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Answered by 4 scholars Family & MarriageSA-0023

Is shaking hands with the opposite gender allowed?

Answer 1 of 4Published work 1 min read
SourcePublished work
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah· تقي الدين أحمد بن تيميةClassical Scholar

مجموع الفتاوى

Majmu' al-Fatawa 32/259

Ibn Taymiyyah stated that touching a non-mahram woman is haram, even by way of greeting, and the Prophet ﷺ never shook the hand of a woman in baʿyah but said: "I do not shake hands with women" (Ahmad, Nasa'i, sahih). The Prophet ﷺ also said: "For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better than that he touches a woman who is not lawful for him" (Tabarani, sahih).

Key Takeaway

Skin-to-skin contact with non-mahrams is forbidden, including a handshake.

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