The Ruling on Shaking Hands with Non-Mahram Women

The last letter we have in hand in this session was sent by the listener Abdullah Abu Hudhayfah. He says: Your brother from the United Arab Emirates. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, the brothers who oversee and answer the listeners' questions. After that: What is the ruling on shaking hands with women, especially when a person may be away from his homeland for a long time, and women come to shake his hand, and he finds no escape except to shake their hands, while he hates doing so with a hatred of being thrown into the Fire? What is the ruling in that?
Answer: Shaking hands with women, if they are not mahram, is not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to take the pledge of allegiance from women by speech and did not shake hands with women. He said: (peace and blessings be upon him). And Allah says: [Al-Ahzab: 21]. And because shaking hands with them may lead to fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Some scholars said: It is more severe than looking, so it is not permissible to shake hands except with your mahram: your sister, your paternal aunt, your maternal aunt; there is no harm in that. As for non-mahram, such as your female neighbors, such as: your paternal cousins, your maternal cousins; these are not mahram, so you are not allowed to shake their hands, even if you have come from a long journey. You are not allowed to shake hands, but rather you greet them by speech, and you respond to them by speech, and you ask about their conditions by speech. As for shaking hands, no. This is what is obligatory upon you, and there is no shyness in this. The believer does not shy away from this, but rather he clarifies to them that shaking hands is not permissible. So if she extends her hand, he says to her: O sister! Shaking hands is not permissible. And he withdraws his hand and teaches her and guides her so that she does not return to such a thing. And there is no harm in this, with the praise of Allah. And Allah does not shy away from the truth, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
So it is obligatory to clarify the truth so that people learn and so that people benefit, men and women. If this one is silent and that one is silent, and this one is shy and that one is shy, then ignorance remains and the mistake and error remain. So this is not permissible. May Allah guide them all, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his companions.