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It
is not allowed for a woman to shake the hand of a non-mahram
man
Question:
Some tribes have customs that go against the pure Sharee'ah.
For example, in some places it is customary for the guest
to shake the hands of the female host. If he does not do so,
it will lead to lots of problems and people will understand
it in different ways. What is the best practice to follow
given those circumstances?
Response:
Shaking the hands of a woman for whom one is not mahram is
not allowed. This is based on what is confirmed from the Prophet
(sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) Who said, when the women were giving
the pledge of allegiance to him, "I do not shake the hands
of women." It is also confirmed that 'Aa.ishah said, "By Allaah,
the hand of the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) never touched another woman [other
than his wives]. He used to take their pledges verbally only."
Allaah has said, "Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah you have
a good example to follow for him who hopes in [the meeting
with] Allaah and the Last Day and remembers Allaah much" (al-Ahzaab
21). Furthermore, shaking hands by women with men that are
not mahram is one of the means that leads to temptation for
both of them and it is obligatory to avoid it. There is no
harm in saying greetings without shaking hands. Any speech
of a questionable nature or soft speech must be avoided. This
is based on Allaah's statement, {O wives of the Prophet! You
are not like any other women. If you keep your duty [to Allaah,
then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease
should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner},
[al-Ahzaab 32]. During the time of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) the women would greet him and ask him
questions that were concerning them. This is also how the
women used to ask the Companions of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) questions concerning matters of concern
to them. There is no harm in women shaking hands with mahram
men, such as their fathers, paternal uncles, Maternal Uncles
and so forth.
Shaykh
Ibn Baaz
Fataawa al-Mar.ah
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