Handshake or not ?

[Deliverance]

Peace to all ,

Can someone give Information about how to greet People ?

A:Handshake or not?
B:Greeting with words only?

If we read the quran we dont get explicit Information about how to do it for example Sure 24 ayat 27 it says that you had to greet the habitants of the house before entering the house .

The question is does the form of greeting differs by opposite gender like some ahadith is telling ?

[Sardar Miyan]

The Muslims greet Muslims by calling Assalam Alaikum either for male or female Muslim Hand shaking
is optional but with Females is not to do hand shake. This is Muslim norms of greeting.

[Deliverance]

Salam Sadar ,

You wrote handshake is optional but with Females is not to do that .Why?

[Deliverance]

Some historical Background of handshaking
http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/what-is-the-origin-of-the-handshake

[Sardar Miyan]

It may be age old practice but the Muslims also practice as greeting mode of shake hand. But is not applicable in case of Muslim women. Even this practice among Muslims is optional. What Muslims have to do is call Assalam Alaikum.

[Hamzeh]

Asalamu Alykum

Dear Deliverance

Just want to point out a little information about the Quranic guidance. I do believe the Quran allowed for humans to use their minds and do form proper actions around Quranic commands using their own intellects.

The Quran seems to not want to program a ritual or implement gow to organize concepts that are commanded. That would almost be akin to us being robots and never using our own faculties.

It does seem sometimes that the Quran has allowed us to use our reasoning to establish proper practices surrounding certain commandments.

That being said, the Quran is not giving details on the details of how to salute people. Arguably every situations and certain people would possibly greet each other differently. Greeting ones mother, father, wife, brother, sister, sons or daughters might be very emotional and could be with hugs and kisses where greeting strangers or ex-wives ir husbands or married women might be with salutations of peace or a simple hand shake.

If ones customs is to handshake then there seems to be no problem with it.

If peoples customs is to just say Salam or Peace or Hello with a hand gesture or wave and not shake hands with the opposite sex then also that is to be respected.

As long as the greetings stay within the Quranic values and decency.


Hope that helps Insha'Allah

Salam

[ilker]

assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters,

From an Islamic point of view, I think the main criteria in relationships with the opposite gender applies to this situation as well. If you know that these forms of greeting (like handshaking, hugging etc) take you close to illegal / forbidden acts (zina), turn you on sexually, then you must keep yourself away from them.

"And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way." (17:32)

[Deliverance]

It may be age old practice but the Muslims also practice as greeting mode of shake hand. But is not applicable in case of Muslim women. Even this practice among Muslims is optional. What Muslims have to do is call Assalam Alaikum.

Can you give me the reason why it is not allowed for opposite sex to shake Hands .


Dear Hamzeh ,

I do agree that it depends on the Environment how to greet .It differs from region to Region and within a Region also like you said Family members greeting is different .

But if If peoples customs is to shake hands with the opposite sex then i have respected it .

If i dont shake Hands with my Boss who is a woman then it is against Islam,where it is withinIslam to prent evil from humans .And if i loose my Job than i harm my self after i harmed my Boss by acting against the custom where woman and man are to be greeted equally .

 

A normal handshake one Palm to another without any adding gesture like putting arm on shoulder, huggging or kissing stays within the Quranic values and decency ,i belive .

peace

[Hamzeh]

Asalamu Alykum Deliverance

I don't think brother Sardar ment that it is not allowed. I believe he is just sharing that the practice/tradition of Muslims in the main is not to shake hands with the opposite sex if they are permitted for eachother in marriage or a certain age.

Like we established before that if hand shaking is something that is customary in a people's way of life as a greeting and it is in much of the world their seems to be nothing wrong it.

Peace

[Anjum]

Salam All,

M a girl...and my bosses are males..everyone here maintain decency. We don't hand shake formally...my boss just offers his hand for handshake only during very special occasion..like when I said..m getting married...or when I mentioned that I will be going to maternity soon...only during such occasions hey had offered for hand shake...apart from official colleagues.. Our old classmates or friends shakes hands when we meet...we don't have any hidden feeling in that hand shake or something..it does Not lead to any wrong actions or something...according to us..its normal.. Is it forbidden to handshake in such cases too?..

[Deliverance]

Salam Anjum ,

There is nothing wrong in shaking Hands with your friends by now .As far as i know there is no vers in the book that forbids handshake with the opposite gender .

But there are secondary sources which pointing to that issue like It is not allowed for a believing man to put his hand in the hand of a woman who is not allowed for him which is called mahram.

There is a Hadith from Ma'qil ibn Yasar, saying; The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It is better for you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle than to touch the hand of a woman who is not permissible to you."

[Anjum]

Salam brother deliverance,

Ah..if its not mentioned or prohibited in Quran..then I guess...there is nothing wrong in it...well..u know...we don't rely neither trust in secondary sources..

Thanks u very much for ur reply..

Regards
Anjum

[Deliverance]

salam Anjum ,
But the Sunna is part of taking rules out for norms so have to take them under consideration .

There are several ahadith about handshake situations of the Prophet and woman ,most of them are desrcibing it without a handshake and a few showing the Prophet handshaking or touching the Hand of a woman who is not mahram .

Thats why some scholars are totally aginst opposite sexhandshake and some have the tendicy to allow handshake with Non-mahram People under certain situations if there is no desire coming up,like in your case Anjum old friends dont avoke that Feelings i think.

peace

[Anjum]

Salam brother deliverance,

I would like to remind you that...Quran is the only sunnah or hadeeh or rule or whatever you can say..which should be followed by Muslims..the so called hadeeth or sunnah most of the people follow were written 200 years after the death of prophet...and apart from that..nowhere in Quran..its stated that we should follow something else than Quran...we often come across the verse..obey messenger... But the message which was delivered by messenger is Quran..not hadeeth or sunnah.. So..do not follow it...u may search in this forum..u will find lot of logical points and useful posts by brother Joseph... That..what is hadeeth and why we shouldn't follow it. 

Regards
Anjum

[Deliverance]

Salam Anjum,

I know about the problematically hadith but they existed side by side with quran and to prevent misunderstanding the Prophet didnt allow to write sayings from him .Later after they have written the book it happend that some People were telling Storys about the Prophet which are not true ,thats why they had to some criteria to fullfill like chain completment trustworthy writer etc.

The authentic hadith then had to be taken under hermeneutical reading and after this you can take rulings out of it after you had taken other steps.

For example the hadith "It is better for you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle than to touch the hand of a woman who is not permissible to you." which some scholars are using for antihandshakes ,is questionable.The authenticity might by not given because of the chain.

peace

S