The Ruling on Removing the Hijab Due to Necessity

The questioner:
It is observed in the villages, especially in the south of the peninsula, that they do not wear the hijab, and this is among them. It may be due to their farming and agriculture. We find that a man in the village meets the women present in the village, knows them, and greets them. A man may even shake hands with a woman from the village when he returns from a journey. What is your view, Your Eminence, on this? These are the customs of some tribes in the south, in some of the desert areas. The 'Awaid (customs) of the Muqallid (followers) and the Munkar (evil) are not to be cited as evidence. Rā'id.

The Shaykh:
Rā'idah. Customs that contradict the Shari'ah. No, they are not to be cited as evidence, for the Messengers, peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, were sent to people from false customs and bad habits. Among the habits of the Arabs, among the habits of the Arabs, was opening graves and attaching themselves to trees and stones. And establishing. Idols.

The questioner:
Yes, what is your opinion?

The Shaykh:
So Allah sent Messengers to deny that and call to the worship of Allah alone. And this is part of the exposure and lack of hijab. So Allah sent Messengers. What people are accustomed to is not to be cited as evidence, but one should strive to remove it if it contradicts the Shari'ah. The restaurants... [garbled]... some of the soldiers, due to the laxity of women and men in meeting and shaking hands, and she is a stranger to him. As for his brother's wife, or one of his neighbors, or his uncle's wife, or his maternal uncle's wife, he shakes her hand and perhaps kisses her as well. There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
Some people say that he may have kissed her, or that he kisses his cousin when he returns from a journey, and says that this is from the Salaf. The result is that these bad customs should not remain, but rather they must be removed. People must be taught that it is obligatory to cover up and wear the hijab, and that she does not expose herself to her neighbor, nor to her sister's husband, nor to her husband's brother, nor to her husband's paternal uncle, nor to her husband's maternal uncle. And her relative, her cousin, does not kiss her when he returns from a journey, nor shake her hand, nor shake hands with his neighbor's wife. All of this is Munkar (evil) and must be known. It is not permissible for a man to shake hands with a woman who is a stranger to him and not a Mahram (close relative) to him, such as his neighbor, his brother's wife, his maternal uncle's wife, or his paternal uncle's wife, or his cousin's wife. He does not shake hands with her. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shake hands with women... [garbled]... and by Allah, his hand never touched the hand of a woman, ever. He did not take their pledge of allegiance except with words. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And it is not hidden what is in shaking hands, touching the hand, and grasping the hand of a man for a woman who is not a Mahram, in terms of Fitnah (trial/temptation). Some scholars mentioned, quoting from Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), that he said: Shaking hands is more severe than looking. And Allah commanded to lower the gaze, so shaking hands is a whisper that is more severe and stronger in Fitnah than looking. So the point is that shaking hands is not permissible, even if it is behind a hijab, or behind a cloth, as some women do with a cloth. This is a means to throwing away the cloth. So do not shake hands, not with a cloth and not without a cloth. Yes, if she becomes a Mahram, there is no harm. Her sister, her paternal aunt, there is no harm. Her father's wife, her husband's mother, there is no harm. Her son's wife, there is no harm. As for non-Mahrams, no, he does not shake her hand, nor kiss her. He does not kiss a stranger woman, he does not shake her hand, nor look at her, but he lowers his gaze. And he does not be alone with her if he hears someone. All of this is Munkar.