مع سلامة الله وبحفظه
Maʿa salāmat Allāh wa bi-ḥifẓihi
“With the safety of God and His protection”: said to a person who is leaving, by those who remain.
What it means
The phrase is a farewell wish. Those who stay behind say it to one who departs, asking that the traveller go in God’s safety and keeping. Salāmah means safety and soundness, and ḥifẓ means guarding or protection. A shorter form, maʿa al-salāmah, is common in everyday Arabic speech, and the full form adds the name of God. The phrase belongs with the Muslim habit of turning even small partings into a prayer. Greeting and parting are marked by wishes of peace and protection, in the way that al-salāmu ʿalaykum is used on meeting. The traveller is placed in God’s care, since only He can guard a person on the road and at home.
Often misunderstood as
English “goodbye” began as “God be with you” too, but the Arabic wording keeps the name of God and the specific request for safety and protection.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 62, listed as MA‘A SALĀMAH ALLAH WA BI ḤIFẒIHI. The definition is restated here.