Book 39: The Book Of Greetings
Overview
The Book of Greetings (Surah 39) in Sahih Muslim is a wide-ranging compilation of Hadith that governs the daily life, social interactions, and spiritual worldview of a Muslim. While it begins with the etiquette of greetings (who greets whom, the rights of the road, and the six rights of a Muslim), it quickly expands into a detailed manual on Islamic epistemology, medicine, and cosmology. The text establishes strict social boundaries, including gender segregation (veiling, avoiding seclusion with women) and religious segregation (forcing Jews and Christians to the narrow parts of roads, not initiating greetings with them). Theologically, it introduces significant concepts regarding spiritual warfare and the unseen world: the reality of the 'evil eye,' the permissibility of incantations (ruqyah) using Quranic verses, the presence of jinns in homes (sometimes appearing as snakes), and the assertion that shooting stars are angelic missiles fired at eavesdropping demons. Furthermore, the text outlines Islamic medicine, attributing fever to the literal heat of Hell, prescribing cupping, honey, and black seed as divine remedies, and establishing early quarantine protocols for plagues. Finally, it addresses soteriology through the lens of animal welfare, famously narrating that a prostitute was forgiven her sins for watering a thirsty dog, while a woman was condemned to Hell for starving a cat. This text is foundational for traditional Islamic daily practice, shaping how adherents view sickness, social hierarchy, and the supernatural.
Key Figures
- Muhammad: The central authoritative figure whose words, actions, and approvals establish the theological and practical mandates of the text.
- A'isha: Muhammad's wife, a primary narrator who provides intimate details of his life, including his bewitchment, medical treatments, and interactions with Jews.
- Abu Huraira: A prolific narrator of Hadith who transmits key teachings on the evil eye, animal welfare, and the rejection of certain superstitions.
- Umar b. Khattab: A prominent companion whose actions prompted the revelation of the veil for women and who modeled the Islamic response to plagues.
- Labid b. al-A'sam: A Jewish man identified as having successfully cast a magic spell upon Muhammad, causing him temporary delusion.
- Jinns/Satans: Supernatural beings described as circulating in human blood, eavesdropping on heavenly decrees, and sometimes taking the form of house snakes.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
The Reality of the Evil Eye and Magic
Assertion
The text asserts that the 'evil eye' is a literal, physical reality that causes harm, and that magic spells can successfully bewitch even a Prophet of God.
Evidence from Text
The influence of an evil eye is a fact... a Jew from among the Jews of Banu Zuraiq who was called Labid b. al-A'sam cast a spell upon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) with the result that he (under the influence of the spell) felt that he had been doing something whereas in fact he had not been doing that.
Evangelical Comparison
In this text, the 'evil eye' is treated as a tangible force that causes sickness and requires specific incantations (ruqyah) to cure. Furthermore, the text explicitly states that Muhammad was successfully bewitched by a Jewish man, causing him to suffer delusions about his own actions. In Evangelical Christianity, while the reality of spiritual warfare and demonic forces is affirmed (Ephesians 6:12), the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and cannot be possessed or fundamentally controlled by magic (1 John 4:4). Furthermore, the biblical standard for a Prophet of God precludes them from being overcome by sorcery in a way that compromises their mental faculties or ministry. When Balaam attempted to curse Israel using sorcery, he was entirely prevented by God, declaring, 'There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel' (Numbers 23:23). The idea that the ultimate mediator of divine truth could be subjected to a spell that alters his perception of reality creates a severe epistemological crisis from a biblical perspective.
Works-Based Soteriology and Arbitrary Forgiveness
Assertion
Salvation and damnation can be determined by singular, specific works, such as the treatment of animals, independent of a comprehensive atonement.
Evidence from Text
A prostitute saw a dog moving around a well on a hot day and hanging out its tongue because of thirst. She drew water for it in her shoe and she was pardoned (for this act of hers)... A woman was punished because she had kept a cat tied until it died, and (as a punishment of this offence) she was thrown into the Hell.
