground: ahl means family or kin, and sahl level, easy ground. Ahlan alone is a light hi between friends.

Shukran, thank you, and ʿafwan, which answers thanks with you are welcome but also serves as excuse me or pardon, belong with these greetings in every exchange.

Ṣabāḥ al-ḫayr and ṣabāḥ an-nūr: greetings with a fixed reply

The time-of-day greetings in Arabic come in pairs. Ṣabāḥ al-ḫayr, morning of goodness, is good morning, and the answer is not the same phrase repeated but ṣabāḥ an-nūr, morning of light, as Wiktionary records. The evening works the same way: masāʾ al-ḫayr is answered with masāʾ an-nūr.

Good night is a wish said at parting, not a greeting. Wiktionary translates tuṣbiḥu ʿalá ḫayr simply as good night and notes that it agrees in gender and number with the person addressed, so a woman and a group hear different forms of the verb.

Asking after someone's health is part of the greeting. Kayfa ḥāluka? to a man and kayfa ḥāluki? to a woman mean how are you?, and a usual answer is al-ḥamdu li-llāh, praise be to God. Parting, Arabic speakers say maʿa s-salāma, literally with safety.

Spoken Arabic and regional greetings

The greetings on this page are those of Modern Standard Arabic, understood everywhere. Spoken Arabic differs from country to country, and English Wikipedia's article on Arabic grammar notes that the dialects drop most final case endings. The greeting article adds that colloquial speech often shortens as-salāmu ʿalaykum to a plain salām.

Two religious phrases accompany greetings in daily life. Al-ḥamdu li-llāh answers a question about health, and in šāʾa llāh, if God wills, goes with plans for the future. Wiktionary's example sentence for it is I will visit my relatives in Riyadh this summer, God willing.