What are the conditions for a woman going out to visit her relatives, what is the ruling on a woman going to the market, and is it permissible for a son to go with his mother to the market?
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The questioner : This says: What are the conditions for a woman going out to visit her relatives? What is the ruling on a woman going to the market? And is it permissible for a son to refuse to go with his mother to the market?
The Shaykh : As for the first issue, which is a woman visiting her relatives, the more a woman stays in her home, the better. And now, praise be to Allah, visiting is easy and a person is in his home, and that is by means of the telephone; a person can call his relatives twice a day. But if the need calls for visiting, such as visiting a relative who has been struck by illness or something similar that necessitates visiting him, let her visit him. But let her not be displaying her adornment, and let her not be wearing perfume, and let her walk with the gait of a modest woman, far from the signs of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
As for a woman going to the market alone, there is nothing wrong with her going to the market alone, but she should not be wearing perfume or displaying her adornment. And with this, it is better that she not go to the market, but rather describe the need she has to her husband or her brother or her son and say, "Buy such-and-such a need," and she describes the need and it is brought to her. If it is necessary that she go herself, there is no blame on her with the safety of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). But if she goes with one of her mahram (a relative one may not marry), that is better, there is no doubt in this. And if the mother calls her son to go with her to the market, and her going to the market is in a permissible manner, then it is part of his dutifulness to her that he obeys her and goes with her, because in that is obedience to her, and in it is also preserving her from mischief.
The Shaykh : As for the first issue, which is a woman visiting her relatives, the more a woman stays in her home, the better. And now, praise be to Allah, visiting is easy and a person is in his home, and that is by means of the telephone; a person can call his relatives twice a day. But if the need calls for visiting, such as visiting a relative who has been struck by illness or something similar that necessitates visiting him, let her visit him. But let her not be displaying her adornment, and let her not be wearing perfume, and let her walk with the gait of a modest woman, far from the signs of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
As for a woman going to the market alone, there is nothing wrong with her going to the market alone, but she should not be wearing perfume or displaying her adornment. And with this, it is better that she not go to the market, but rather describe the need she has to her husband or her brother or her son and say, "Buy such-and-such a need," and she describes the need and it is brought to her. If it is necessary that she go herself, there is no blame on her with the safety of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). But if she goes with one of her mahram (a relative one may not marry), that is better, there is no doubt in this. And if the mother calls her son to go with her to the market, and her going to the market is in a permissible manner, then it is part of his dutifulness to her that he obeys her and goes with her, because in that is obedience to her, and in it is also preserving her from mischief.