Evangelical Comparison
The text presents a soteriological framework where eternal destinies are decided by a scale of deeds. A prostitute is entirely pardoned of her sins because she provided water to a dog, and a woman is condemned to Hell specifically because she starved a cat. While Evangelical Christianity highly values kindness to animals (Proverbs 12:10), it fundamentally rejects the idea that human works—no matter how noble—can atone for sin. Romans 3:20 states, 'Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law.' Forgiveness in the biblical worldview requires the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22) and is applied solely through faith in the finished substitutionary work of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Islamic view presented here bypasses the need for a Savior, suggesting that God's justice can be satisfied by random acts of human merit.
Cosmology of Meteors and Divination
Assertion
Meteors (shooting stars) are physical projectiles thrown by angels at jinns (demons) who attempt to eavesdrop on heavenly decrees.
Evidence from Text
In this process of transmission (the jinn snatches) what he manages to overhear and he carries it to his friends. And when the Angels see the jinn they attack them with meteors. If they narrate only which they manage to snatch that is correct but they alloy it with lies and make additions to it.
Evangelical Comparison
The text provides a highly specific, mythological cosmology to explain both shooting stars and the partial accuracy of fortune-tellers (kahins). It claims that jinns fly up to heaven, eavesdrop on the angels, and are subsequently shot at with meteors. The jinns then mix the stolen truth with a hundred lies and give it to human diviners. While the Bible condemns divination and acknowledges that demons can provide illicit information (Acts 16:16), it does not endorse this physicalized, mythological view of the heavens. The biblical creation account describes stars and celestial bodies as natural creations placed by God for signs, seasons, days, and years (Genesis 1:14), operating under natural laws sustained by Christ (Colossians 1:17).
Theological Origin of Disease
Assertion
Certain physical ailments, specifically fever, are literally caused by the heat of Hell.
Evidence from Text
Fever is from the vehement raging of the fire of Hell, so extinguish it with water.
Evangelical Comparison
The text repeatedly asserts that a physical fever is a direct result of the 'vehement raging of the fire of Hell.' This is not presented as a metaphor, but as a literal cosmological reality, which is why the prescribed treatment is to cool it with water. In the biblical worldview, sickness and death entered the world through human sin (Romans 5:12). While Satan and demons can sometimes be the direct agents of physical affliction (e.g., Job 2:7, Luke 13:16), the Bible does not teach that earthly diseases are literal leaks of Hell's physical heat. Hell (Gehenna) is a place of future, final judgment, not a subterranean furnace currently venting into the earthly atmosphere to cause medical fevers.
Islamic Supremacy and Dhimmitude
Assertion
Muslims are commanded to assert social dominance over Jews and Christians in public spaces.
Evidence from Text
Do not greet the Jews and the Christians before they greet you and when you meet any one of them on the roads force him to go to the narrowest part of it.
