CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Salaamz, Jazakz, and Stugz


Ew! Don't these sound so nasty and wrong!

In case you're still confused, let me provide the translation for you: As salaamu alaikum, JazakAllah khayr, and Astaghfir Allah

I don't know if it's people being lazy and trying to shorten these terms or if they think it's cool/cute to use them this way ... but it's not! I don't think saying any of these words take so long that they need to be shortened the way some people do it.

I first started seeing it years ago on the net whenever I'd chat with friends on AIM or MSN/Yahoo. But now it's common to hear these terms being used in verbal conversations. I can't take a person seriously or think they really mean what they're saying if they say it that way. Just the other day I did something for someone and they were like "Ohhh.. jazakz yo! Imma see you later ok? Salaamz!" All I could say was "Uhhh..?!"


Allah has given us the most beautiful language and the best of greetings. Why are we shortening it so the meaning can resemble what people say to one another now-a-days in English (Peace!) There is so much barakah in just saying 'As salaamu alaikum' and adding on to it only increases the rewards.

Alongside this come the distorted versions of someone giving salaams, and we've all heard them before: Salamalikum, salamlaykum, samalaykome, and my all time favorite... the Desi Aunty after seeing someone she loves or someone she hasnt seen in a while... SAAAA LAYYYKUMMMM!

Oh boy... who knows what freakish things these people are REALLY saying in Arabic, because with one slip of the tounge we can be saying something we don't even know the meaning of.

Then there are these: AOA, Assalamu alaykim wr wb, iA, mA..

What's so hard about saying mashaAllah or subhanAllah? Or wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh? Most people I personally know who do this aren't even actually saying wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh while they're typing - rather they are just programmed to type WR WB. This is so weird. Come on, can't we at least say salaams to one another and truly mean it? Do we need to take a look at the definition again? We're asking Allah to send his peace and mercy and blessings on someone. This is something we are all in need of and even ourselves, which is why the response is reciprocating the du'a you made for the person.

The meaning of the greeting of salaam is even deeper than just asking for the peace and mercy and blessings of Allah, but an entire history behind it.

So inshaAllah let's make the intention to use this blessed greeting the way it should be and honor the beautiful greeting Allah has bestowed upon us and truly mean it when we say it to one another iA, wasalaams.

........ KIDDING =D ........ about the last part that is!

21 comments:

Shukran UmmIsmail Webb, May Allaah azz wal Jaal Reward you. Ameen said...

I have Seen it to and i have posted in my yahoo many times i will not. Return any greeting with Salaam,Masalaam or the likes or Abbreviations AS ,SA Ect.

Ummismail

Lazeena Umm Yusuf said...

Well Ma'assalama is just an Arab greeting when parting if I'm not mistaken, like when Pakistanis say Khuda hafiz. I dont think it's meant to replace salaams, but of course As salaamu alaikum should be chosen above all other terms used when departing

بنت بيتر said...

stugz??? hahahahha who would even SAY THAT?!?

the salams though is said all the time... and I have heard that PBUH or whatever is not proper either, Allahu alim

Mona Zenhom said...

I'm guilty of Salamz..You're right though, it takes half a second to write it out..

lala said...

hmm... im very guilty of using jazaks, but i'm a convert and always feel guilty when i mispell JazakumAllahu khayran (copied and pasted from your comment thing, lol). have to work on that one, inshAllah

Umm Hasan said...

What a great reminder!!, i am guilty of the 'salamz' when i first reverted, i think i would get nervious of saying these new phrases so cut them short (i think i would sound silly or say them wrong) maybe. I totally agree with MJ i would also do the same when typing them also, in case i made mistakes... time moves on and we all grow in confidence, so i dont tend to do it anymore... but next time i am tempted i will remember this post :)

thanks again

بنت بيتر said...

LOOL I just forgot... when I first converted I couldnt even say "assalamu alaykum"... I never said salam though... just kind of nodded like a dork hehehe... then when I tried saying it, it came out all stupid, tripping on my words *sigh* ah well. my newest effort is to try and say the whole greeting... its not easy!

Lazeena Umm Yusuf said...

