Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
A Muslim can say to his fellow taqabbal Allah (may Allah accept our prayers) after or before the Prayers bearing in mind that this is not part of the Prayers in order to avoid doing innovation (bidah).
Responding to your question, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Former President of the Fiqh Council of North America, stated,
The innovation (bidah) is anything that is introduced in religion without any evidence from the Quran and/or the Sunnah.
Now let us look at this custom of saying (Taqabbal Allah) after the Prayers. There is no proof that the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his Companions to do that after the Prayers.
Also, there is no evidence that the Companions used to do that.
So, if someone thinks that this is part of the Prayers, then it is bidah, because it has no proof.
However, if someone does it as a way of greeting and knowing the people who pray next to him, then it is not bidah.
One should not make it a habit and should not feel that it must be done. You can do it occasionally before or after the Prayers and with the understanding that it is not part of worship.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.