السلام عليكم
as-salāmu ʿalaykumhello, goodbye
In Saudi Arabia السلام عليكم (as-salāmu ʿalaykum), "peace be upon you", is the main greeting and can also be said on leaving. The everyday goodbye is مع السلامة (maʿa s-salāma). It is also called حياك الله (ḥayyāk Allāh).
Meaning: greeting and farewell (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| السلام عليكم | as-salāmu ʿalaykum | hello, goodbye |
| مع السلامة | maʿa s-salāma | goodbye |
| حياك الله | ḥayyāk Allāh | welcome, hello |
The reply to the greeting is وعليكم السلام (wa-ʿalaykum as-salām). حياك الله (ḥayyāk Allāh), "may God give you life", welcomes a guest.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English "hello" and "goodbye", the same السلام عليكم opens and closes a conversation, while مع السلامة is only for leaving.
Did you know?
- السلام عليكم (as-salāmu ʿalaykum) is both a greeting and a farewell, so one phrase can start and end a conversation.
Example conversation
Majed welcomes his neighbor Khalid at his door in Dammam and says goodbye later.
- Majedحياك الله، تفضلḥayyāk Allāh, tafaḍḍalWelcome, please come in.
- Khalidالسلام عليكمas-salāmu ʿalaykumPeace be upon you.
- Majedوعليكم السلامwa-ʿalaykum as-salāmAnd peace upon you.
- Khalidمع السلامةmaʿa s-salāmaGoodbye.
