What is the authenticity of: "If the cups are clinked, what is in them becomes forbidden (haram)?" Is this a sound (sahih) hadith, and what is the ruling on clinking cups together?

The mentioned Hadith, "If the cups clink, what is in them becomes forbidden," has no basis in the Prophetic Sunnah, nor is it even mentioned in books of fabricated Hadith. Sheikhs Ibn Baz and Al-Fawzan have both confirmed that it is not authentic. As for the ruling on clinking glasses when drinking, it is prohibited and forbidden because it imitates alcohol drinkers. Imam Al-Ghazali affirmed this by forbidding such actions even if the beverage itself is permissible.