Women Traveling by Airplane Without a Mahram
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Fatwa No. ( 2642 )
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.
After this: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed the question submitted by the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Riyadh , through Dr. Muhyi al-Din Khalil, Head of the Department of Islamic Culture, to His Eminence the Grand President, and referred to the Committee with number (2554 \ 2 \ D) and date 7 \ 8 \ 99 AH. The text of the question is: The female students of the university from outside the city of Riyadh reside in the residential unit of the Mother of the Believers. The students travel to their home countries during official vacations or at the end of the week, and most of them head to Jeddah or al-Dhahran by airplane. The Dean’s office requires that a mahram accompany each student, but this is not feasible for all of them in all circumstances. A student may wish to travel under circumstances of dire necessity, and some complain about this procedure, believing that the Shari'ah in a situation like ours permits traveling without a mahram, since it does not exceed a limited number of hours. They rely on:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1169Sahih (Darussalam) and from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1170Sahih (Darussalam), and from Abu Hurayrah also, that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan Abi Dawud 1723Sahih (Al-Albani). Therefore, we hope to be informed whether it is permissible in the Shari'ah to allow a student to travel to Jeddah or al-Dhahran by airplane without a mahram.
And it answered as follows: The Islamic Shari'ah is based on securing benefits and averting harms, and among its necessary objectives is the preservation of lineages and chastity. It is established in the Book and the Sunnah what clearly indicates blocking the means to the mixing of lineages and the violation of chastity; such as the prohibition of a woman being in seclusion with a non-mahram, and the prohibition of displaying her adornment to anyone other than her husband and her mahrams, and those in their position whom Allah the Exalted mentioned in Surat al-Nur, such as the command to lower the gaze and the prohibition of the furtive glance. Among the close means that may lead to fornication, the mixing of lineages, and the violation of chastity is the travel of a woman without one who protects her in the estimation of the Shari'ah, namely her husband or one of her mahrams. Thus, it is forbidden; for what is established from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:Sahih Ibn Hibban 10:1046 Narrated by
Ahmad and al-Bukhari and Muslim , and for what is established from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 17:8 Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Hakim ; and for what is established from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying while delivering a sermon: Bulugh al-Maram 718 Narrated by Ahmad and al-Bukhari and Muslim . In some narrations, the restriction is to one day, in some to one night, in some to three miles, and in some to two days. The specification by these amounts is not intended; rather, it is an expression of a factual reality, so its implication is not acted upon. Furthermore, it is an implication of a number that is contradicted by the explicit wording of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and what is in its meaning, so it is not considered. Rather, what is considered is what is established
in the generality of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), which is clear that a woman is prohibited from anything called travel unless her husband or a mahram is with her, whether it is short or long, whether she is young or old, and whether the travel is by land, by sea, or by air. Whoever differs in this and restricts the prohibition to the young woman, or limits it to the specifications mentioned in some of the hadiths, or to when the road is not safe, or is content with a trusted and safe group, his statement is refuted by the generality of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), for it is explicit and takes precedence over the implication of the number in the other hadiths. Accordingly, the travel of women by airplane without a husband or mahram is prohibited, whether they are students or not; because it is travel, and the generality of the prohibition in the hadith applies to it. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions.
After this: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed the question submitted by the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Riyadh , through Dr. Muhyi al-Din Khalil, Head of the Department of Islamic Culture, to His Eminence the Grand President, and referred to the Committee with number (2554 \ 2 \ D) and date 7 \ 8 \ 99 AH. The text of the question is: The female students of the university from outside the city of Riyadh reside in the residential unit of the Mother of the Believers. The students travel to their home countries during official vacations or at the end of the week, and most of them head to Jeddah or al-Dhahran by airplane. The Dean’s office requires that a mahram accompany each student, but this is not feasible for all of them in all circumstances. A student may wish to travel under circumstances of dire necessity, and some complain about this procedure, believing that the Shari'ah in a situation like ours permits traveling without a mahram, since it does not exceed a limited number of hours. They rely on:
It is not lawful for a woman who believers in Allah and the Last Day to travel on a trip that is three days or more, unless she is accompanied by her father, her brother, her husband, her son, or someone who is a Mahram to her.
لا يحل لامرأة تؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر أن تسافر سفرًا يكون ثلاثة أيام فصاعدًا إلا ومعها أبوها أو أخوها أو زوجها أو ابنها أو ذو حرمة منهاA woman is not to travel the distance of a day and a night unless she is accompanied by someone who is a Mahram.
لا تسافر امرأة مسيرة يوم وليلة إلا ومعها محرمA muslim woman must not make a journey of a night unless she is accompanied by a man who is within the prohibited degrees.
لا يحل لامرأة مسلمة تسافر مسيرة ليلة إلا ومعها رجل ذو حرمة منهاAnd it answered as follows: The Islamic Shari'ah is based on securing benefits and averting harms, and among its necessary objectives is the preservation of lineages and chastity. It is established in the Book and the Sunnah what clearly indicates blocking the means to the mixing of lineages and the violation of chastity; such as the prohibition of a woman being in seclusion with a non-mahram, and the prohibition of displaying her adornment to anyone other than her husband and her mahrams, and those in their position whom Allah the Exalted mentioned in Surat al-Nur, such as the command to lower the gaze and the prohibition of the furtive glance. Among the close means that may lead to fornication, the mixing of lineages, and the violation of chastity is the travel of a woman without one who protects her in the estimation of the Shari'ah, namely her husband or one of her mahrams. Thus, it is forbidden; for what is established from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:
A woman should not travel three days unless a mahram is with her.
لا تسافر المرأة ثلاثة أيام إلا ومعها ذو محرمAhmad and al-Bukhari and Muslim , and for what is established from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
A woman should not travel a day's journey unless a mahram who is prohibited to her in marriage is with her.
لا تسافر المرأة بريدًا إلا ومعها محرم يحرم عليهاA man must never be alone with a woman unless there is a Mahram with her. A woman also may not travel with anyone except with a Mahram (relative).” A man stood up and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! My wife has gone for Hajj while I am enlisted for such and such a battle, what should I do?’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, “Go and join your wife in Hajj.
لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا ومعها ذو محرم، ولا تسافر المرأة إلا مع ذي محرم فقام رجل فقال: يا رسول الله: إن امرأتي خرجت حاجّة، وإني اكتتبت في غزوة كذا وكذا، قال: انطلق فحج مع امرأتكin the generality of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), which is clear that a woman is prohibited from anything called travel unless her husband or a mahram is with her, whether it is short or long, whether she is young or old, and whether the travel is by land, by sea, or by air. Whoever differs in this and restricts the prohibition to the young woman, or limits it to the specifications mentioned in some of the hadiths, or to when the road is not safe, or is content with a trusted and safe group, his statement is refuted by the generality of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), for it is explicit and takes precedence over the implication of the number in the other hadiths. Accordingly, the travel of women by airplane without a husband or mahram is prohibited, whether they are students or not; because it is travel, and the generality of the prohibition in the hadith applies to it. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.