The Ruling on a Woman Traveling Without a Mahram

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. An elderly woman, who is sixty-five years old, is coming to the Kingdom soon. Is it permissible for her to travel by plane from Cairo to Riyadh in the company of one of my female relatives and that relative’s husband? And does the lack of financial means to travel to her to bring her constitute a dire necessity that permits her to travel alone or in the company of one of the female relatives?

Answer:
This is in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) . The phrase “with him” includes the young girl, the old woman, and the young woman among women. It includes the poor and the rich. It is not permissible for her to travel except with a mahram (a relative one may not marry), whether in a plane, in a car, on a ship, on foot, or on a mount. The hadith is general. Whoever wants to restrict the hadith must provide evidence for the restriction. And Allah the Exalted knows best, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad.