Fruits for the Week

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The practical life of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is a clear example. He never shook hands with non-mahram women.

His beloved wife Aishah (RA) said: “By Allah, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) never accepted the oath of allegiance from women except in the manner enjoined upon him by Allah, and the hand of Allah’s Messenger (SAW) never touched the hand of a woman (to whom he was not married). When he would accept the oath from them, he would say to them: I have accepted your oath of allegiance verbally.” (Muslim)

This is the example of the individual who was the Most beloved to Allah and the best to be emulated in accordance with the command of Allah in the glorious Qur’an: “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the last Day and (who) remembers Allah often.” (Qur’an 33: 21)

If we profess to be true believers, we have no choice but to accept, follow, and obey the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saw) when they tell us to refrain from shaking hands with non-Mahram women or men: “The answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that he may judge between them, is that they say: We hear and we obey. It is such as these that will attain felicity. It is such who obey Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah and do right, that will win.” (Qur’an 24: 51-52)

The seriousness of the issue at hand can be seen from this warning of Allah’s Messenger (saw), in which he confirmed that he had not left behind a harder trial for men that the temptations of women. It was narrated that Usamah ibn Zayd (ra) said that Allah’s Messenger (saw) said: “I have not left behind me any fitnah that is more harmful to men than women.” (Muslim)

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, this prohibition seems so strange that when it is brought up, people say: “We never heard the like of this among the people of these latter days; this is nothing but a made-up tale!” (Qur’an 38: 7)

Our concern should not be the magnitude of the sin that is incurred when we shake hands with, and sometimes even hug, non-mahram women. We should consider the One Whose command we are disobeying when we commit this sin.

The noble companion Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (ra) narrated two hadiths to us: one of them from himself and the other from the Prophet (saw) as mentioned earlier in this compilation. He said: “A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under the mountain which he is afraid may fall on him, whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose, and just drives them away like this.” (Bukhari)

We must reflect upon the greatness of our Lord, the One Who is free and far from all imperfections, and His tremendous power and might. We should not consider whether a sin is great or small; rather, we should think of it with regard to the One we are disobeying. This will help us fear Him, in accordance with the advice of Allah’s Messenger (saw) when he advised Abu Dharr (ra: “Fear Allah wherever you are, and follow (up) an evil deed with a good one to wipe it out, and treat people with good behavior.”) (Tirmidhi)

May Allah enable us to take all His commands very seriously and help us refrain from the practice of shaking hands with non-mahram individuals of the opposite sex. May we imbibe His fear in our hearts to overcome the fear of other people and they might say when we refuse to shake hands, and may we remain upon the straight path. Ameen.

by Yahya M. A. O.

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