1) Young Muslims - The Message

A man then asked him: "What about her male in-laws?"The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) replied: "The in-lawis the most dangerous". [Sahih Bukhari & Shahi Muslim]This Hadith emphasizes the importance of being wary of in-lawssince they are likely to have more opportunities to be alone withthe woman and to see her as others do not get the opportunity tosee her.The private meeting between a man and an unchaperoned womanis one of the serious forms of mixing that can take place betweenthe sexes. Temptations are worse when the people know that theyare shielded from the sight of others.Ibn Daqiq al-'id makes the following important observation: "Wemust take into consideration whether or not the man's arrival at aplace brings about a situation where he is alone with the woman. Ifit does not do so, it is not unlawful for him to go there." (2/181)This point was made clear by the Prophet (Blessings and Peace beupon him) when he said: "No man should enter into the presence ofa woman after this day unless he is accompanied by one or twoother men." [Sahih Muslim]3. There are numerous evidences that the woman may not shakehands with men who are not among her closest relatives.The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) never shook handswith an unrelated woman. Umaymah b. Raqiqah said: "I came tothe Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) with a group of thewomen of Madinah to swear fealty for Islam. The women informedAllah's Messenger (Blessings and Peace be upon him) that theywished to swear fealty to him. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace beupon him) said: 'I do not shake hands with women. The way I acceptthe pledge from one woman is the same as with one hundredYoung Muslims, What they should know about Islam Page - 180