<b>Guidance from the Hadith:</b><br> 1) The believer should be smart, not getting deceived by the cunning and evil of the disbelievers. He should be guided by the light and insight derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah.<br> 2) It is permissible to respond to aggression and injustice in the like manner, without exceeding the limits.<br> 3) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was compassionate towards his Ummah, as he taught them the cunning ways of their enemies so that they could be on guard.<br> <br> <b>Benefit:</b><br> There are circumstances surrounding this Hadith which ought to be mentioned for a better understanding. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “A group of Jews sought permission to enter the Prophet’s place. They said: ‘As-Sām ‘alaykum.’ (Death be upon you – the Arabic terms Salām [peace] and Sām [death] sound very close) I said: ‘Rather, upon you is death and curse.’ Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘O ‘Ā’ishah, Allah loves gentleness in all things.’ I said: ‘Didn‘t you hear what they said?’ He said: ‘I said: ‘Wa ‘alaykum’ (And upon you).” [Narrated by Muslim]<br> ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the Jews greet you, they say: ‘Al-Sām be upon you.’ So say: ‘Upon you.’”<br> Al-Sām means death and ruin.<br> It is clear from the two Hadiths that we should only say to them “Wa ‘alaykum”, if they show their evil intent by saying ”As-Sām”. But if they give the Islamic greeting, i.e. “As-Salām ‘alaykum”, we should return it according to the instructions in the Qur’an: {And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner].}