Is it right or wrong - "Assalamualaikum"?

Question

Some days ago, I came to know that "Inshallah" is wrong and the correct one is "In shaa Allah".

Similarly, Are these right or wrong?

1. Assalamualaikum.
2. Jazak Allahu Khairun.
3. Alhamdulillah.
4. Subhan Allah.

Could you write the correct answer ?

Answer 1

Question 1: Wrong. It should be: "Assalaamu 'Alaikum" (May Peace be Upon you). It is recommended that you extend the greeting to "Assalaamu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah" (May Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon You.), or even better to extend it further to "Assalaamu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh" (May Peace and Mercy and Blessings of Allah be Upon You).

It is obligatory to reply to the greeting sent by a fellow Muslim brother because Allah said in the Qur'an:

وَإِذَا حُيِّيْتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّواْ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا

"When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally..." ^[4:86]

The commandment of giving Salaam can be found in the Sunnah of The Prophet (SAWS):

"You will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another: 'spread salaam' (the greeting of peace) among you." ^{[Sahih Muslim]}

Imran Ibn Hussayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that:

"A man came to the Prophet(SAWS) and said, 'assalaamu alaykum!' The Prophet(SAWS) returned his greeting and when the man sat down, the Prophet(SAWS) said: 'Ten.' Another man came and said: 'assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah.' to which the Prophet(SAWS) also responded, and when the man sat down, He said 'Twenty.' Another man came and said: 'assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.' The Prophet(SAWS) returned his greeting, and after the man sat down, he said: 'Thirty." ^{[Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan Tirmizi]}

Question 2: Wrong. It should be either "Jazak Allahu Khair" meaning "May Allah give you excellent reward in return", or "Jazak Allahu Khairan Kaseera" meaning "May Allah give you far more excellent reward in return". In Arabic, the vowel in the last harf (alphabet) is unpronounced. Hence one should say "Jazak Allahu Khair" instead of "Jazak Allahu Khairun". It is recommended to use either of the above mentioned two phrases instead of saying "Shukran" or "Thank You".

Questions 3 and 4: Both correct. "Subhan Allah" means "Glory be to Allah". "Alhamdulillah" means "All Praise is for Allah". These two are both excellent Zikrs.

Our Prophet (SAWS) said:

سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ ، والْحَمْدُللّهِ ، وَ لا اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ ، وَ اللّهُ اَكْبَرُ

Subhan Allah, walHamdulilah, wa La illaha ilAllahu, waAllahu Akbar

(Glory be to Allah, All Praise is for Allah, There is No God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest) ^{[Sahih Muslim]}

The above are mentioned as the four most beloved words to Allah. It doesn't matter which of them is begun with.

And Allah knows best, and verily He is the All Hearing and All Knowing.

Answer 2

There is no rule for converting Arabic words to transcribed English, and therefore there isn't really wrong form.

However, if a word is misspelled in Arabic, we can say that it's transcribed English is wrong. And this is the case in "Inshallah" which is the transcription of the informal Arabic writing: "انشالله" or "إنشاء الله". The actual meaning of these forms of writing compiles to: "The Creation of Allah" and that is actually Kufr because Allah is The Creator. But people write "إنشاء الله" or "انشالله" just informally, something that sound like "I'm gonna" rather than "I'm going to" in English. Still, you shouldn't write it that way, and stick with the correct form "إن شاء الله" (If Allah wills).

Regarding other phrases you mentioned:

1. Assalamualaikum English for السلام عليكم: I would say that the correct transcription is Assalamu 'alaikum, becuase the letter "ع" has no equivalent in English and is usually transcribed as a ( ' ). However, Assalamualaikum is not really bad, there's nothing wrong with it AFAIK, at least not like "Inshallah".

2. Jazak Allahu Khairun English for جزاك الله خيرًا: I think it's correct. But a more leaner transcription is "Jazak Allah Khair", this just ommits letters that added for simulating Tashkeel (vowel-control in Arabic - this is a long story indeed).

3. Alhamdulillah English for الحمد لله: I think this is the best way you can write it. Other forms like "Alhamdu Li-Allah" make different pronouncing.

4. Subhan Allah English for سبحان الله is also correct.

Answer 3

You cannot say its right or wrong if you write them in roman word. It is RIGHT if you write them in Arabic. In Roman, the pronunciation is important, not the spelling. You can spell Muhamad,Mohamed, Mohammad, Mohd etc, but the pronunciation MUST be accurately as when you read the Arabic version.

Answer 4

It is right and beneficial when it is pronounced properly in Arabic..we cant say slamalikum or Salamalikum instead of assalamu alaikum..the very purpose of wishing peace through Salam is ruined as the meaning is distorted...