Evangelical Comparison
The text explicitly commands Muslims to withhold the initiation of peace (greetings) from Jews and Christians and to physically force them to the narrowest, least desirable parts of the road. This establishes a theology of inherent social supremacy and humiliation of non-Muslims. This stands in stark contrast to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who commanded His followers to love their enemies, bless those who curse them (Matthew 5:44), and to take the lowest seat of honor (Luke 14:10). The Apostle Paul instructs believers to 'If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone' (Romans 12:18) and to 'honor one another above yourselves' (Romans 12:10). The biblical ethic is one of servant-leadership and self-sacrificial love, not the physical and social marginalization of those outside the faith.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text promotes a works-based salvation system, a superstitious worldview involving magic and the evil eye, and the social subjugation of non-believers, all of which contradict the biblical Gospel of grace, the sovereignty of God over evil, and the command to love one's enemies.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between this text and Evangelical Christianity is vast, centering primarily on soteriology, epistemology, and the nature of spiritual warfare. Soteriologically, the text operates on a mechanistic, works-based framework. Sins are forgiven or punished based on isolated actions (watering a dog, starving a cat, killing a gecko). This violates Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, which assert that human works are entirely insufficient to satisfy God's holy justice (Isaiah 64:6) and that justification is a forensic declaration by God based solely on the imputed righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Epistemologically and cosmologically, the text introduces a highly superstitious worldview. It validates the 'evil eye' as a physical reality, prescribes magical-sounding incantations (mixing spit and dust), and claims that a true prophet was successfully bewitched into delusion. In contrast, the biblical worldview asserts God's absolute sovereignty over the spiritual realm. While demons exist, they are defeated foes (Colossians 2:15). A believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit cannot be cursed or bewitched (Numbers 23:23), and the idea that God would allow His primary revelatory agent to be mentally compromised by a sorcerer undermines the reliability of the revelation itself. Finally, the ethical mandate to socially marginalize Jews and Christians directly violates the biblical ethic of Imago Dei and Christ's command to love one's neighbor and enemy alike.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a very dirty shirt, and you need it to be perfectly clean to go to a royal wedding. In this text, you try to clean the shirt by doing specific chores—like giving water to a dog, killing a lizard, or saying a specific phrase. If you do enough chores, the King might let you in. But the Bible says our hearts are like that dirty shirt, and no amount of chores can clean it. Instead, Jesus, the King's Son, gives us His own perfectly clean shirt for free, just because we trust Him. Also, this text says we should be afraid of invisible magic spells and 'evil eyes' that can hurt us, and that we should push people who don't agree with us to the side of the road. But the Bible says that if we have Jesus, we don't need to be afraid of magic, and we should love everyone, even people who are different from us.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
Elevates Muhammad's sayings, medical advice, and superstitious cosmology to the level of divine mandate, adding to the closed canon of Scripture.
Sola Fide
Teaches that eternal salvation or damnation can be earned or lost by specific, isolated works (treating animals, killing pests).
Theology Proper / Prophetic Integrity
Claims that Muhammad was successfully bewitched by a sorcerer, compromising the biblical standard of prophetic protection and reliability.
Christian Ethics / Imago Dei
Commands the physical and social subjugation of non-Muslims (forcing them to narrow paths).
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Forgiveness / Pardon"
In This Text
A transactional wiping away of sins earned by performing a specific good deed (e.g., watering a dog).
In Evangelicalism
The gracious cancellation of debt secured entirely by the blood of Christ and received by faith.
"Healing"
In This Text
Physical restoration achieved through specific prophetic medicines (black seed, cupping) or Quranic incantations (ruqyah).
In Evangelicalism
Physical or spiritual restoration granted by God's sovereign will, ultimately pointing to the final resurrection.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Escaping the punishment of Hell and receiving the pardon of Allah.
How Attained: Through a combination of submitting to Islamic law and performing specific meritorious deeds that outweigh bad deeds.
Basis of Assurance: There is no absolute assurance, as one's standing is based on an unknown scale of deeds, though specific acts (like watering a dog) are said to grant pardon.
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. Romans 4:4-5 states, 'Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.' The Hadith presents salvation as a wage earned by specific behaviors.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- The rider must greet the pedestrian, the pedestrian the seated, and the small group the larger group.
- Lower the gaze, exchange greetings, and command good/forbid evil when sitting on paths.
- Respond to a sneeze by saying 'Yarhamuk Allah' (May Allah have mercy on you) if the sneezer says 'Al-Hamdulillah'.
- Visit the sick, follow the bier (funeral procession), and accept feast invitations.
- Respond to the People of the Book with 'Wa Alaikum' (and upon you) rather than initiating the full greeting of peace.
- Do not greet Jews and Christians first.
- Force Jews and Christians to the narrowest part of the road when encountering them.
