Replying to Salam in Salat

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُسَلَّمُ عَلَيْهِ وَ هُوَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ قَالَ يَرُدُّ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ لَا يَقُولُ وَ عَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص كَانَ قَائِماً يُصَلِّي فَمَرَّ بِهِ عَمَّارُ بْنُ يَاسِرٍ- فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ عَمَّارٌ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ ص هَكَذَا

From Samā`ah from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said, I asked him (عليه السلام) about a man who salaam is said upon him and he is in salaah. He (عليه السلام) said: He replies “salaamun `alaykum”, and he does not say “wa `alaykum asslaam”, for verily the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was standing and praying and `Ammār bin Yāsir passed by him and `Ammaar said salaam upon him, and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) replied to him as such

Source:

1.     Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, ed. `Alī Akbar al-Ghaffārī, 8 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 3^rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 3, pg. 366, hadeeth # 1

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq
à Mir’āt Al-`Uqūl, 26 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 1410 AH), vol. 15, pg. 240

وَ بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنْ سَعْدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ بَزِيعٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ النُّعْمَانِ عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ إِذَا سَلَّمَ عَلَيْكَ الرَّجُلُ وَ أَنْتَ تُصَلِّي قَالَ تَرُدُّ عَلَيْهِ خَفِيّاً كَمَا قَالَ

From Manṣūr bin Hāzim from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said: “When a man says salaam upon you, and you are praying, He says (عليه السلام) said: “reply to him like he said”

Source:

1.     Al-Tūsī, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, 10 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 4^th Edition, 1407 AH), vol. 2, pg. 332, hadeeth # 222

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Muwaththaq (Reliable)
à Milādh al-Akhyār, 16 vols., (Qum: Maktabah Ayatollah al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī, 1406 AH), vol. 5, pg. 510

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع وَ هُوَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقُلْتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ فَقَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ أَصْبَحْتَ فَسَكَتَ فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ قُلْتُ أَ يَرُدُّ السَّلَامَ وَ هُوَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ قَالَ نَعَمْ مِثْلَ مَا قِيلَ لَهُ

From Muhammad bin Muslim said, I entered upon Abī Ja`far (عليه السلام) and he was in salaah, I said: “Assalaamu `Alayka”, so he (عليه السلام) said: “Assalaamu `Alayka”. So I said: “I became silent (and waited) and when he departed (praying) I said: “Can he reply salaam and he is in salaah? He (عليه السلام) said: “Yes, like what was said to him”

Source:

1.     Al-Tūsī, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, 10 vols., (Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyyah, 4^th Edition, 1407 AH), vol. 2, pg. 329, hadeeth # 205

Grading:

1.     Al-Majlisī said this hadeeth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic)
à Milādh al-Akhyār, 16 vols., (Qum: Maktabah Ayatollah al-Mar`ashī al-Najafī, 1406 AH), vol. 4, pg. 503

Here is a hadeeth at face value you would think that it is not right to send salaam upon someone who is praying, but the scholars interpret it as it being makrooh (disliked) to send salaam. But this hadeeth is da`eef (weak).

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ فِي الْخِصَالِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ مَاجِيلَوَيْهِ عَنْ عَمِّهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ عَنْ هَارُونَ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ مُصَدِّقِ بْنِ صَدَقَةَ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ع قَالَ لَا تُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى الْيَهُودِ وَ لَا النَّصَارَى- إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ وَ لَا عَلَى الْمُصَلِّي وَ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ الْمُصَلِّيَ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ السَّلَامَ لِأَنَّ التَّسْلِيمَ مِنَ الْمُسَلِّمِ تَطَوُّعٌ وَ الرَّدُّ فَرِيضَةٌ وَ لَا عَلَى آكِلِ الرِّبَا وَ لَا عَلَى رَجُلٍ جَالِسٍ عَلَى غَائِطٍ وَ لَا عَلَى الَّذِي فِي الْحَمَّامِ الْحَدِيثَ

From Masadaq bin Sadaqah from Ja`far bin Muhammad from his father (عليه السلام): Do not send salaam upon the Jew, Christian – until He (عليه السلام): “and not upon the person praying, that is because he may not be able to reply to the salaam, and because sending salaam from a Muslim is voluntary and replying is obligatory, and not upon those who eat from ribaa, and not upon a man who is sitting upon the toilet, and not upon those who are in a bathhouse”

Source:

1.     Al-Sadūq, al-KhiSāl, (Qum: Mu`assassah al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 2^nd ed., 1403), vol. 2, ch. 12, pg. 484, hadeeth # 57