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.).
This is my own personal opinion and experience – what many people term as “hardships” these days are not hardships – they are feelings of embarassment and shame at the difference between what is taught in Islam vs what is commonplace in Western society.
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 »