Topic
The short phrases Muslims say daily: “peace be upon you”, “praise be to God”, “God willing”, “in the name of God”.
What it means
As-salāmu ʿalaykum, “peace be upon you”, is the greeting, to which one replies “and upon you peace and God’s mercy”. The Quran tells believers to return a greeting with a better one or the same (4:86). Al-ḥamdu li-llāh is “praise be to God”, and astaghfir Allāh “I seek God’s forgiveness”. Jazāk Allāhu khayran is “may God reward you well”. Bi-smi llāh, “in the name of God”, opens each action and all but one chapter of the Quran.
What the sources say
In shāʾ Allāh, “if God wills”, follows the Quran’s instruction not to say “I will do this tomorrow” without adding “if God wills” (18:23–24). The Prophet taught his Companions to spread the greeting of peace (Sahih Muslim).