Sayyiduna Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to accompany the funeral, visit the sick, respond to one who sneezes, fulfill the oath of one who swears, help the oppressed, spread the greeting of peace, and accept invitations. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The command to accompany the funeral and visit the sick is for seeking reward; it is not an obligatory command. As for responding to one who sneezes and fulfilling an oath, the wording of the command is general but its intent is specific. That is, responding to one who sneezes is only obligatory when he praises Allah, and fulfilling an oath is obligatory in some cases, not in all cases. As for helping the oppressed and accepting invitations, these are commands that are obligatory at certain times and not obligatory at other times. As for the command to spread the greeting of peace, the wording is general, but what is meant is that it should be done with Muslims; it should not be done with non-Muslims.