The ruling on shaking hands with an elderly woman and looking at her

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: What is the ruling on shaking hands with an elderly woman, and what is the ruling on looking at her?

Answer:
It is not permissible to shake hands with a woman, absolutely, who is not one of your mahram (a relative one may not marry). It is not permissible for you to shake her hand, whether she is old or young; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never touched a woman’s hand with his hand. He used to take the pledge of allegiance from women by words, and did not take it from them by shaking hands as he did with men. It is not permissible to shake hands with a woman in any way, whether she is old or young. And it is not permissible to look at her because she is not a mahram, she is not one of your mahram, and she is not one of those whom Allah has made permissible for you. She is a stranger, so do not look at her, meaning do not look at her face, or rather, she is required to observe hijab (the covering prescribed for women); she is required to cover herself.