السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته، شيخنا الفاضل. I am studying in Indonesia, and here in the masjid, after finishing the prayer, people begin shaking hands with the person next to them. Is this practice considered a Bid‘ah? جزاكم الله خيرًا وبارك الله فيكم.

Imam Ibn Baz mentioned that What is prescribed is that you give salām to those present in the masjid when you reach them. As for making a habit of giving salām to the person next to you after finishing an obligatory or voluntary prayer, this is considered a bidʿah (religious innovation), because there is no dalīl (evidence) for singling out this situation. As for doing it some of the time, or to someone you did not meet before the prayer, or to someone you need something from and want to speak to, then there is no harm in that.