“Shaking hands is part of the Sunnah of Muslims, and is part of the guidance of the Companions of the Prophet of Messengers, peace and blessings be upon him.”
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful
Praise be to God, and may blessings and peace be upon His Messenger and His Chosen One, Muhammad bin Abdullah, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow him. As for what follows:
I noticed the spread of the phenomenon of abandoning the handshake and using the phrase (peace be upon you), even though the handshake is part of the Sunnah of the Muslims, and is the guidance of the Companions of the Prophet of Messengers, peace and blessings be upon him. Qatada narrated that he said: I said to Anas bin Malik: “Was the handshake common among the Companions of the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace? He said: Yes.” [1].
[2] “The companions of the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace – “When they meet, they shake hands, and when they come from a trip, they embrace». Ibn Battal said: Shaking hands is good according to most scholars. Al-Nawawi said: Shaking hands is a unanimously agreed upon Sunnah when meeting. As in Fath al-Bari (11/55).
What is meant by a handshake is to touch the palm of the hand to the palm, and turn the face towards the other, as at the end in the strange hadith. Ibn al-Atheer, vol. 3, p. 34
The virtue of shaking hands is great, as it has been proven on the authority of Salman Al-Farsi that the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace – said: “If a Muslim meets another Muslim and takes him by the hand, their sins will fall away from them, just as leaves fall off a dry tree on a stormy day, but they will be forgiven, even if their sins are like the foam of the sea.» [3] .
Al-Mundhiri said with a good chain of transmission. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “There are no two Muslims who meet and shake hands without being forgiven before they separate.» [4].
And in Hudhayfah, the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace – said:
( “If a believer meets another believer and greets him, takes his hand and shakes his hand, their sins are scattered like leaves from a tree.» [5]
On the authority of Ibn Masoud, on the authority of the Prophet – may God bless him and grant him peace – he said: “It is a perfect greeting to take the hand» [6]
On the authority of Anas, he said: A man said: “O Messenger of God! Does a man among us meet his brother or friend and bow to him? He said: No. He said: Should he adhere to it and accept it? He said: No. He said: Should he take his hand and shake it? He said: “Yes» [7] .
It is Sunnah to shake hands when congratulating. Muslim narrated on the authority of Ka’b bin Malik (in talking about his repentance after failing to participate in the Battle of Tabuk) that he said: “Until I entered the mosque, I saw the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, sitting in the mosque, surrounded by people, then Talha bin Ubaidullah got up and jogged until he shook hands with me and congratulated me.” (Narrated by Muslim (2769).
Among the guidance of the Companions is to perfume the hand, so that it attaches to the hands of others when shaking hands. Al-Bukhari narrated (in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad) on the authority of Thabit Al-Bunani: “When Anas bin Malik used to anoint his hand with perfumed oil in the morning, to shake hands with his brothers.” (Sahih Hadith); (Sahih Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, by Al-Albani, Hadith: 774).
The handshake can be done in two ways:
– Shaking hands with one hand is the original
– Shaking hands with the right hand and then placing the left hand on the other’s hand, as in Sahih Al-Bukhari (6265) and Muslim (402) on the authority of Ibn Masoud, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, taught me to recite the Tashahhud and hold my palms between his palms. It is authentically reported on the authority of Hammad bin Zaid that he shook hands with Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak with both hands. As in Sahih Al-Bukhari Mu’allaqa (p. 1206).
One of the legal errors occurring in our environment is the spread of shaking hands with non-mahram women, and this is forbidden. Ibn Muflih said: Abu Abdullah – that is, Imam Ahmad – was asked about a man shaking hands with a woman. He said: No, and he stressed it very much. I said: So he shakes hands with her in his garment? He said: No…the prohibition is the choice of Sheikh Taqi al-Din, and he explained that touching is more eloquent than looking) Al-Adab Al-Shariah 2/257.
The evidence for the prohibition is what has been proven on the authority of Maqil bin Yasar, who says: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “If one of you were stabbed in the head with an iron needle, it would be better for him than touching a woman who is not permissible for him». Narrated by Al-Tabarani in “Al-Kabir” (486).
Al-Albani said about him in “Sahih Al-Jami’” (5045): Sahih. On the authority of Umaima, daughter of Raqiqa, she said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “I don’t shake hands with women» [8] .
And on the authority of Urwa, that Aisha told him about the pledge of allegiance to women, saying: “The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never touched a woman with his hand except to take possession of her. If he took possession of her and she gave it to him, he said: Go, for I have pledged allegiance to you.” (Narrated by Muslim (1866).
On the authority of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, she said: “When believing women migrated to the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, they would be tested by the words of God Almighty: {O Prophet, when believing women come to you, pledging their pledge of allegiance to you that they will not associate anything with God, nor will they steal, nor commit adultery.} [الممتحنة / 12]. Aisha said: Whoever among the believing women acknowledges this has acknowledged the ordeal
When the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, acknowledged what they said, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to them: “Go, I have pledged allegiance to you»And no, by God, the hand of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never touched the hand of a woman other than when he pledged allegiance to them with words. Aisha said: By God, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never took charge of women except according to what God Almighty commanded, and the palm of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, never touched the hand of a woman, and he used to say to them when he took the pledge of allegiance from them, “I have pledged allegiance to you” with words.
Praise be to God first and last.[9].
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[1] (Narrated by Al-Bukhari (5/2311) (5908)).
[2] And in Al-Tabarani in “Al-Awsat” (1/37) (97) on the authority of Anas and his narrators, they are cited as evidence in the Sahih.
[3] (Narrated by Al-Tabarani in “Al-Kabeer” (6/256) (6150)).
[4] (Narrated by Abu Dawud (5212) and authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud).
[5] Al-Mundhiri said (3/270): “It was narrated by Al-Tabarani in Al-Awsat, and I do not know of any of them being authentic.” Al-Albani said in “Al-Silsilah Al-Sahih” (1/22): It has evidence that raises it to authenticity.
[6] (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (5/75) (2730) on the authority of a man whom he did not name, and he said: A strange hadith.
[7] (Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (5/75) (2728), Ibn Majah (2/1220) (3702), Ahmad (3/198) and Al-Tirmidhi said: A good hadith.)
[8] (Narrated by Al-Nasa’i (4181). Ibn Majah (2874). It was authenticated by Al-Albani, “Sahih Al-Jami’” (2513).
[9] (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
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Writer: Abdulaziz bin Saad Al-Daghaither