Handshakes With The Opposite Gender: A Different Response
The following is not written by me, but by my friend, Siraaj Muhammad. It was a comment on another blog regarding the permissibility/impermissibility of shaking hands with non-mahrams and how that affects us Muslims in our lives (i.e. getting jobs, doing da’wah, etc.).
These hardships, in my experience, are indicative of #1, weak tawakkul, and #2, poor prioritization. Let me give an example from my own practice.I take the opinion that the beard is not only waajib, it’s not to be touched. I do respect other opinions (some more than others), but I chose this opinion because I believed it and continue to believe it to be the strongest.
When I started looking for job interviews, everyone said, “You must trim or shave your beard, you can’t get a job in corporate America – can’t you at least choose an easier opinion?” I said, no way, this is what I believe, if Allah subhaana wa ta’aala wants me to have a job, I’ll have it, and if not, I won’t.
I had two interviews – the first with Microsoft, the second with Motorola. Read more »