What is the ruling on shaking hands with a non-mahram woman? Is it absolutely forbidden, even if the woman is very old and unlikely to be desired for marriage, considering the hadith: "For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than to touch a woman who is not lawful for him," and the disagreement regarding the meaning of "touching"?

It has been previously explained that shaking hands with a non-mahram woman is forbidden, and that this is not a peculiarity of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. His saying, "Indeed, I do not shake hands with women," is not exclusive to him, because he was the furthest of people from suspicion. Rather, this abstinence occurred despite what was permissible for him regarding seclusion and looking, and this was further confirmed at the time of the pledge of allegiance. This is what Ibn Uthaymeen, Al-Shanqeeti, and Al-Iraqi alluded to. As for touching with the hand, there are clear prohibitions and warnings against it, even calling it zina (fornication/adultery), as in the Prophet's saying, "The zina of the eye is looking, and the zina of the hand is touching." This clarifies the intended meaning and refutes its interpretation as intercourse, because the original principle in interpreting a word is its literal meaning, not its figurative one, and such an interpretation opens the door to transgressions. As for shaking hands with an old woman who is not desired, there is a difference of opinion regarding its permissibility. The Malikis and Shafi'is have prohibited it based on the generality of the evidence.