Shaking hands with females?

· 8 Rabiʻ II 1434 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Q. Some times I’m faced with the situation where non-Muslim women extend their hands to greet. Is this permissible?

Answer

It is not permissible for a male to shake hands with a non-Mahram female and vice versa.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has prohibited this and condemned this with very strong words:

“It is better for a person to have a long steel needle driven into his head than to touch a non-Mahram woman” (Tabrani)

Sayyidatuna Aa’ishah (Radiyallahu Anha) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had never shook hands with a non-Mahram female ever. (Bulooghul Maraam).

And Allah Knows Best

Answered by
Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed
Checked by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Questions about this ruling, answered only from the archive with sources.

Where scholars differ, it’s safer to take the more cautious view.

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