What is the ruling on greeting the person next to you after the prayer?

The questioner : The poet says: We follow the practice of the man greeting the one beside him after parting from the voluntary prayer or the Fajr prayer.

The Shaykh : If a person makes this a regular voluntary practice, greeting the person next to him every time he concludes the prayer, then this has no basis in the practice of the Companions, as far as we know. We should be content with what they were content with. Indeed, when the Companions used to conclude the prayer, they would wave their hands to the right and left, saying, "Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy, peace be upon you and Allah's mercy." Yes, they would wave their hands, saying, "Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy, peace be upon you and Allah's mercy." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "What is the matter with you, waving your hands as if they were the tails of horses? It was sufficient for one of you to say this," and he turned to his right (peace and blessings be upon him), saying, "Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy, peace be upon you." This indicates that the greeting after the prayer is, in reality, a greeting to the person next to you. However, if the person next to you is someone you know, and you wish to ask about his condition or the like, there is no blame on you for doing so.

Another questioner : Thank you.

The Shaykh : The one with the microphone says that he is not satisfied with the time extending, and I agree with him as well, because I need to perform wudu. I ask you to excuse me from the rest of the lesson until next night. I also ask that you not put me in an awkward position with your questions, because I would like to go and perform wudu so that I can stand for you, if Allah wills.