As-Salaam

﷽

The fifth name we will be discussing and learning about is ‘As-Salaam’ – The Source of Peace, The Flawless, The Source of Wholeness and Well-Being

As-Salaam is the One who is perfect, whole, prosperous and content; the One who is the source of all peace, wholeness and safety; the One who is perfect, whole, prosperous and content; the One who is free of imperfections, free of faults and free of error.

Allah calls Himself As-Salaam on one occasion in the Quran. The word ‘Salaam’ comes from the root seen-laam-meem, which points to three main meanings:

The first main meaning is to be peaceful, content, and tranquil
The second is to be free from imperfections
The third main meaning is to be safe, secure, and well

So, how can we live by this name?

1) Believe.
Believing is to follow the guidance and do the actions (deeds). ‘For them therein is fruit, and for them is whatever they request [or wish] [And] “Peace,” a word from a Merciful Lord.’ [Quran, 36:57-58] Continually remind yourself of Allah and all He has taught us so you will strive to do as many good deeds as possible in order to receive the salaam of Allah and become of the people of Paradise.

2) Strive for a clean heart.
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Verily, Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your hearts and to your deeds.’ [Muslim] Just like you are alert for physical diseases and injuries, constantly assess yourself for diseases of the spiritual heart like lying, backbiting, swearing, hypocrisy, jealousy, etc, and seek cure for them in the Quran and Sunnah. All that matters in the end is that you arrive to Al-Quddoos with ‘qalbun saleem’— a sound heart.

3) Be patient in trials.
‘No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah- He will guide his heart.’ [Quran, 64:11] Show patience and perseverance in hard times and As-Salaam will give you peace inside: your heart will have salaam, a feeling of well being, serenity, and peace. There is always khayr and betterment in what Allah has planned for us, even when we think things aren’t working in our favour, Allah is always ensuring the best for you. Place your faith in His plan and practice patience and As-Salaam will guide you and give you peace.

4) Spread the salaam.
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘O People! Spread salaam, feed the hungry, be in touch with your kin, and pray while people are asleep (at night) you shall enter paradise peacefully.’ [At-Tirmidhee] He ﷺ also said about the best actions: ‘Feeding the hungry, and saying salaam to those you know and those you don’t know.’ [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim] Following on with another hadith of the beloved ﷺ : ‘When two Muslims meet (give salaam) and shake hands, they are forgiven their sins before they part’ [Abu Dawood]. The salaam is a pure blessing to us from Allah, As-Salaam, always greet people with salaam and gain that extra ajr.

5) Ask As-Salaam.
When you are very worried, supplicate to Allah ‎ﷻ‬ by this name. You can say, Allahumma antas Salaam (O Allah, You are As-Salaam), save me from this or ask for the safety of others. Ask As-Salaam to make Islam your safe harbour and to bring peace to your heart. Call upon Allah using this name to attain peace

6) Don’t wrong yourself.
If you want the salaam, the security, and the protection of As-Salaam don’t wrong yourself, don’t wrong others, and don’t do wrong in your relationship with Allah ‎ﷻ‬. Allah is As-Salaam, which means He cannot be unjust. You wrong yourself by sinning and not fulfilling the rights of others. Don’t do wrong by yourself, take care of the body Allah has gifted you and take care of your soul as well. Learn to take care of yourself in every way, physically, spiritually, mentally, etc. and also as I’ve mentioned in the past two posts, never do wrong towards others. Of course if you do then actively make that effort to improve and do better. Purify your intentions and ask As-Salaam to help guide you into being someone who takes care of themselves and others.

7) Supplicate after prayer.
When you finish your salah, supplicate as the Prophet ﷺ did with: ‘Astaghfirullah (3 times) – Allahumma antas salaam wa minkas salaam, tabaarakta yaa Dhal Jalaali wal Ikraam. – I seek Allah’s Forgiveness. O Allah, You are As-Salaam and from You is all peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour’ [Muslim]. Straight after your prayer you ask protection and safety from the mistakes committed during the salah.

Call upon Allah, As-Salaam, knowing that all peace and safety comes from Him alone. Ask Him to keep you and your loved ones safe in this world and the next, to guide us all to patience and inner peace, and make us of those from whom others are safe and make us safe from the injustice of others. Ask Him to make us of those with sound and peaceful hearts and of those who receive His salaam in Jannah someday. May Allah shower His peace upon you all and may He guide our every step. May He protect us and our loved ones and allow us to enter His kingdom of Jannah with them. May He purify our intentions and increase us in imaan. Ameen.

JazakAllah khayr for taking the time to read this, I pray it has benefitted you – please share this with anyone who you think may benefit as well – and as mentioned in previous posts, I am raising funds this Ramadan for much-needed permanent homes in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, if possible please share and donate to this link.

We often forget and take for granted our blessings, something as little as a roof over our heads, clean drinking water and warm food, others can only dream about. This Ramadan we’re doing our bit to help change that, by building homes for those less fortunate in the impoverished villages of Azad Kashmir. Each home will have 2 Rooms, a Kitchen, bathroom, enough to house 6 people, clean drinking water, electricity and best of all, the residents will have free healthcare for life! Zakat is applicable.

You can also donate via PayPal to: Info@salamcharity.org.uk
Please note down the amount transferred and write a note to the supporting cause: Rimsha’sHomeAppeal – MUSPakSoc

Don’t forget to share this with any friends and family you think might be interested in supporting as well and feel free to ask any questions you have via Instagram as well @muspaksoc @salamcharityuk

JazakAllah Khair for your efforts

References: information in this post was collated from understandquran.com and the beautiful names of Allah series on wahiduddin.net.