Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, but shake hands." That is, when meeting, a person should neither bow to his friend nor kiss him. Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man asked: O Messenger of Allah! When a person meets his friend, should he bow to him? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." He then asked: Should he embrace him and kiss him? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." He asked a third time: Should he shake hands with him? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, if he wishes." This wording of the hadith is narrated by Imam Ahmad. Imam Tirmidhi has also narrated a similar report, but in his narration, the words «إن شاء» "if he wishes" are not present.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Companions met each other, they would shake hands, and when they returned from a journey, they would embrace.

Lady Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with her) says: I passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) while he was in the Hatim. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: "Umm al-Fadl!" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "You have conceived a child." I said: How can this be, when the Quraysh have sworn oaths that women will not give birth to children? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "What I am saying will happen. When the child is born, bring him to me." So when the child was born, she brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He named him Abdullah, put his blessed saliva in his mouth, and said: "Take him, you will find him intelligent." She says: I went to Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him the whole story. He put on his clothes and came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was a handsome and tall man. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw him, he stood up towards him, kissed his forehead, and seated him on his right side. Then he said: "This is my uncle; whoever wishes, let him take pride in his uncle." Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! Do not praise me so much. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Why should I not say this, when you are my uncle, a sign of my forefathers, and an uncle is like a father."