Hadith in Arabic:

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ هَارُونَ، ثنا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ رَاهَوَيْهِ، أَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ شُمَيْلٍ، ثنا شَدَّادُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الرَّاسِبِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ يَزِيدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ الشِّخِّيرِ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ مَعْقِلَ بْنَ يَسَارٍ يَقُولُ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: “لَأَنْ يُطْعَنَ فِي رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ بِمِخْيَطٍ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمَسَّ امْرَأَةً لَا تَحِلُّ لَهُ

Prophet Muhammad (sws) said:”For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than that he should touch a woman who is not permissible for him.”

Narrated in:

Al-Muajjam ul Kabir by Tabrani-20/211-212 (Numbers 486, 487)

Musnad Ar-Ruyani-2/323 (Number 1283)

Classed Sahih by Al-Munzari:

رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيّ وَالْبَيْهَقِيّ وَرِجَال الطَّبَرَانِيّ ثِقَات رجال الصَّحِيح

“Narrated by Tabrani and Bayhaqi, and narrators of Tabrani are Siqqa and men of Sahih” (i.e. who narrate reliable Hadith).

(Source: Kitab al-Targheeb wal-Tarheeb-3/26 (Number 2938))

Classed Sahih by Haithmi:

رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ، وَرِجَالُهُ رِجَالُ الصَّحِيحِ.

“Narrated by Tabrani, and his men are men of Sahih” (i.e. who narrate reliable Hadith).

(Source: Majma-tuz-zawaid-4/326 (Number 7718))

Classed Hassan Sahih (Source: Kitab Sahih al-Targheeb wal-Tarheeb – 2/401 (Number 1910)) AND Sahih by Shiekh Nasir ud Din Albani (Source: Kitab Sahih ul Jamay Al Sagheer-2/900 (Number 5045)) AND also included in Silsila Ahadith e Sahiha by Shiekh Nasir ud Din Albani-1/447 (Number 226)

1) Study of Chain of Narrators:

If we go back to the origin of this hadith, we find it was narrated by Shaddad bin Saeed – on the authority of Abu Al-Alaa (Yazid bin Abdullah bin Al-Shakhir) – on the authority of Maqil bin Yasar (rta) narrated from Prophet Muhammad (Sws).

Scholars of ‘Jarah-wa-Tadeel‘ have differed on Shaddad bin Saeed’s status as a reliable narrator.

Prominent scholars who consider him reliable (‘Siqqa’):

Ahmed bin Hambal:

حدثنا عبد الرحمن أنا عبد الله ابن أحمد ]بن حنبل[ فيما كتب إلى قال قال أبي: أبو طلحة شداد شيخ ثقة روى عنه ابن علية ووكيع

“Abdur Rehman told us that Abdullah Ibn Ahmad [Bin Hambal] In what he wrote to me, he said: ‘My father said: Abu Talha Shaddad is a trustworthy sheikh who was narrated by Ibn Aliyah and Wakii”.

Yahya bin Moen:

حدثنا عبد الرحمن قال ذكره أبي عن إسحاق بن منصور عن يحيى بن معين أنه قال: شداد بن سعيد

الراسبى ثقة

“Abdur Rehman told us that his father mentioned it on the authority of Ishaq bin Mansur on the authority of Yahya bin Moen that he said: Shaddad bin Saeed is Siqqa”.

(Source: Abi Hatim’s Kitab-ul-Jarah wa Tadeel-4/330 (Number 1446))

Abu Hafs Al-Baghdadi:

وذكره أبو حفص البغدادي في كتاب الثقات

“Abu Hafs Al-Baghdadi has mentioned him in his book Al-Thiqqat”

Imam Buzzar:

وقال البزار في مسنده: ثقة

“And Al-Buzzar said in his Musnad that he is Siqqa”.

Imam Nisai:

شداد بن سعيد أبو طلحة، بصري ثقة

“Shaddad bin Saeed Abu-Talha Basri is Siqqa”.

Ibn-e-Khalfun:

ولما ذكره ابن خلفون في الثقات ذكر عن البخاري أنه قال: هو صدوق في الأصل

“And when Ibn-e-Khalfun mentioned him in (his book) Al-Thiqqat, he mentioned on the authority of Bukhari that he said: He is originally truthful”.

