Greetings & Shaking Hands Removes Sin, Signs of Faith And Practice of The Companions/Sahabat

عن حذيفة بن اليمان ، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إِنَّ المُؤْمِنَ إِذَا لَقِيَ الْمُؤْمِنَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيهِ وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ فَصَافَحَهُ تَنَاثَرَتْ خَطَايَاهُمَا كَمَا يَتَنَاثَرُ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ

From Huzaifah al-Yaman RA from the Prophet SAW he said: "If a believer meets another believer and greets him and takes his hand and shakes it, then their sins will fall like leaves fall from a tree" (Mu'jam Awsat li  Tabarani No: 247) Maarif Library.

Status: Al-Munziri said that no narrator in this line of chain of transmission is criticized.

https://dorar.net/h/B6wfyMcV 

Learnings:

1. One of the manners that must be instilled when meeting fellow Muslims is to greet/say salaam. 

2. Greetings are also a sign of love for fellow Muslims. From Abu Hurairah RA that the Prophet SAW said: 

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَوَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا وَلاَ تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا ‏.‏ أَوَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Huraira reported:

The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessing be upon him) observed: You shall not enter Paradise so long as you do not affirm belief (in all those things which are the articles of faith) and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another. Should I not direct you to a thing which, if you do, will foster love amongst you: (i. e.) spread salaam (peace) among yourselves.

Sahih Muslim 54 a

https://sunnah.com/muslim:54a

https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:68

https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:3692 

3. Shaking hands is a prescribed act of worship when meeting and parting 

4. Shaking hands is also a sunnah of the companions/sahabat, as described in the following narration: 

حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَاصِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَنَسٍ أَكَانَتِ الْمُصَافَحَةُ فِي أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ نَعَمْ‏.‏

Narrated Qatada:

I asked Anas, "Was it a custom of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) to shake hands with one another?" He said, "Yes."

Sahih al-Bukhari 6263

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6263 

5. Ibn Hajar said, "shaking hands is placing the palm to the palm of another." (Fathul Bari, 11/54). According to Imam An Nawawi in al-Adzkar - held for a few seconds, for a period of time sufficient to convey the salaam." 

6. Muslims who shake hands when meeting will have their sins dropped like leaves 

Find time to visit each other, take the opportunity to say salaam and shake hands with the same sex as permitted by the Shari'ah.