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What is the ruling on a woman shaking hands with her male relatives, knowing that she is religious and relies on fatwas that permit it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Shaking hands between men and women is unanimously forbidden, except for the case of elderly individuals who no longer desire, which some scholars have made an exception for. The wife's reliance on the opinions of some contemporary scholars is impermissible, for whoever seeks out the missteps of scholars will accumulate evil within himself. Even if it were assumed that shaking hands is permissible, it is forbidden for her to do so if her husband forbids it, for obedience to the husband is obligatory in matters that are otherwise permissible. The wife must fear Allah and abandon this act, for she is accountable for it, and her limbs will bear witness against her on the Day of Resurrection. Allah the Almighty says: "This Day We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to earn."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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