(Source: Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal by Al-Mughaltay 6/223 (Number 2358))

Abu Khaithma:

وقال أبو خيثمة شداد بن سعيد ثقة

“And Abu Khaithma said that Shaddad bin Saeed is Siqqa”.

(Source: Tehzeeb al-Tehzeeb by Ibn-e-Hajr Asqalani 4/316 (Number 551))

Imam Dahabi:

صالح الحديث

“He is fit (right/valid/acceptable) for Hadith (collection)”.

(Source: Mizan-ul-itedal-2/265 (Number 3673))

Prominent scholars who consider weakness in him:

Ibn-e-Hibban:

شَدَّاد بن سعيد أَبُو طَلْحَة الرَّاسِبِي من أهل الْبَصْرَة يروي عَن الْجريرِي وغيلان بن جرير روى عَنهُ بن الْمُبَارك رُبمَا أَخطَأ.

“Shaddad bin Saeed Abu Talha al-Rasibi was from the people of Basra who narrates on the authority of al-Jurayri and Ghaylan bin Jarir narrated on the authority of Ibn al-Mubarak, he may have made a mistake”.

(Source: Ibn-e-Hibban- Kitab Al-Thiqat-8/310 (Number 13611))

Imam Bukhari and Abdul Samad bin Abdul Waris:

سمعتُ ابن حماد يقول: قال البُخارِيّ شداد بن سَعِيد أبو طلحة الراسبي بصري ضعفه عَبد الصمد

“I heard Ibn Hammad say: Al-Bukhari said Shaddad bin Saeed Abu Talha al-Rasibi Basri was weak by Abd al-Samad”.

Ibn-e-Adi:

وشداد ليس له كثير حديث ولم أر له حديثا منكرا وأرجو أَنَّهُ لا بأس به

“Shaddad does not have many hadiths, and I have not seen a Munkir hadith from him, and I hope that there is nothing wrong with him”.

(Source: al-Kamil fi Duafa al-Rijal 5/69-70 (Number 903))

Darqutni:

وفي كتاب «الجرح والتعديل» عن أبي الحسن الدارقطني: بصري يعتبر به

“And in the book Al-Jarah wa Tadeel Abu Al-Hasan Al-Daraqutni wrote: (He is) Basran in need of further consideration”.

Abu Ahmed Al-Hakim:

وقال أبو أحمد الحاكم: ليس بالقوي عندهم

“And abu Ahmad Al-Hakim said He is not strong (narrator) to them”

(Source: Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal by Al-Mughaltay 6/223 (Number 2358))

Aqeeli:

قال العقيلى: له غير حديث لا يتابع عليه

“Al-Aqili said: He has no hadith and he does not follow it.

(Source: Tehzeeb al-Tehzeeb by Ibn-e-Hajr Asqlani 4/316 (Number 551))

Ibn-e-Arara:

قلت ليحيى: إن ابن عرعرة يزعم أنه ضعيف، فغضب وتكلم بكلام

“I (Ibrahim bin Abdullah bin Al-Junaid) said to Yahya (Yahya bin Moen): Ibn Arara claims that he (Shaddad bin Saeed) is weak, so he got angry and spoke some words”.

(Source: Tehzib-ul-Kamal by Jamal-ud-Din Mizzi-12/396 (Number 2706))

Hafiz Ibn-e-Hajr Asqalani:

صدوق يخطىء

“(He is) Sadiq but makes mistakes”.

(Source: Taqreeb al-Tehzeeb-264 (Number 2755))

While on the other hand, Ibn Abi Shaybah brought a narration through Abu Osama – on the authority of Bashir bin Uqbah – on the authority of Abu Al-Alaa (Yazid bin Abdullah bin Al-Shakhir) – on the authority of Maqil bin Yasar (rta) as a Mauquf narration (i.e. as a saying of the companion ‘Maqil bin Yasar’):

“لأن يعمد أحدكم إلى مخيط فيغرز به في رأسي، أحب إلي من أن تغسل رأسي امرأة ليست مني ذات محرم”

“For one of you to use a piece of stitching and stick it in my head is more beloved to me than a woman who washes my head who is not a Mahram to me”.

