At the time of the Shaikh, this Bid‘ah was only practiced at Fajr and Asr Salaw?t; these days -however- it is practiced after every Sal?t. Indeed, no might nor power but with All?h ( - ).

Shaikh Al-Laknaw? said: ‘Two things are widespread these days through out the muslim countries especially the country from which the Fitan [lack of fiath, abandoning Sunnah, ... etc.] emerge [i.e. India]. These two things must be totally abandoned; they are:

First: many people do not greet those who are in the mosque when they enter it at dawn; instead, they immediately perform the Fajr Sunnah Sal?t, do the obligatory Sal?t and after finishing it and all that which follows it [of Tasb?h], they greet one another. This is indeed a hideous act, for greeting others should be done when meeting them -as is affirmed in the authentic narrations- not when sitting with them.

Second: people shake hands with each other after performing Fajr Sal?t, ‘Asr Sal?t, the two Eids Sal?t, and the Jumu‘ah Sal?t though shaking hands should preferably be done at the time of meeting’. (1)

Having mentioned the disagreement amongst scholars regarding the legality of shaking hands with others immediately after performing Sal?t, Al-Laknaw? added: ‘Ibn Hajar Al-Haitam? Ash-Sh?fi‘? and Qutbud D?n Ibn ‘Al?’id D?n Al-Makk? Al-Hanaf? were of those who considered such an act as illegal. Al-F?dil Ar-R?m? in his “Maj?lisul ‘Abr?r” considered it a hideous Bid‘ah; he said: ‘Shaking hands with those you meet is a good deed, but doing it after Jumu‘ah Sal?t and the two Eids Sal?t -as is widespread these days- was not mentioned in the had?th [that recommended spreading Sal?m]. Accordingly; there is no proof that supports such an act. And as we stated earlier: that which depends on no