Is it permissible to shake hands with and sit with a woman who is temporarily forbidden to marry, such as one’s wife’s sister?

The questioner: She is committed, no, no.

The Shaykh : No, it is not permissible. She is forbidden to you. Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.

The questioner : Is she not a temporary mahram to you, meaning?

The Shaykh : She is a temporary mahram, but this temporary mahram status does not permit you to see her hair or anything else, even if she is a mahram, just as if she were a permanent mahram. She has a specific ruling that she is forbidden to you in the sense that it is not permissible for you to marry her.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Is her ruling not the same as that of a permanent mahram?

The questioner : A permanent mahram, yes.

The Shaykh : A permanent mahram—for example, your sister from your father and mother—might, for example, see her arm.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes, but it is not permissible for you to see anything of hers, nor is it permissible for you to shake her hand, nor is it permissible for you to shake her hand.