Correct Way of Saying (السلام عليكم) Assalamualaikum - (Peace Be Upon You)

One should bring a small positive change in one’s life just by knowing the meanings of correct and incorrect pronunciation of Salaam. Remember if we have said the wrong pronunciation unintentionally then its no sin on us. But now that we know it, we can avoid incorrect pronunciation as it becomes cursing instead of such a beautiful prayer.


The Correct Pronunciation(السلام عليكم) ASSALAMUALAIKUM – (Peace be Upon You)

Common Incorrect Pronunciation

would mean to issue the following curses

x- SAAM-O-OALAIKUM – (Destruction be upon you)

x- ASAAM-O-ALAIKUM – (Death be Upon You)

x- ASSA-E-KUM – (May you stay short of Happiness)

x- SLAM-LE-KUM – (condemned be you)

It is preferred to use the greeting when arriving and also when leaving. It was reported that Abu Hurayrah said “When one of you joins a gathering, let him say salaam. When he wants to get up and leave, let him say salaam. The former is not more important than the latter.”(Saheeh – Al-Tirmidhi)According to hadith the Islamic prophet Muhammad SAW was asked who should “begin” the salam greeting, and he said:
“The one who is riding should greet the one who is walking, and the one who is walking should greet the one who is sitting, and the smaller group should greet the larger group.”(Saheeh – Al-Bukhaari, 6234; Muslim, 2160)It is also stated that one should give the Salam greeting upon entering a house. This is based upon the verse of the Qur’an:
“But when you enter the houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah (i.e. say: ‘Assalaamu Aleykum’ — peace be on you), blessed and good.” (Al-Noor 24:61)