What is the ruling on shaking hands with or kissing a woman who is not a mahram to me, and am I sinful if I shake hands with my female cousins (paternal or maternal) reluctantly to avoid embarrassment?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the woman is a non-, it is not permissible for her to touch or kiss you, and it makes no difference whether she is a friend of your mother or treats you as her son. Paternal and maternal cousins are non-mahrams; it is not permissible to shake their hands. They must be enjoined to good and forbidden from evil with wisdom. It is not permissible to shake their hands out of shyness towards them, for Allah is more deserving of sh shyness. Customs that contradict the must be changed.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/154701
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 154701
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy