As-salāmu ʿalaykum (24×36 Inches)

“As-Salaam-Alaikum,” the Arabic greeting meaning “Peace be unto you,” was the standard salutation among members of the Nation of Islam.

The greeting was routinely deployed whenever and wherever Muslims gathered and interacted, whether socially or within worship and other contexts.

Assalamu alaikum comes from the Arabic word salaam, which means “peace.” Salaam is derived from the same root that the word Islam comes from. The word alaikum is the word ala, which means “on,” combined with a suffix that changes the meaning into “upon you.”

It is also closely related to the Hebrew phrase shalom aleichem. Shalom aleichem also means “peace be upon you.” The words salaam and shalom are both descended from the same Semitic root also meaning “peace.”

The use of the phrase has its roots in the Quran and the Hadith, holy books in Islam. Muslims are instructed to return greetings courteously in Surah an-Nisa: 86 of the Quran. In the Hadith book Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 74, Number 246, Adam, newly created, greets the angels of Allah with assalamu alaikum.