[48] Mistakes regarding Tasl?m and shaking hands after it:
[1/ 48] Ab? Hurairah ( - رضي الله عنه -) related that the prophet ( - ) said: ‘Whenever you meet your [muslim] brother, greet him with Sal?m. And when a tree, a wall or a rock separates between you and you meet each other again; greet him with Sal?m once again’. (1)
In the aforementioned had?th, the prophet ( - ) orders muslims to greet one another with Sal?m whenever they meet each other. This would increase the chance of creating mutual love in their hearts and decreases the chance of malice, hatred and aversion to exist amongst them.
The prophet’s ( - ) order does not entail that greeting other muslims is an obligation (2) , it is only a recommended act; whether one is inside a mosque or outside, for the authentic Sunnah affirms that one is recommended to greet other muslims in the mosque whether they are doing Sal?t or not.
Ibn ‘Umar ( - رضي الله عنه -) said: ‘Once, the prophet ( - ) went to Qub?’ to perform Sal?t in it. A group of Al-Ans?r came in and greeted him while he was performing Sal?t’.
Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘[when Bil?l ( - رضي الله عنه -) told me this,] I asked him about the manner in which the prophet ( - ) returned the greeting while he was performing Sal?t’.
He said: ‘He spread his hand like this’. Ja‘far Ibn ‘Awn spread his hand making its palm facing downwards. (3)
(1) Narrated by: Ab? D?w?d in “As-Sunnan” (no. 5200) through an authentic chain of narrators who are all reliable. Refer to: “As-Silsilah As-Sah?hah” (no. 186)
(2) For more details on evidences concerning this point see: “ ‘Iqd Az-Zabarjad F? Tahiyyati ’Ummati Muhammad” (p. 159).
(3) Narrated by: Ab? D?w?d in his “Sunnan” (no. 927) and Ahmad in “Al-Musnad” (vol 2 / p. 30) through an authentic chain of narrators according to the conditions set by the two great shaikhs for the authentic ah?d?th. See also: “Silsilat Al-Ah?d?th As-Sah?hah” (no. 185).