Q. Some people suggest that we should not greet each other with salam in bathrooms, and they also say that we should not take anything bearing God’s name into a bathroom. Please comment.
Jalal
A. This is correct. The Islamic greeting, Salam alaikum, uses one of God’s names, Salam, which means “peace”, and offers it to whomever we are greeting. We should always show profound respect to God and His attributes. A bathroom is not a place where people should indulge in conversation or discuss any matter. It is a place where people answer the call of nature and leave, or they take off their clothes to have a shower. Islamic manners make it clear that the less said in a bathroom the better.
Hence, we must not mention God’s name or the name of the Prophet Muhammad or any prophet there. We are better advised to do whatever we need to do and leave. There are plenty of spaces where we can have our conversation and discussion outside.