Question:

To which person does the custom of shaking hands stem?

Answer:

Muhammad Ibn Jafar At-Taimi reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “When Abraham, the confidant of the Beneficent God (a.), was on the mountain of Jerusalem looking for a pasture for his sheep, he heard a voice coming from a man standing in prayer, who was the size of twelve spans. Then he said to him: “O servant of God, whom do you worship?” He answered: “The Lord God of the heavens.” Abraham (a.) asked him: “Is there anyone left of your people besides you?” He answered: “No.” He asked: “Where do you eat from?” He answered: “In summer i pick from this tree, and in winter i eat it.” He said: “Where is your home?” He pointed to a mountain. Then Abraham (a.) asked him: “Will you allow me to come with you and spend the night with you?” He answered: “Before me lies a body of water in which you will not sink.” He said: “How do you do that?” He said: “I walk on it.” He said: “Then take me with you, for it may be that God will provide me with what He provides you with.” Then he took the hand of the servant and they walked together until they reached the water and he ran and also Abraham (a.) ran with him until they arrived at his residence. Abraham (a.) asked him: “Which of the days is the most powerful?” He replied: “The day of the Last Judgment, a day on which complaints will be filed against men among themselves.” He asked: “Would you allow that you raise your hand and i raise mine, that we may call upon God to save us from the evil of that day?” He answered: “But what are you doing with my invocation, because by God, i made an invocation three years ago, but i was not heard a bit in it.” Abraham (a.) said to him: “Shall i not first tell you why your invocation was postponed?” He answered: “Yes.” He said to him: “If God loved a servant, He postpones His invocation, so that He might turn to Him in secret and ask and invoke Him, but if He hated a servant, He dealt quickly with His invocation, or threw hopelessness at it in His heart.” Then he (as) asked him: “What was your invocation?” He said: “One day a sheep passed by me with a curly-haired boy in its company. Then i said: “O boy, who is the owner of this sheep?” He said: “It belongs to Abraham, the confidant of the Beneficent God.” i said: “God, if you have a confidant on earth, show him to me!” Abraham (a.) said to him: “God has heard you, for i am Abraham, the confidant of the merciful one!” Then he took him in his arm and the shaking of the hand came at a time when God sent Muhammad (s.).” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 76 Page 19 – 20 Hadith 1]

عن الصدوق عن ماجيلويه عن محمد العطار عن الأشعري عن محمد بن عمران عن أبيه عمران بن إسماعيل عن أبي علي الأنصاري عن محمد بن جعفر التميمي قال: قال الصادق جعفر بن محمد عليه السلام: بينا إبراهيم خليل الرحمن عليه السلام في جبل بيت المقدس يطلب مرعى لغنمه إذ سمع صوتا، فإذا هو برجل قائم يصلي، طوله اثنا عشر شبرا، فقال له: يا عبد الله لمن تصلي؟ قال: لاله السماء، فقال له إبراهيم عليه السلام هل بقي أحد من قومك غيرك؟ قال: لا، قال: فمن أين تأكل؟ قال: أجتني من هذا الشجر في الصيف وآكله في الشتاء قال له: فأين منزلك؟ قال: فأومأ بيده إلى جبل، فقال له إبراهيم عليه السلام هل لك أن تذهب بي معك فأبيت عندك الليلة؟ فقال: إن قدامي ماء لا يخاض، قال: كيف تصنع؟ قال: أمشي عليه، قال: فاذهب بي معك فلعل الله أن يرزقني ما رزقك، قال: فأخذ العابد بيده فمضيا جميعا حتى انتهيا إلى الماء فمشى ومشى إبراهيم عليه السلام معه حتى انتهيا إلى منزله، فقال له إبراهيم عليه السلام: أي الأيام أعظم؟ فقال له العابد: يوم الدين، يوم يدان الناس بعضهم من بعض، قال: فهل لك أن ترفع يدك وأرفع يدي فندعو الله عز وجل أن يؤمننا من شر ذلك اليوم؟ فقال: وما تصنع بدعوتي فوالله إن لي لدعوة منذ ثلاث سنين فما أجبت فيها بشئ فقال له إبراهيم عليه السلام: أولا أخبرك لأي شئ احتبست دعوتك؟ قال: بلى، قال له: إن الله عز وجل إذا أحب عبدا احتبس دعوته ليناجيه ويسأله ويطلب إليه، وإذا أبغض عبدا عجل له دعوته أو ألقى اليأس في قلبه منها. ثم قال له: وما كانت دعوتك؟ قال: مر بي غنم ومعه غلام له ذؤابة فقلت: يا غلام لمن هذا الغنم؟ فقال: لإبراهيم خليل الرحمن، فقلت: اللهم إن كان لك في الأرض خليل فأرنيه، فقال له إبراهيم: فقد استجاب الله لك إنا إبراهيم خليل الرحمن، فعانقه، فلما بعث الله محمدا صلى الله عليه وآله جاءت المصافحة

Abu Hamzah Ath-Thumali reported that Imam Al-Baqir (a.) said: “The first two people on earth who shook hands were the man with two horns (Dhu-l-Qarnain) and Abraham, the confidant (of God). Abraham received him and shook his hand and the first tree on the earth is the palm tree.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 12 page 78 Hadith 5]

عن الطوسي عن المفيد عن ابن قولويه عن أبيه عن سعد عن الأشعري عن ابن أبي الخطاب عن محمد بن سليمان عن الثمالي عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: أول اثنين تصافحا على وجه الأرض ذو القرنين وإبراهيم الخليل، استقبله إبراهيم فصافحه، وأول شجرة على وجه الأرض النخلة