“When Allah created Adam, He breathed the soul into him, then he sneezed and said: ‘All praise is due to Allah.’ So he praised Allah by His permission. Then His Lord said to him: ‘May Allah have mercy upon you O Adam. Go to those angels – to that gathering of them sitting – so say: 'As-Salamu alaikum.' They said 'Wa Alaikas-Salamu Wa Rahmatullah’. Then he returned to his Lord, He said: ‘This is your greeting and the greeting of your children among each other.’ Then Allah said to him – while His Two Hands were closed – ‘Choose which of them you wish.’ He said: ‘I chose the right My Lord and both of the Hands of my Lord are right, blessed.’ Then He extended it, and there was Adam and his offspring in it.’ So he said: ‘What are these O my Lord?’ He said: ‘These are your offspring?’ Each one of them had his age written between his eyes. But among them there was a man who was the most illuminating of them – or among the most illuminated of them. He said: ‘O Lord! Who is this?’ He said: ‘This is your son Dawud, I wrote forty years for him.’ He said: ‘O Lord! Add to his age.’ He said: ‘That is what I have written for him.’ He said: ‘O Lord! Give him sixty of my years.’ He said: ‘So you shall have it.’” He said: “Then, he resided in Paradise as long as Allah willed, then he was cast from it, so Adam was counting for himself.” He said: “So the Angel of death came to him, and Adam said to him: ‘You are hasty, one-thousand years were written for me.’ He said: ‘Of course! But you gave sixty years to your son Dawud.’ So he rejected, and his offspring rejected, and he forgot, and his offspring forgot.” He said: “So ever since that day, what is written and witnessed has been decreed.”
Narrated by Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
Context
This hadith recounts the creation of Adam and his first interaction with Allah. After sneezing, Adam praised Allah, and Allah instructed him to greet the angels. This moment establishes the significance of greetings and the connection between creation and divine mercy. It also highlights the importance of recognizing one's lineage and the blessings that come with it.
Modern Application
In contemporary life, this hadith encourages us to maintain connections with our families and communities. Greeting others with kindness fosters a sense of belonging and unity, reflecting the values taught by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Creation and Divine Revelation because it narrates the story of Adam's creation and the divine instructions he received.
And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
And We have certainly created you, [O Mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam"; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated.
And Allah created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop; then He made you mates. And no female conceives nor does she give birth except with His knowledge. And no aged person is granted [additional] life nor is his lifespan lessened but that it is in a register. Indeed, that for Allah is easy.
This hadith is #3452 from Jami` at-Tirmidhi, in the Book of Chapters on Tafsir. It is graded Da'if and narrated by Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:.