Pivotal Excerpt
❝Shaykh Ibn Bāz was asked, “I see that some people, after shaking hands, they kiss their hand, or place their hand upon their chest as an expression of greater affection. Is this permissible? Benefit us, may Allāh reward you.”
The Shaykh (رحمه الله) said, “This action of theirs does not have any basis according to what we know from the Sharīʿah (the Divine Laws) of Islām. It is not legislated to kiss the hand or to place it on the chest after shaking hands.”
This means that it is not from the religion to do this and that rather, some people just do it out of culture. The Shaykh goes on to mention a beneficial point and detailed answer,
“If the person believes that this act will bring them closer to Allāh, then in this case, it will be an innovation.”❞
Question and Answer [2:44 Mins]
Question:
Is it a Sunnah to use the right hand to touch the chest after shaking the hand of a Muslim?
Answer:
Touching the chest after shaking the hand of a person is from al-ʿādāt, – the customs and culture of a particular people and their lands. There is nothing found in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to support this action. This question was asked to Shaykh ʿAbdul ʿAzīz Ibn Bāz (رحمه الله), and you can find it in ‘Al-Fatāwā Al-Islāmiyyah’ (Volume 4, page 408).
السؤال : أرى بعض الناس بعد مصافحتهم يقبلون أيديهم أو يضعونها على صدورهم زيادة في التودد فهل ذلك جائز ؟
الجواب : ليس لهذا العمل أصل فيما أعلم من الشريعة الإسلامية ولا يشرع تقبيل اليد أو وضعها على الصدر بعد المصافحة بل هو بدعة إذا اعتقد صاحبه التقرب به إلى الله سبحانه
Shaykh Ibn Bāz was asked, “I see that some people, after shaking hands, they kiss their hand, or place their hand upon their chest as an expression of greater affection. Is this permissible? Benefit us, may Allāh reward you.”
The Shaykh (رحمه الله) said, “This action of theirs does not have any basis according to what we know from the Sharīʿah (the Divine Laws) of Islām. It is not legislated to kiss the hand or to place it on the chest after shaking hands.”
This means that it is not from the religion to do this and that rather, some people just do it out of culture. The Shaykh goes on to mention a beneficial point and detailed answer,
“If the person believes that this act will bring them closer to Allāh, then in this case, it will be an innovation.”
Some people do it out of ‘ādāt, just out of custom and culture. However, if a person does it believing that it is a Sunnah, and they do it to draw closer to Allāh (عز وجل), Shaykh Ibn Bāz said that it is a bidʿah (an innovation) because it has no basis.
والله أعلم وجزاكم الله خيرا