السلام عليكم
as-salāmu ʕalaykum/as.sa.laː.mu ʕa.laj.kum/
The phrase 'may peace be with you' in Arabic is السلام عليكم (as-salāmu ʕalaykum).
السلام عليكم is a greeting used to wish peace upon the person being addressed. It functions as both a greeting when arriving and a parting salutation when leaving.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of al-salām (the peace), ʿalaykum (upon you/plural you).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is as-salāmu ʕalaykum. It has 6 syllables.
When do people say it?
This is a universal greeting across the Muslim world and is used by Arabic speakers of various faiths. When someone says السلام عليكم, the standard response is وعليكم السلام.
Did you know?
- The Hebrew greeting 'shalom aleichem' shares the exact same linguistic roots as السلام عليكم, showing a shared Semitic heritage of wishing well-being upon others.
- Although عليكم is grammatically plural, you can use this phrase to greet a single person as a way of showing deep respect or formal politeness.
- In some Arabic-speaking regions, if a person wishes to be even more formal or emphatic, they might extend the phrase to السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته, adding 'and the mercy of God and His blessings'.
Examples in context
- السلام عليكم يا أصدقائي.as-salāmu ʿalaykum yā aṣdiqāʾī.May peace be with you, my friends.
- السلام عليكم جميعاً.as-salāmu ʿalaykum jamīʿan.May peace be with you all.
- دخل الرجل وقال: السلام عليكم.dakhal al-rajul wa qāl: as-salāmu ʿalaykum.The man entered and said: May peace be with you.
Example conversation
Sarah meets Omar in the hallway.
- سارة Saraالسلام عليكم يا عمر.As-salaamu alaykum ya Omar.May peace be with you, Omar.
- عمر Omarوعليكم السلام يا سارة.Wa alaykum as-salaam ya Sarah.And may peace be with you, Sarah.
- سارة Saraكيف حالك اليوم؟Kayfa haluka al-yawm?How are you today?
- عمر Omarأنا بخير، شكراً لكِ.Ana bikhayr, shukran laki.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry السلام عليكم, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries السلام عليكم, CC BY-SA 4.0.
