السَّلَامُ
As-Salam
The Source of Peace
What As-Salam Means
As-Salam comes from the root s-l-m, which carries safety, soundness and freedom from every defect. The name joins two meanings in one: Allah Himself is free of all fault and shortcoming, and He is the source of all safety and peace for His creation — no one is truly safe except by Him. This is the name behind the greeting of Islam, assalamu alaykum, by which believers wish one another the peace that only Allah gives. And it is the name the Prophet ﷺ turned to the moment his prayer ended, before anything else: ‘O Allah, You are As-Salam, and from You comes all peace’ (Muslim 592). For a believer the lesson is that peace is not manufactured by circumstances — wealth, health and people’s moods all change — it is received from As-Salam, and whoever receives it should become a carrier of safety and peace to others.
As-Salam in the Quran
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
“He is Allah, besides whom there is no god, the Sovereign, the Supreme-In-Holiness, the Safe (from all defects), the Giver-Of-Peace, the Guardian, the All-Mighty, the All-Repairer, the Sublime. Pure is Allah from what they associate with Him.”
What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us
THE FOUNDATION OF THE 99 NAMES
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
“‘A’isha reported: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pronounced salutation, he salutation longer than it took him to say: O Allah: Thou art Peace, and peace comes from Thee, blessed art Thou, Possessor of Glory and ]Honour; and in the narration of Ibn Numair the words are:””
Calling Upon Allah by This Name
Allah Himself commands us to call upon Him by His beautiful names:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“For Allah there are the most beautiful names. So, call Him by them, and leave those who deviate in (the matter of) His names. They shall be recompensed for what they have been doing.”
Allah commands us to call upon Him by His names (7:180), so you may call Him ‘Ya Salam — O Source of Peace’ in your own words, for example asking Him for peace in your heart, your home and your end. Take the habit from the Prophet ﷺ himself: he greeted this name the instant he finished praying (Muslim 592). Before asking the world to calm down, ask As-Salam — peace begins with the One from whom all peace flows.
Quran translations: Mufti Taqi Usmani. Hadith texts and gradings: the DeenHub hadith library. Every reference on this page is from the Quran or from hadith graded Sahih or Hasan.