Question Summary:
If a married woman hugs a non-mahram does her nikah break?

Question Detail:

  During Eid and Other ocassions when families n relatives get together, it has become very common habit of Males hugging and Shaking hands with their Female relatives and Vice Versa. Kindly advise according to Shariah the remanification as a result of such actions and also confirm that if a married woman hugs a man who is not her Mehram then her Nikah with her husband is at risk?  
 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Touching a non-mahram is a sin and while it will not break the nikah, that does not mean that it is something that one can continue doing.
Customs such as these, which violate the laws of Allah should not be followed at all. Occasions such as Eid and when family and friends get together are a blessing of Allah and we should thank Allah by following the pure and pristine teachings of Islam. Non-mahram men and women should be seated in different rooms to avoid any intermingling as it is impermissible.
In addition, intermingling can and does lead to extra-marital affairs and the breakup of marriages. Ahmad Shawki, the famed poet has succinctly described the end result of such intermingling with non-mahrams in the following couplet:
نـظـرة فابتسامة فسلام ... فـكـلام فـمـوعد فـلـقـاء
A look, a smile then a greeting...A word, a promise then a meeting
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Sohail ibn Arif,
Student Darul Iftaa
Chicago, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.