I present to you the position adopted by some people regarding their daughters taking up a teaching position in a city other than the one in which they reside, where they believe they have taken precautions.
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The questioner : I present to your eminence the position adopted by some people regarding their daughters taking up a teaching position in a city other than the one in which they reside, where they believe they have taken precautions by dealing with trusted taxi drivers, in addition to having a female companion with them, such as a foster sister, a blood sister, or the driver’s wife, meaning the driver’s sister or his wife.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : They also fear that if they prevented them, it might result in a negative reaction. They also see that some students of knowledge, who are role models, have permitted their daughters to do such things. Can it be inferred from this that distances of sixty kilometers or less are permissible for a woman to travel without a male mahram? Please inform us, may Allah reward you?
The Shaykh : It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a woman from traveling without a mahram. It is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 10:909.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Accordingly, it is not permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram, whether her travel is for an act of obedience, teaching knowledge, or anything else. The mahram is well known. There is no difference between her being alone or with women, and there is no difference between fearing fitnah or not fearing it, due to the generality and comprehensiveness of the hadith. Therefore, it is not lawful for a woman to travel without a mahram. However, the question remains: is the going of women to villages neighboring their towns and their return on the same day considered travel or not? We say in this matter: if we consider the hadith to be absolute and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify it with a particular duration, except in hadiths where the estimation of the duration differed, and the scholars understood this difference to be based on the condition of the questioner so that there would be no confusion or discrepancy between them, then the hadith remains absolute, meaning general for all travel.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even in little travel and much travel. However, we say that a woman’s going to teach and returning on the same day is not considered travel. It is like a man going to his job in a village neighboring his town and returning on the same day; he is not considered a traveler by that. Therefore, these female teachers who go out to neighboring villages, if they are with women as in the question itself, and fitnah is averted, and they will return on the same day, then this is not considered travel. Accordingly, there is no harm in that. There is no harm in their going to neighboring villages without a mahram if they return on the same day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because that is not considered travel, and a person does not prepare for it with the preparations of travel, and people do not say that he is a traveler. Yes.
The questioner : This is a family problem or a marriage problem, in fact. The message is long, but the intent is not clear unless it is presented. Its sender, M. A. H. Al-Bishi, sent it from Riyadh. He says, "I am happy with this program," and so on.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : They also fear that if they prevented them, it might result in a negative reaction. They also see that some students of knowledge, who are role models, have permitted their daughters to do such things. Can it be inferred from this that distances of sixty kilometers or less are permissible for a woman to travel without a male mahram? Please inform us, may Allah reward you?
The Shaykh : It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a woman from traveling without a mahram. It is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
No woman should travel except with a mahram.
لا تسافر امرأة إلا ومعها ذو محرمThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Accordingly, it is not permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram, whether her travel is for an act of obedience, teaching knowledge, or anything else. The mahram is well known. There is no difference between her being alone or with women, and there is no difference between fearing fitnah or not fearing it, due to the generality and comprehensiveness of the hadith. Therefore, it is not lawful for a woman to travel without a mahram. However, the question remains: is the going of women to villages neighboring their towns and their return on the same day considered travel or not? We say in this matter: if we consider the hadith to be absolute and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify it with a particular duration, except in hadiths where the estimation of the duration differed, and the scholars understood this difference to be based on the condition of the questioner so that there would be no confusion or discrepancy between them, then the hadith remains absolute, meaning general for all travel.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even in little travel and much travel. However, we say that a woman’s going to teach and returning on the same day is not considered travel. It is like a man going to his job in a village neighboring his town and returning on the same day; he is not considered a traveler by that. Therefore, these female teachers who go out to neighboring villages, if they are with women as in the question itself, and fitnah is averted, and they will return on the same day, then this is not considered travel. Accordingly, there is no harm in that. There is no harm in their going to neighboring villages without a mahram if they return on the same day.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because that is not considered travel, and a person does not prepare for it with the preparations of travel, and people do not say that he is a traveler. Yes.
The questioner : This is a family problem or a marriage problem, in fact. The message is long, but the intent is not clear unless it is presented. Its sender, M. A. H. Al-Bishi, sent it from Riyadh. He says, "I am happy with this program," and so on.