Prohibition of Shaking hands with Non-Related Women
Question:
Why does Islaam forbid a man from shaking the hand of a women he is not related to? Does shaking hands without lust invalidate one’s ablution?
Answer:
Islaam has forbidden that because it is a temptation. One of the greatest forms of temptation is for a man to touch a women he is not related to. Everything that leads to temptation is prohibited by the Law. This is why one is required to lower one’s gaze as a means of blocking evil. As for a man touching his wife, it does not invalidate the ablution. This is so even if it is done with lust-unless he releases some prostatic fluid or sperm. In that case, he must make ghusl if it were sperm; he must make ablution and wash his male organ and testicles if it were prostatic fluid.
Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen.
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