Answered by Not Assigned
Skin Contact: At what age is it Haram to shake a female’s hand? E.g. Three, four, five etc…
Bismillah ar-rahman ar-rahim
as salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah,
The age at which either a man or woman will break their wudu from skin contact with a non-mahram member of the opposite gender is after the age of bulugh (maturity).
The signs of having reached maturity for males are either one of these:
1 – completion of 15 years of age or
2 – al-ihtilaam (nocturnal emission of maniyy, or any instance of maniyy exiting) after the age of 9 years
The signs of having reached maturity for females are any one of these:
1 – completion of 15 years of age or
2 – al-ihtilaam (nocturnal emission of maniyy, or any instance of maniyy exiting) after the age of 9 years or
3 – menstruation after the age of 9 years
*note: maniyy is the sexual fluid associated with orgasmic climax. if al-ihtilaam or menstruation occurs before the age of 9 years, then the child is not considered to have reached maturity.
Also, there is an age of young people who have not yet reached maturity but will still break one’s wudu…this is the age at which a member of the opposite gender will stir up the sexual desires within a person. For example, for many men, it may be natural to experience some arousal of desires at the sight of a prepubescent girl who has not yet reached the age of maturity…touching this girl will therefore break his wudu. The age of this girl varies according to the `urf (or cultural customs) of a particular land and people.. For many of us growing up in the States, this age is frequently around 11-13 years old, when a girl may not yet have shown any of the signs of bulugh but may still appear attractive/arousing to a male. I remember when I was in Yemen, however, the age was much younger, around 9 to 10 years old. I was once walking with the Room Leader of the room in my madrasah through the streets of a large marketplace when a poverty-stricken girl came up to us and began begging for money … she was very persistent and almost tried to grab us by the arm at one point.. My Room Leader told me, “be careful … she is old enough to break your wudu!”… I looked at him in amazement, for the girl was probably barely 9 years old. I realized then that the differences in cultural customs can have quite an impact on people’s perceptions.
wa Allahu a`lam
forgive me
wassalaam
-Omar Mahmood