Fatwas on Mahram to Travel with Women

• Can a woman go from the hotel to the Haram and perform Tawaf without a mahram?

Question: Is it permissible for a woman to go to Mecca by herself and perform Tawaf by herself, going from the hotel in which she is staying and which is ten minutes away from the Haram? Is it also permissible for her to go with a group of people, both men and women, to stone the Jamarat without any Mahram, and to perform Tawaf al-ifaadah without a Mahram?.

Answer : it is permissible for a woman, if she is in Mecca, to go walking from the hotel to the Haram without a mahram, and to perform Tawaf likewise, because it is only necessary to have a Mahram for travelling; inside the city it is not essential to have a Mahram. Rather what is stipulated that a woman should feel safe in going out and not go out wearing adornment or make-up. 

The same may also be said concerning her going to stone the Jamaraat. She may go there without a Mahram; she may go on her own or with a group of women. 

If a woman is in one city and wants to go somewhere in a taxi, it is stipulated that she should not be alone with the driver (khulwah); if there is a righteous woman with her, then she is not alone with him. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen

• Taking a female servant for Hajj with no mahram for her

Question: We have a female servant at home without a Mahram. I will be performing the obligatory duty of Hajj next year, in shaAllah, and I would like to take the servant with my family to perform Hajj, and I will take care of all her needs. Is it permissible to take her with us, as she will not be able to go for Hajj except with us? Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer: Before replying to this question, I would like to warn our brothers whom Allah has blessed in this country with abundance of wealth and good things against persistently bringing female servants in, because this is a kind of luxury and is indeed a kind of extravagance. We even hear of some cases where there is no one but a man and his wife at home, and the woman is able to take care of all the household affairs, but they still bring a female servant. I warn my brothers against this serious problem which has become a matter of competition among people, where a wife will say that she wants a servant so the husband goes and brings her a servant. My advice is that no-one should bring a servant except in cases of extreme necessity.

My view is that even in cases of necessity, only Muslim servants should be brought in, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded that the Jews and Christians be expelled from the Arabian Peninsula. If a servant is brough in, she should not be young and pretty, because she is a source of temptation, especially if there are young men in the family. For the Shaytaan (devil) flows through the son of Adam like blood. And no female servant should be brought without her Mahram, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade women to travel without their mahrams.

If the servant has a mahram, then the problem mentioned in the question does not arise; her mahram can go for Hajj with her. But if she does not have a mahram, or if her mahram brought her then went back, then they should not take her for Hajj or travel with her; rather she should stay with someone who can be trusted to take care of her. If there is no one who can be trusted to take care of her, then she may go for Hajj with them because of necessity, and her Hajj will be valid.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.

From Fataawa Manaar al-Islam by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen

•  Does she need to repeat her Hajj?

Question: I am asking this question on behalf of my wife. When she was 14, she performed hajj with her mother, 2 sisters and one of those sisters husbands, who is obviously non Mahram. she was unaware at the time that a women needs to perform Hajj with a Mahram, is her hajj valid or does she need to repeat the Hajj ?. please give some evidence/statement of the scholars on this, jazakallaah

Answer: Firstly: her Hajj is valid, in sha Allaah, but her travelling without a mahram is something that is forbidden, as it disobeys the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “A woman should not travel except with a mahram.” This lady travelled without a mahram. If she was unaware of this ruling, then I hope that she will be excused, and she has to seek the forgiveness of Allaah. If she was aware of it, then she has to repent and seek the forgiveness of Allaah.

But there is another question to be asked, which is: does this Hajj count as the obligatory Hajj required in Islam?

If she had reached the age of puberty when she did that Hajj, then it does count as the obligatory Hajj required in Islam, even if she went without a mahram. If she had not yet reached the age of puberty, then she has to go for Hajj again, and her first Hajj will count as naafilah (supererogatory). What is meant by puberty is the appearance of one of the signs of puberty, such as the onset of menstruation, the growth of body hair (in the armpits and pubic area), or “wet dreams” (following which one detects the emission of fluid from the private parts). It is most likely that a woman of fourteen years of age had reached puberty.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

• Woman going out on a mixed trip without a mahram

Question: Is it permissible for a woman to go out on a trip in which men and women mix from morning until evening, without a mahram?.

Answer: Mixing of a woman with men is haraam, and we have explained the evidence for that in the answer to question no. 1200. 

If this mixing is on a trip where people are more likely to be relaxed and start chatting, then it is more serious and harmful. Hence it is not permissible for a woman to go out on such trips, even if there is a Mahram with her, so long as there is careless mixing; and her going without a Mahram is more serious. Whoever agrees for his sister or daughter or wife to take part in such trips is lacking in protective jealousy and is weak in religious commitment.

• Can a female doctor travel with a Hajj group, without a Mahram?

Question: I know that a woman is not permitted to travel without a Mahram. Last year I travelled with one of the Hajj groups with a Mahram. This year I do not have a Mahram who can travel with me, but the groups need a female doctor to travel with them, and now there is no time for the group to find another doctor. Please advise me what to do, may Allaah reward you.

Answer: It is not permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram, even if she is travelling for the obligatory Hajj or obligatory ‘Umrah, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (1729) and Muslim (2391) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram, and no man should enter upon her unless there is a mahram with her.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I want to go out on such and such a campaign, and my wife wants to go for Hajj.” He said: “Do Hajj with her.” 

With regard to the naafil Hajj, a woman is not allowed to travel for that without a mahram according to the majority of scholars, and some narrated that the scholars were unanimously agreed on this point. 

The fact that a group needs a female doctor to travel with them and that there is no time to look for another doctor, does not make it permissible for you to travel with them without a mahram. How can a person draw closer to his Lord by doing Hajj or helping others by means of disobedience? 

• Woman performing Hajj with a group of women and without a Mahram

Question: A woman says: I live in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because I work here. I went for Hajj last year, and there were with me two of my female colleagues, but there was no Mahram with us. What is the ruling concerning that?.

Answer: This action – Hajj without a Mahram – is haraam because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, when he was delivering a sermon, “No woman should travel except with a Mahram.” A man stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allah, my wife has set out for Hajj, and I have signed up for such-and-such a military campaign.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Go and do Hajj with your wife.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3006; Muslim, 1341.

So it is not permissible for a woman to travel without a Mahram. A Mahram is a man whom she is forever forbidden to marry because of blood ties or for a permissible reason. This is also subject to the condition that he be an adult of sound mind. A minor child cannot be a Mahram, and neither can one who is not of sound mind. The reason for a Mahram’s presence being required is so that he can look after her and protect her, so that she will not be bothered by those who do not fear Allah and do not show mercy to the slaves of Allah. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen