The ruling on shaking hands with women if it is a custom of the country

Question:
I ask Allah to do you good, listener. A resident of the Kingdom says: We live in the countryside, and it is natural to greet the women there, whether from the family or outside the family, by hand. If one of us does not greet them, he is called arrogant. What is the ruling on that?

Answer:
Greeting with words is sufficient. As for shaking hands with women who are not mahram (relatives one may not marry), it is not permissible, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not shake hands with women; he used to take their pledge of allegiance with words. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The hand of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never touched the hand of a woman who was not lawful for him. Therefore, shaking hands with women who are not mahram and not one’s wife is not permissible because of the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) involved in it. The fact that this contradicts the customs of the people of your country or your group does not justify doing what is forbidden. It is obligatory for Muslims to abandon customs that contradict the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). It is not permissible for them to subject the Shari'ah to their customs and actions. The opposite is obligatory: the Shari'ah is what governs customs, actions, habits, and traditions.