Hmm that never even crossed my mind! I'm sure learning to say salaams takes some time, especially with the 'ain in there.. but alhamdulillah, inshaAllah people are understanding. Others just say these weird things cuz they're lazyyy!

Anonymous said...

mashaAllah muchos revertos leen su blog.

wasalaamz

Shukran UmmIsmail Webb, May Allaah azz wal Jaal Reward you. Ameen said...

The Greeted is a Du'aa and if we Shorten the Greeting or Replace with, Masalaama , or Allah Hafiz and Salaamz.Where is the Sunnah in that nor where is the Respect and Care of or brothers and sisters.

This Religion has been Perfected from Top to bottom and Anything Added or taken away by or leave is Bidah!!

If a sister or brother wants for the other as he or she want for his or her self. he would or she should Want peace and blessing and Mercy of Allah be upon one another. allahu allim

Desert Housewife A. (The Canadian in Jubail) said...

AHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRGHHHHHH!!!

i hate that too!! omg who says "stugs"?!?!? i saw these brothers doing a rap video about ramadan and they were like, "oh stugs it's time for salah" and i was like, "erm, did he just say STUGS????"

and the same with JAZAKZ -- who says this??

but i think i am guilty of saying "Salaams" a few times.. but alhamdulillah on the Sisters Only chat forum I am always saying "Asalaam `alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakato!"

It only takes like 5 seconds or less to type! And no way will I say iA or mA... It's insha'Allah or masha'Allah!!

Luv u sis, jazakz for the reminder :-D

LOOOOL Jk about the "jazaks" part!!!

Yasmin (Umm Zayd) said...

Ok Im guilty of shortening assalaamu alaykum but i only do it with my husband and a few friends. Usually when we are texting, emailing, iming...we just write ASA or WAS. But i do not like the jazaks, it urks me and stugz, i never heard someone say that but if I did I would be like 'come again. Please speak English'

Hajar Alwi said...

Ack~! I occasionally shorten w'salam, in comments @ emails @ text. But that's the only guilt I have. First time hearing Stugz I was like ... WHAT?

Anonymous said...

Funny I should come across this post because for days I had been wondering why my friend used to end sentences with iA and mA in text messages and facebook...I used to pronounce iA and wonder whether she meant shouting! lol Only yesterday I realized she meant Insha Allah and Masha Allah! What a stupid thing to do...I guess some ppl do that to sound 'cool'.

Lazeena Umm Yusuf said...

LOL
I guess with texting people try to get in as much as they can to fit onto the small screen.. that's so funny that you thought she was shouting though hahaha

MUJAHIDA said...

Mashaa Allah...every Islamic greetings are du'à.
For the saying "sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam", I know this fatwa

http://www.fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=674

e I'm agree, of course!
Useful reminder, sister!
Jazak'Allahu khairan!

Anonymous said...

I love this post! My sister and her friends do this to me, and I always get so annoyed -- haha, it's too funny that you actually wrote about it. I'll be sharing this with my loved ones:)

Lazeena Umm Yusuf said...

haha, thanks sabrina. it was really annoying me i had to say something!!

Ali said...

Stugzs? For real...I need to catch up on my chat lingo. But I for one am guilty of the same offence when it comes to text messaging. The only thing is when you got so much characters to send text message to someone than should I use the valuable 50-60 characters out of a possible 160 for a proper greeting. Variation is based upon the type of accent you carry and I love the desi accents which misses all the E'ins. Or can I get away with Aoa wr wb?
Or will it be better to just avoid the whole greeting all together? Another thing is when someone writes 'gtg', will the receiver at the other end read it literally as 'gtg' or 'got to go'? Your thoughts....

Ange said...

salamz and jazakz i have seen and familar with.. never heard of stugz before.. lol that made me laugh

bint alshamsa said...

as-salaamu alaikum,

When I was first learning Arabic, I think it would have been a lot easier for me to learn Islamic greetings if I actually got to see them and hear them in their entirety more often. Lots of my friends who already spoke Arabic would speed through greetings or skip them altogether which made it really difficult for me to pick them up and learn how to pronounce them correctly.

This is a very helpful post.