The Person Calling the Other on the Telephone Must be the one to Initiate the Salaam

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The person who is calling is the one who is putting himself forward, so if the person decides to call another then he must begin with the greeting of Islaam, ‘As-Salaamu Alaaykum’, this from the symbols of Islaam. This greeting is a supplication for security and peace and it is from the virtues of the Ummah of Muhammad [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him]. 

The person who lifts the receiver and is greeted in this way must reply to this greeting, this is what has been narrated in the noble Sunnah.

On the authority of Rabee’ [May Allaah be Pleased with him] who said, a man from Banee ‘Aaamir told me that he went to the Prophet’s [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] house and sought permission to enter. So when he arrived he asked, “Can I come in”?

So when the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] heard this, he told his custodian to go out and teach this man on how to seek permission. So he went to him and told him to say; “As-Salaamu Alaykum, may I enter?” So the man sought to enter again but this time he asked, “As-Salaamu Alaykum, may I enter?” So the Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] permitted him to come. [Narrated by Aboo Dawood]

This hadeeth proves that the one who wants to enter, then it is upon him to begin with the Salaam. Therefore, if a person is trying to ring another, he must be the one begins with the Salaam and he should be quiet until he is spoken to.

It is also important to know that leaving the blessed greeting of Islaam is not permissible. Some people have changed this greeting to things such as ‘Good Morning’ or ‘Illuminated Morning’. Specific to the way people on the telephone, we hear people using greetings like, ‘Hello’. This greeting in its origin comes from France and it is being incorporated in the Arabic language, as people are persisting in using it.

It is also important to note that it is not permissible for the caller, once the call has connected, to remain silent. This is contrary to the Islamic etiquettes from various viewpoints;

·        It contradicts the Sunnah as he person who is seeking to gain the other persons attention is the one who should begin with the Salaam.

·        It is bad manners, as it seems by the caller being silent that he is testing the person he is calling. So the person who has received this call will lift the receiver and enquire about this silence by asking, ‘Hello? Anybody there?’ These are bad manners that have been prohibited by Allaah.

If the receiver responds to your call and lifts the receivers and asks, ‘Who’s speaking?’ Then the caller must answer clearly and avoid being obscure. 

It is narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah [May Allaah be Pleased with him] said;

“I sought permission to enter the house of the Prophet.” The Prophet [May the Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him] then asked, “Who is it?” I replied by saying, “It me.” He rebuked me by saying, “Me!? Me!?” [Narrated by Muslim]

Aboo Dawood has a similar narration where he adds the wording, “It is as if he disliked it.”

Similarly, it is also unclear if one is asked to name himself and he replies with his Kunya, by saying it is Aboo Fulaan, for example. This is being obscure as well and this is not known from the way of the Salaf. In contrary to this, the Salaf would have a Kunya that wold be suited to a special characteristic that they may possess or the Kunya itself would help define the person. Kunya wasn’t something known before Islaam but when Islaam came, the Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them] were keen to use them; Aboo Bakr, Aboo Dharr, Umm Haani [May Allaah be Pleased with them all]

The point is, one should be wary of using Kunya that will disguise the person and it will have nothing connected to his name or a characteristic of his. If you go to someone’s house and he isn’t there then don’t bother the inhabitant, this is bad manners and etiquette. This distracts the people in the house and may even cause them discomfort, so why does the one who does this think he is so special?

The Manners and Characteristics when Talking on the Phone
Shaykh Bakr Aboo Zayd [May Allaah have Mercy on him] Pg. 12-13