The do’s and
don’ts of handshaking
source:
silsilat ul-ahādīth us-sahīha ~ the series of authentic
narrations ~ hadīth no. 16
On the authority of Abu Huraira: “when the Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وسلم) used to say farewell to someone, he would say:
أَسْتَوْدِعُ اللهَ دِينَكَ وَ أَمَانَتَكَ وَ خَوَاتِيمَ
عَمَلِكَ
(I entrust your religion, your family and belongings (that
you are leaving behind), and the last of your deeds to Allāh).”
~*~*~*~
Shaykh al-Albānī comments:
“A number of benefits are gained from this authentic hadīth.
First: the permissibility of saying farewell with the
mentioned saying in it: ‘أَسْتَوْدِعُ اللهَ دِينَكَ وَ
أَمَانَتَكَ وَ خَوَاتِيمَ عَمَلِكَ,’ and the traveler
responds to him and says: ‘أَسْتَوْدِعُكُمُ اللهَ الَّذِي لاَ
تَضِيعُ وَدَائِعُهُ’ (I entrust you to Allāh, whose trusts
are not lost).[1] Refer to ‘Al-Kalim At-Tayyib.’[2]
Second: (the permissibility of) taking hold of one hand
during handshaking, which has been mentioned in many
narrations, and this hadīth indicates the derivation of this
word (‘handshaking’) in the (Arabic) language. According to
Lisān ul-ʽArab:[3] ‘al-musāfaha (handshaking) is taking hold
of the hand, the same as at-tasāfuh. A man handshakes
another man when he places the side of his palm in the side
of the other’s palm, and the sides of their palms are the
front of them – like the hadīth of handshaking upon meeting,
which is done with one another by joining the side of a palm
with another palm and turning face-to-face.’ I (Shaykh al-Albānī)
say: there is that which reports this meaning as well in
some of the previously mentioned narrations, such as the
marfūʽ hadīth[4] of Hudhaifa: ‘Indeed, if the believer meets
another believer, then gives him the salaam and takes hold
of his hand and handshakes him, their sins fall off as the
leaves of trees fall off.’[5] Al-Mundhurī said: ‘At-Tabarānī
narrated it in ‘Al-Awsat’ and I don’t know of anyone who was
criticized among its narrators.’ I (Shaykh al-Albānī) say:
it has evidences by which it rises to the rank of being
authentic, such as (that which was reported) on the
authority of Anas by Ad-Dhiyā Al-Maqdisī in ‘Al-Mukhtāra,’
which al-Mundhurī attributed to Ahmad and others. So all
these narrations indicate that the sunnah in handshaking is
taking hold of one hand; therefore, the handshaking with
both hands that some of the scholars do is against the
Sunnah, so let this be known.
The third benefit: that handshaking is legislated at the
time of parting as well… The reason for inferring, rather
quoting (this) becomes clear by remembering the
permissibility of (giving) the salām when parting as well
due to his (the Prophet’s) saying (صلى الله عليه وسلم): ‘If
one of you enters the gathering then let him give the salām,
and if he leaves then let him give the salām, as the first
one is not more deserving (to be said) than the other
one,’[6] Abu Dāwūd, at-Tirmidhī and others narrated it with
a hasan (good) chain of narration. So the saying of some
(people) is that handshaking at the time of parting is an
innovation which has no truth. Yes, indeed the one who reads
the mentioned narrations about handshaking when meeting will
find them to be more in number and stronger than the
mentioned narrations about handshaking when parting; and the
one who is intelligent will conclude from that, that the
permissibility of the second handshaking is not like that of
the first (handshaking) in rank. Therefore, the first one is
sunnah and the second one is recommended. As for (the
latter) being an innovation, then no (this is not true) due
to the evidence that we mentioned.
And as for handshaking immediately after the prayers, then
it is undoubtedly an innovation, except if (the handshaking)
takes place between two persons who have not met before
that, then it is sunnah as you learned.”
~ asaheeha translations ~
[1] Saheeh Al-Kalim at-Tayyib #133
[2] The Goodly Words by Shaykh Ibn Taimiya
[3] The Arab Tongue; one of the well-known Arabic
dictionaries
[4] a narration attributed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وسلم)
[5] Silsilat ul-Ahādīth us-Sahīha #526
[6] Sahīh Abī Dāwūd #5208, Sahīh at-Tirmidhī #2706
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