al salamo alikoum is a greeting

alikom elsalam is a a reply

Let me explain what the phrase means and u ll find it easier to understand everything

SALAM= peace

AL SALAM= THE peace

Alikoum = upoN YOU

so

Al Salamo Alikoum = The peace be upon you.

Now the response

Alikoum = Upon you

Al Salam= the peace

so as u can see, the reponse is EXACTLLy the greeting in reverse..like returning it bk to sender :)

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"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat