A gentleman from Morocco submitted an enquiry to Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah be his Helper), asking whether shaking hands with women is haram [forbidden]. If it is haram, with which relatives is it haram to shake hands?
In a letter dated February 23, 2024, Huzoor-e-Anwar (may Allah be his Helper) said:
“Islam does not permit a man and a woman who are outside the prohibited degrees of marriage [non-mahram] to shake hands with one another. Therefore, such a man and woman should not shake hands with each other. It is also mentioned in the ahadith that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not shake hands with non-mahram women. [Sunan an-Nasa’i, Kitab al-bay‘ah, Bab bay‘ati n-nisa’)]
“The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) states in this regard:
“‘Look at the righteousness of our Lord and Master, the Greatest of the Prophets, Best of the Virtuous, Muhammad, the Chosen One, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him! He would not shake hands even with chaste and pious women who came to pledge allegiance to him. Instead, he would seat them at a distance and exhort them only verbally regarding repentance.’ [The Light of the Holy Qur’an, p. 153, 2022 ed.]
“Hazrat Maulawi Sher Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) relates, ‘Once, the late Dr Muhammad Ismail Khan submitted to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) that an English lady doctor worked with him in the hospital and she was an elderly woman. She would sometimes shake his hand; what was the ruling regarding this? The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) replied, “This is not permissible. You should excuse yourself by saying that this is not permissible in our religion.”’ [Seeratul-Mahdi, narration 404]
“Thus, Islam forbids handshaking between a non-mahram man and woman. However, where a mahram relationship exists, there appears to be no objection to a man and woman shaking hands.”
[Al Hakam Weekly, June 15, 2026, Answers to Everyday Issues – Part 114]