Question
Reference number: 229520 | Pilgrimage: Hajj and Umrah | March 20, 2023
Can a woman travel with other women to perform Umrah without being accompanied by a Mahram (her husband or any male relative whom she cannot marry)?
Answer
Praise Be to Allah and Peace Be Upon His Messenger.
Basically, when a woman travels, she has to be accompanied by a Mahram such as her husband, father or any other male whom she cannot marry. This is based on what the prophet had said, “It is not permissible for a Muslim woman who believes in Allah and in the Hereafter to make a journey of a day and a night unless she is accompanied by a Mahram.” Related by Bukhari.
This prevention or blocking the means was declared to protect women and save them from being hurt. On the other hand, if a woman is certain that she is safe and her journey to perform Hajj or Umrah is secure, she can travel with other woman as this is legalized by old and contemporary Muslim scholars.
The Shafi’i and Maliki schools allowed women to travel on Hajj without being accompanied by a Mahram, and they said, it is enough to be amongst a trusted group of women.
However, the Maliki scholars were more flexible as they said a woman can travel for any issue, not only to perform Hajj, without a Mahram, but with a trustworthy group of women. For example, Al-Baji, a Maliki scholar, said that the reason behind the necessity of being with a Mahram, according to our colleagues, is when a woman wants to travel alone or with a few number of women, but now, people travel in large groups and by various means of transportation. Thus, security is guaranteed.
Another evidence on this is what was narrated; Omar ibn Al-Khattab allowed the prophet’s wives, in his last journey on Hajj, to perform Hajj without a Mahram, but with Othman ibn Affan and Abdel-Rahman ibn Auf. None of the prophet’s companions disapproved. Thus, this is considered consensus.
In addition, travelling these days is not similar to travelling in the past which used to be full of dangers or thefts. These days, planes, ships, buses, or vans are full of people, and there is no need to be scared.