Placing the hand on the hand when men greet women?

Question:
A severe dispute has arisen among us regarding men greeting women and shaking hands. We hear from many people that there is nothing wrong with it, and perhaps a woman will say to you, "I am not like your mother, I am not like your aunt." How can we find a way out of this? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
There is no debate in this matter; this matter is clear from the Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not shake hands with women, and his hand (peace and blessings be upon him) never touched the hand of a woman who was not lawful for him, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said. He would take the pledge of allegiance from women by words, not by shaking hands, whereas he would take the pledge from men by shaking hands. This indicates that a man does not shake hands with a woman who is not among his mahram (relatives one may not marry) because of the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) involved in it. No one should argue about this, because as long as the Sunnah is clear, it is obligatory to act upon it and abandon the customs people follow if those customs contradict the Shari'ah. Therefore, shaking hands with women is not permissible for men if they are not among their mahram, because of the fitnah involved in it. Yes.