- Do not spend the night with a married woman unless married to her or a Mahram (close unmarriageable relative).
- Do not enter houses without permission or in the absence of the owner unless accompanied by one or two persons.
- Do not make someone stand up to take their seat in a gathering.
- When three people are present, two must not converse secretly to the exclusion of the third.
- Take a bath if asked to do so as a cure for the evil eye.
- Use incantations (ruqyah) for the evil eye, scorpion stings, and snake bites, provided they do not contain polytheism.
- Cool fevers with water.
- Do not enter a land where a plague has broken out, and do not flee a land if you are already there when it breaks out.
- Do not visit Kahins (diviners/fortune tellers).
- Kill snakes with stripes and short-tailed snakes.
- Warn house snakes for three days before killing them (in case they are Muslim jinns).
- Kill geckos (with specific rewards tied to the number of strokes used).
Implicit Obligations
- Maintain strict gender segregation and extreme modesty (e.g., the husband's brother is considered 'death' regarding seclusion).
- View non-Muslims (especially Jews and Christians) with suspicion and maintain social superiority over them.
- Rely on Muhammad's specific medical advice (cupping, honey, black seed, Indian aloeswood) as divinely sanctioned remedies.
- Maintain hyper-vigilance against the supernatural threats of the evil eye, magic, and jinns.
Ritual Requirements
- Recite Sura al-Fatiha as an incantation for healing.
- Recite the Mu'awwidhatan (Surahs 113 and 114) and blow over the body for illness.
- Place a forefinger on the ground, mix dust with saliva, and recite the name of Allah to cure illness.
- Say 'Bismillah' three times and 'A'udhu billahi...' seven times while placing a hand on physical pain.
- Spit three times to the left to dispel the demon Khinzab during prayer.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- I read the story about the prostitute who was forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog. It's a beautiful story of mercy. But it makes me wonder: how do you know if you've done enough good deeds to be forgiven? Is there a way to have absolute peace about your standing with God?
- The text mentions that the Prophet was bewitched by a man named Labid, causing him to imagine he had done things he hadn't. If a prophet can be controlled by magic, how can we be sure his revelations during that time were protected?
- I noticed the command to force Jews and Christians to the narrow part of the road. How does this fit with the idea that God is entirely just and merciful to all His creation?
- The text says fever comes from the heat of Hell. How do you understand this in light of modern medicine?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Thirsty Dog and the Well
Just as the dog was dying of thirst and could not save itself, we are spiritually dying and cannot save ourselves. The woman showed mercy to the dog. How much more does God show mercy to us? Jesus met a woman at a well and offered her 'Living Water' so she would never thirst again (John 4). Christ is the one who draws the water of life for us, at the cost of His own life.
The Great Healer
Muslims recognize God as the ultimate healer of physical ailments. We can bridge this to Jesus Christ, who not only healed every physical disease brought to Him but proved He had the authority to heal our greatest disease—sin. Jesus is the Great Physician (Mark 2:17).
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The text cultivates a worldview where the believer is constantly surrounded by invisible threats: the 'evil eye' from jealous neighbors, jinns eavesdropping or living in the house as snakes, and magic spells that can bewitch even the most holy people. This creates a heavy burden of spiritual paranoia, requiring constant ritualistic defense (incantations, spitting) to survive.
The believer is burdened with tracking the minutiae of daily life to ensure compliance: exactly how to greet people, which side of the road to walk on, how many strokes to use when killing a lizard to maximize heavenly rewards. This reduces a relationship with God to a transactional ledger of points.
Because salvation is based on a scale of deeds, and one can be thrown into Hell for a single failure (like the woman with the cat), the believer can never have true assurance of salvation. They must constantly wonder if their good deeds are enough.
The command to marginalize non-Muslims and avoid initiating peace with them creates a burden of social isolation and forced arrogance. It prevents genuine, loving relationships with neighbors of other faiths.