Should I Respond To A Salam If I’m Reciting The Qur’an?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Assalamu ‘alaykum.

If I am in the middle of a verse and one person gives me salam or ask any question what will I do? Will I respond immediately or keep continue recitation?

Answer

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

I pray you are well.

You should finish the verse and then stop to respond, but it isn’t obligatory to do so. It’s generally considered bad etiquette to greet someone engaged in dhikr or the recitation of the Qur’an. (Ibn Abidin, Radd al Muhtar)

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.