Expert: Jim - 4/7/2002

Question
What are the standard Arabic salutations and what is the social philosophy of them?

Answer
The first person to speek upon greeting would say, "Asalaamu alaykum". This means peace be upon you.  The response is, "wa alaykumu asalaam".  This means and upon you, peace.  Upon departure, both parties say, "maa asalaama", which means literally "with peace".  It means either "I leave you in peace" or "Go with peace", depending on the situation.  These greetings reflect the importance of signalling one's peaceful intent upon meeting and departing safely from a meeting, and reflect the harsh, competitive desert nomadic life that forms the basis of Arabic culture.