Is a woman sinful if she is forced to shake hands with her male cousin (her mother's brother's son), her male maternal aunt's son, or her male paternal uncle's son, after she has learned of the impermissibility of that?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Shaking hands with non- men is forbidden for a woman, and the prayer (du'a) of relatives who curse her for refusing to shake hands will not be answered, because it is oppression and aggression. If she is forced to shake hands under severe threat, there is no sin upon her. However, threatening to break off an engagement is not considered a valid form of duress. She must repent to Allah and clarify the ruling of Islamic law to her relatives.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/167455
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 167455
- 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