عليكم
alaykum
In Arabic, alaykum is a phrase meaning 'and upon you be peace', used as a response to the greeting 'as-salamu alaykum'.
alaykum is the core component of the standard response to the Islamic greeting 'as-salamu alaykum'. While the greeting itself means 'Peace be upon you', the full response 'wa alaykum as-salam' means 'and upon you be peace'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form عليكم is plural. It is used when addressing a group of people or when addressing a single person to show formal respect.
How do you pronounce it?
alaykum
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with 'as-salamu alaykum', the most complete and standard way to respond is to say 'wa alaykum as-salam', which adds the conjunction 'wa' (and) to the beginning of the phrase.
Did you know?
- The root word for peace, salam, is closely related to the Hebrew word shalom, reflecting a shared linguistic heritage between the two languages.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, it is considered polite to respond to as-salamu alaykum with a phrase that is even longer or more generous than the original greeting.
- The greeting and its response are used not only by Muslims but also by Arab Christians and people of other faiths in many regions as a cultural and social norm.
Examples in context
- بعد الاستماع لأغنية عربية لعشر ثوانٍ، سمع ديما أخيرًا صوتًا مألوفًا يقول: "السلام عليكم!"After listening to an Arabic song for ten seconds, Dima finally heard a familiar voice say, "As-Salamu Alaykum!"This sentence shows a person hearing the greeting 'As-Salamu Alaykum!' in an Arabic song.Tatoeba #624080 by Samer, translation #538222 by FeuDRenais2
- كما أنني فخور بنقل أطيب مشاعر الشعب الأمريكي لكم مقرونة بتحية السلام من المجتعات المحلية المسلمة في بلدي: السلام عليكمI am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.This sentence shows the greeting 'assalaamu alaykum' being used in the context of a formal message of goodwill.Tatoeba #376846 by saeb, translation #376845 by saeb
- بعد الاستماع إلى أغنية عربية عشرين ثانية هذه المرة -لأنه لو سمعها عشر ثوان لكانت هذه جملة مكررة- سمع ديما أخيرًا صوتًا مألوفًا يقول: "السلام عليكم!"After listening to an Arabic song for twenty seconds this time – for if he listened for ten this would be a duplicate sentence – Dima finally heard a familiar voice say, "As-Salamu Alaykum!"This sentence shows a person hearing the greeting 'As-Salamu Alaykum!' after listening to an Arabic song.Tatoeba #624116 by Samer, translation #559031 by FeuDRenais
Example conversation
Omar meets Layla at a community event.
- عمر Omarالسلام عليكم، يا ليلى.As-salamu alaykum, ya Layla.Peace be upon you, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaوعليكم السلام، يا عمر.Wa alaykum as-salam, ya Omar.And upon you be peace, Omar.
- عمر Omarكيف حالك اليوم؟Kayfa haluki al-yawm?How are you today?
- ليلى Laylaأنا بخير، شكرًا لك.Ana bikhayr, shukran lak.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
