As-salamu alaykum

''As-salamu alaykum'' (, ), also written ''salamun alaykum'' and typically rendered in English as ''salam alaykum'', is a greeting in Arabic that means 'Peace be upon you'. The (, meaning 'peace') has become a religious salutation for Muslims worldwide when greeting each other, though its use as a greeting predates Islam, and is also common among Arabic speakers of other religions (such as Arab Christians and Mizrahi Jews).

In colloquial speech, often only , 'peace', is used to greet a person. This shorter greeting, (), has come to be used as the general salutation in other languages as well.

The typical response to the greeting is ( , 'and peace be upon you'). In the Quranic period one repeated ''as-salamu alaykum'', but the inverted response is attested in Arabic not long after its appearance in Hebrew. The phrase may also be expanded to ( , 'Peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of God and His blessings').

The use of ''salām'' as an Arabic greeting dates at least to Laqit bin Yamar al-Ayadi (6th century), and cognates in other Semitic languagesincluding Aramaic () and Hebrew ( )can be traced back to the Old Testament period. Provided by Wikipedia