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Islamic sayings

leonard--14

leonard--14

Do Egyptian Christians use the Islamic sayings with one another as well, or do they have different greetings?
maha266

maha266

im not Egyptian and not really sure about this. but as i can guess from their shows, that some phrases can be used like (inshAllah=God willing)/ alhamdullah=Thanks God. but mabe not common to use Alsalaamu alikum = peace be upon you. - JUST WHAT I Think- not sure
khaduj

khaduj

Certain Islamic sayings will be the same for both Muslims and Christians, but not other Islamic sayings (especially in reference to Mohammed صل الله عليه وسلم
rocket-arabic-amr

rocket-arabic-amr

For greetings, in general, everyone Muslims and Christians in Egypt are exchanging greetings simply. But mostly, Muslims say: “Alsalaamu Alikum السلام عليكم” for all, which means: “Peace be upon you”, while Christians often say: “good morning صباح الخير” or "good evening مساء الخير”. And on the other hand, the both of them say many sayings as the same, for example: “alhamdullah الحمد لله” which means: “Thank allah”, "Insha2 allah إن شاء الله" which means: "allah willing" and "Allah yebareklak الله يباركلك" which means: "allah bless you". But there is other kind of sayings is used specifically according to the teachings of each religion, especially the sayings which are related to the faith (Al2eman الإيمان) or doctrine (Al3aqidah العقيدة).
Debra-P7

Debra-P7

Not sure if you're still following this question as it's been quite awhile. Anyway, I haven't been doing a lot of Arabic lately, as surprisingly enough, the time I was in Qatar, I didn't have much time to study. Now I'm trying to get to work again, but I noticed that you are really rolling along these days. I didn't meet any Christian arabs at all in Qatar. They are pretty much all muslim. There might be a few Christian arabs from places like Lebanon, but nobody I noticed. With the Arabic speaking people I met, all of them used inshAllah every other sentence. That is by far the most popular saying.
leonard--14

leonard--14

Hi Debra,

I travel to Egypt fairly regularly which is why I am interested in knowning Arabic. In Egypt there are a large number of Coptic and other Christian groups so my question is probably more relevant for that country than for Qatar which has a very small population of Christians. I am using other language programs as well because I find that no one program covers everything that is needed. It also helps to think about the language in different ways and from different angles. Thank you for your feedback.

Lynette-R1

Lynette-R1

I am living between Australia and Egypt. As a Christian in a an area outside the bigger cities, I have not heard any difference in greetings only the Muslim greetings. The only time I came across a group of Christians was when I attended the local church. The greeting was just a small nod and smile
eiman-k-elmasry

eiman-k-elmasry

You're right Lynette. Egyptians tend to use basically the same expressions regardless of their religion which is one of the most beautiful things in Egypt.
The traditional Muslims' greeting "Assalamu 3alaikom" = "Peace be upon you" is used by many Christians as well. This also applies to many commonly used muslim expressions which became part of the language and culture.
Nobody has to worry about this though as the normal well known expressions are also widely used like "Good morning" = saba7 el7'eir and "Good afternoon" = "Masaa el 7'eir" and all other daily normal expressions that are used by all religions and nationalities in Egypt.
leonard--14

leonard--14

When I was in Egypt I was using the traditional greeting "Assalamu 3alaikom" and the Christians I knew asked my translator why I was using a Muslim greeting to say hello. While it is true that many greetings are the same, the one mentioned appears to be used by the Muslims and not so much by the Christians. 
Lynette-R1

Lynette-R1

As I said before I don't notice any difference in greetings between Muslim or Christians. I usually say "hi" and mostly get a big smile back and "hi"
I am teaching English in Egypt and all the children greet me with "goodmorning"
in the afternoon it's bye. Times are changing
 
taniaraenunu

taniaraenunu

Hi :)
Yes, agree with the above regarding in sha' allah and alhamdulellah .
My answer:
If you are not Muslim, do not use السلام عليكم. 
Greet everyone you meet, be a Muslim or a Christian or a Jew, etc . with:
صباح الخير    and    مساء الخير        
or the various forms of "Hello" that are used in the local dialect or in fus7a.
Everybody, will reply to your "good mornings" or "afternoons" or "hellos", accordingly and regardless of their religion.
T

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