[Q]: If a person gives salāms but it is in a written form—printed in an article, magazine, or book—or said verbally on a radio channel or television station, is it obligatory for anyone who hears or reads this greeting to reply to it because replying to the salām is obligatory?

Imām ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz answers:

[A]: Replying to any greeting in such circumstances is considered farḍ kifāyah [an obligation that is alleviated for a group if fulfilled by a single person among them]. This is because, in such a situation, the greeting is being broadcasted to a large group of people such that it is sufficient for only some of them to actually reply to it. Although the best course of action would be for every single person who hears this greeting to reply to it, as proven by the evidence that supports replying to the salām in general. As the Most High said:

وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَسِيبًا

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. Certainly, Allāh is Ever a Careful Account Taker of all things.”
(Al-Nisāʾ, 4:86)

And the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم): “There are five duties that are considered the right of one Muslim upon another” and among them was “returning his salām”.¹ Also, his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying: “By the One in whose hands my soul resides! You shall never enter Paradise until you believe, and you shall never attain belief until you show love for one another. Shall I not inform you of a practice that shall cause love to blossom amongst yourselves? Spread the greeting of ‘salām’ amongst yourselves”.² And Muslim narrated in his Ṣaḥīḥ, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “There are six duties that are considered the right of one Muslim over another. They are:

1. If you meet him, then greet him with the salām.
2. If he invites you then answer his invitation.
3. If he seeks your counsel then advise him.
4. If he praises Allāh after sneezing, then invoke Allāh for him saying ‘May Allāh have mercy on you’.
5. If he falls ill, then visit him.
6. And if he dies, then follow his funeral procession”.

³

The narrations regarding the blessing attributable to giving and replying to the salām are plentiful. And with Allāh belongs to true guidance.⁴

Imām Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn answers:

Is the verbally disseminated salām live?

[Questioner]: Yes the Shaykh is giving salām live on the radio or television.

[A]: I ask because sometimes these programs are recorded and they re-broadcast them. Anyways, if the verbal salām is pre-recorded, then there is no obligation to reply to it, as it is actually only the broadcasting of a sound that was made in the past. If the verbally disseminated salām is given live, then replying to this may be obligatory or not. Its obligation stems from the fact that it remains a form of salām that is being distributed and heard. Therefore, anyone who hears it must reply. Contrarily, replying to it may not be considered obligatory because the one giving the salām is unable to hear the answer to his greeting, nor is he waiting expectantly for it. The most encompassing, safe course of action would obviously be to simply reply to the greeting.

[Questioner] This is more encompassing?

[A]: Yes, I say more encompassing but I am unable to issue a ruling of wujūb [obligation].⁵

As for the salām that is issued in the form of writing, then—for the one who wishes to do so—he may reply to the salām in writing [or typing] just as it was given to him originally. This is because one should endeavour to reply to any salām that is given. However, if the message being sent does not require an answer from any specific individual, then a person may simply reply to the greeting verbally, despite the fact that the one who greeted him is unable to hear his reply. In this instance, the unheard reply may still act as an invocation that Allāh preserves and protects the greeter from harm.⁶