Who Should Initiate the Salaams, the Caller or the One who Answers the Phone?

By Shaykh Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee
Transmitted by Saalih ibn Taha Aboo Islaam [1]

One day, he (Shaykh Al-Albaanee, may Allaah have mercy upon him) called me and I was not present, so my small daughter answered; saying, when she picked up the receiver of the phone: “As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaah.” So the Shaykh asked for me, then said to her: “Inform your father that Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee called.”  (He didn’t say: ‘Shaykh.’ This is from his humility, may Allaah elevate his level in Paradise.)

So when I returned home my small daughter informed me (saying): “A man called you named Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee.”So I called him immediately. After he had sought from me that which he wanted, he said to me: “O Aboo Islaam, when I called you, your small daughter answered saying: ‘As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaah.’ Is this action based upon knowledge or is it a personal action from a child? We hope to benefit, O Aboo Islaam.” This was also from his humility and his wisdom in Da’wah, may Allaah have mercy upon him.

I said to him: “This is the action of a child, and the first time (she has done so). That which we know regarding this matter is that the person is to pick up the receiver of the phone saying: Na’am; and one who is calling him is to give Salaams, and he returns the Salaams to him, not that he (the one who is called) initiates the Salaam.” So he, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “This is that which is correct, as far as we know. This is because the caller is similar to the one who is knocking at the door. There is no difference between them.”

Translated by Raha ibn Donald Batts
Source: http://www.sahab.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=142100

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[1] Transmitted from the book: Al-‘Aqeedah Awwalan Law Kaanoo Ya’lamoon 1/16-17