Allah calls Himself As-Salaam— The Giver and Source of Peace, The Perfection — on one occasion in the Quran. He is the One who is the source of all peace and safety. As-Salaam is perfect and whole and He is the only one who can bestow safety and security as well as inner peace!
The Bestower of Peace, the Perfection
Salaam comes from the root seen-laam-meem, which points to three main meanings. The first main meaning is to be peaceful, content, and tranquil. The second is to be free from imperfections, and the third main meaning is to be safe, secure, and well.
This root appears 140 times in the Quran in 16 derived forms. Examples of these forms are aslama (“submits”) , salaamun (“peace”), saleemin (“sound”), al-islaami (“Islam”) and al-muslimeen (“the Muslims”).
Linguistically, salaam and salaamah mean immunity or to be free of something; another opinion is it means wellbeing and to be safe. Allah As-Salaam is the One who is free from all imperfections. He is perfect in essence and in all His attributes and actions. He is the Perfection. As-Salaam is safe from all deficiencies and His creation is safe from any injustice on His Part.
As-Salaam Himself says: He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, The Perfection. [Quran, 59:23].
Examples of salaam
The root salama makes Islam, to enter into salam. Islam means to enter into peace and to be at peace with or reconciled with the decrees and commands of Allah; the Muslim surrenders or submits to Allah ‘azza wajal.
Paradise is called Daar us Salaam: And Allah invites to the Home of Peace and guides whom He wills to a straight path [Quran, 10:25] because it is free from all pain, death, worries, and ill-speech, and it is a place of safety.
The greeting of Islam assalaamu alaykum really means: you are safe from me; you will not receive any evil from me. And for example, qalbun saleem, means a sound heart which is unblemished.
How can you live by this name?
1. Submit.
Surrender to As-Salaam so you can be secure. If you submit– Islam— you will get Allah’s salaam. Believing is to follow the guidance and do the actions (deeds). For them therein is fruit, and for them is whatever they request [or wish] [And] “Peace,” a word from a Merciful Lord. [Quran, 36:57-58] Continually remind yourself of Daar us Salaam so you will strive to do as many good deeds as possible in order to receive the salaam of Allah and be safe and secure in Paradise.
2. Strive for a clean heart.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Verily, Allah does not look to your faces and your wealth but He looks to your hearts and to your deeds. [Muslim] Just like you are alert for physical diseases, constantly assess your heart for diseases like lying, backbiting, swearing, hypocrisy, jealousy, showing off, etcetera, and seek cure for them in the Quran and Sunnah as all that matters is that you arrive to al-Quddus with ‘qalbun saleem’— a sound heart.
3. Be patient in trials.
No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah- He will guide his heart.[Quran, 64:11] Show patience and perseverance in hard times and As-Salaam will give you peace inside: your heart will have salaam, a feeling of well being, serenity, and peace.
4. Spread the salaam.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: O People! Spread salaam, feed the hungry, be in touch with your kin, and pray while people are asleep (at night) you shall enter paradise peacefully. [At-Tirmidhee] And he salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said about the best actions: Feeding the hungry, and saying salaam to those you know and those you don’t know. [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim] And he said: When two Muslims meet (give salaam) and shake hands, they are forgiven their sins before they part [Abu Dawood]: the salaam is a pure blessing to us from Allah As-Salaam.
5. Don’t say salaam upon Allah.
Say salaam upon the Prophet Muhammad – for example by saying salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam- and upon the Prophets and the righteous – by saying ‘alayhi, ‘alayha or ‘alayhim sallam – as Allah ‘azza wa jall does in the Quran, but never say salaam upon Allah, because He is As-Salaam! He does not need security and safety, because He is the source of peace and perfection.
6. Ask As-Salaam.
When you are very worried, supplicate to Allah ‘azza wajal by this name. You can say, Allahumma antas Salaam (O Allah, You are As-Salaam), save me from this or ask for the safety of others. Ask As-Salaam to make Islam your safe harbour and to bring peace to your heart.
7. Don’t wrong yourself.
If you want the salaam, the security, and the protection of As-Salaam don’t wrong yourself, don’t wrong others, and don’t do wrong in your relationship with Allah ‘azza wajal. Allah is As-Salaam, which means He cannot be unjust. You wrong yourself by sinning and not fulfilling the rights of others, such as obedience to parents, protecting someone else’s honour, and helping the needy.
8. Supplicate after prayer.
When you finish your salah, supplicate as the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did with:
Astaghfirullah (3 times). Allahumma antas salaam wa minkas salaam, tabaarakta yaa Dhal Jalaali wal Ikraam. I seek Allah’s Forgiveness. O Allah, You are As-Salaam and from You is all peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honour [Muslim]. Straight after your prayer you amazingly ask protection and safety from the mistakes committed during the salah.
O Allah, As-Salaam, we know that all peace and safety comes from You alone. Keep us safe in this world and the next, guide us to patience and inner peace, and make us of those from whom others are safe and make us safe from the injustice of others. Adorn us with sound hearts and make us of those who receive Your salaam in Paradise, ameen!
And Allah knows best.