What is the ruling on a woman traveling abroad without necessity, and the consequent exposure of her passport to security personnel, who may request that she uncover her face?
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The Shaykh : And upon you be peace. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the travel of families abroad, outside the country, meaning to Islamic countries, knowing that there are passports and they look at the woman's picture, and the man may ask the woman to uncover her face to verify her identity.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : So is this permissible without necessity, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : First, we do not see that a person should travel to countries outside his own country except for a need or a stronger benefit. This is because traveling to foreign countries incurs large expenses that are unnecessary, and thus it becomes a waste of money. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited the waste of money.
Second, it may occupy them from things they do in their country, such as maintaining family ties and seeking knowledge, if they are seeking knowledge, and so on. There is no doubt that being occupied from a beneficial thing is considered a loss in a person's life. Third, the countries they travel to may be countries affected by colonialism in terms of morals and ideas, and this results in harm to a person's morals and ideas. This is the most severe of the matters to be feared in traveling abroad. For this reason, I say to this questioner and others: We have, praise be to Allah, resorts in our country that suffice for the abroad, with less expense and benefit for the citizens. Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, the travel of families abroad, outside the country, meaning to Islamic countries, knowing that there are passports and they look at the woman's picture, and the man may ask the woman to uncover her face to verify her identity.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : So is this permissible without necessity, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : First, we do not see that a person should travel to countries outside his own country except for a need or a stronger benefit. This is because traveling to foreign countries incurs large expenses that are unnecessary, and thus it becomes a waste of money. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited the waste of money.
Second, it may occupy them from things they do in their country, such as maintaining family ties and seeking knowledge, if they are seeking knowledge, and so on. There is no doubt that being occupied from a beneficial thing is considered a loss in a person's life. Third, the countries they travel to may be countries affected by colonialism in terms of morals and ideas, and this results in harm to a person's morals and ideas. This is the most severe of the matters to be feared in traveling abroad. For this reason, I say to this questioner and others: We have, praise be to Allah, resorts in our country that suffice for the abroad, with less expense and benefit for the citizens. Yes.