(Source: Musannaf Ibn-e-Abi Shaybah-4/15 (Number 17316))

Bashir bin Uqbah is an agreed upon ‘Siqqa’ Narrator and has a better memory than Shaddad bin Saeed. Bashir is also from the men of Bukhari and Muslim and he is more trustworthy.

It appears that Shaddad Bin Saeed may have erred in transmission of the narration. It is more likely, based on the evidence that it was a sole saying of Maqil Bin Yasar (rta) as reported by Bashir bin Uqbah in Musannaf Ibn-e-Abi Shaybah, which was erroneously attributed to Prophet Muhammad (sws) by Shaddad bin Saeed, since he is known to make mistakes.

(For details on Bashir bin Uqbah, See:

Al-Mughaltay- Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal-2/419 (Number 769), Ibn-e-Hajr Asqalani- Tahdhib al-Tahdhib-1/462 (Number 849), Ibn-e-Hibban- Kitab Al-Thiqat-6/99 (Number 6888) AND Abi Hatim- Kitab-ul-Jarah wa Tadeel-2/376 (Number 1463))

Therefore, we should be careful while attributing the term ‘Sahih’ to a Hadith whose chain of narrators is questionable and we should not relay it as a concrete saying of the Prophet Muhammad (sws).

2) Study of Content of the Hadith:

After studying the chain, we have to establish relationship of this hadith with Quran and Established Sunnah and with obvious realities of Logic. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as Sahih-ul-Isnad Hadith. Sanad is the first step, then comes the content of the Hadith, which needs to be studied in depth for any logical issues arising out of it within framework of Quran, Established Sunnah and obvious realities of logic, after which we can be in a position to call any hadith weak, Hasan or Sahih.

Now we have to see in what meaning the word يمس is used in this hadith.

It can be translated both as Touch and Intercourse (or having sexual connotations), Mr Ghamidi is of view that this word here refers to a specific kind of touch (i.e. lams and mas) which has sexual connotations/sexual intentions and serves as a precursor to adultery. We Muslims have been directed to stay away from all such precursors to Zina on the principle of Sadd-e-Zaria.

Quran has used this word in this second meaning on several occasions.

قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا

She said, “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?” (Quran 19:20)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نَكَحْتُمُ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَمَسُّوهُنَّ فَمَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ تَعْتَدُّونَهَا ۖ فَمَتِّعُوهُنَّ وَسَرِّحُوهُنَّ سَرَاحًا جَمِيلًا

O You who have believed, when you marry believing women and then divorce them before you have touched them, then there is not for you any waiting period to count concerning them. So provide for them and give them a gracious release. (Quran 33:49)

Same words can be found in Quran 2:236 “لَمْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ“, and Quran 2:237 “قَبْلِ أَن تَمَسُّوهُنَّ”.

In all these verses, in the given contexts, it is clear, that the literal word “touch” means intercourse.

We also have this hadith from Sahih Bukhari:

Anas bin Malik said, “Any of the female slaves of Medina could take hold of the hand of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and take him wherever she wished.”

(Number 6072: https://sunnah.com/bukhari/78/102)

And another one in Sunan Ibn-e-Maja:

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said:

“If a female slave among the people of Al-Madinah were to take the hand of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he would not take his hand away from hers until she had taken him wherever she wanted in Al-Madinah so that her needs may be met.” (Number 4177: https://sunnah.com/urn/1292790)

3) Conclusion:

Thus the fair conclusion would be that this Hadith is not credible enough in terms of historical authenticity of the sanad (chain of narrators). However, even if it were to be assumed reliable enough, then in the light of Quran and Established Sunnah, the use of word يمس in this Hadith actually refers to the kind of touch (lams and mas) which has sexual connotations. Therefore, cultural handshakes which are very formal, do not fall within purview of this narration.

For comments of Ghamidi Sahab, please refer to the link below from 00:37 to 14:20

ilm-o-Hikmat 17-07-2016