Is it permissible for a woman to go to the markets alone?
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The questioner : Is it permissible for a woman to go to the markets alone?
The Shaykh : First, it should be known that a woman going out to the markets is not desirable, and that staying in her home is better for her. However, if she needs to go out to the market for a need that only she can fulfill, she may go out, and there is no blame on her for going out without a mahram, because this is not travel and it is not seclusion. In the case of going out that she needs, she must go out without wearing perfume and without displaying her adornment, and she must maintain dignity in her walk and lower her voice when speaking to the men she needs to speak to, such as shopkeepers from whom she needs to buy, and the like.
As for what some women do—may Allah guide us and them—of going out wearing perfume and in beautiful clothing that is covered only by an abaya, which may be sheer or so light that the clothes underneath can be seen through it. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said to the wives of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who are the most chaste and purest of women:[Al-Ahzab 33:33] In His saying: [Al-Ahzab 33:33] there is evidence that the prohibition of tabarruj (displaying adornment) and the command to stay in their homes is for the sake of protecting the woman from impurity, baseness, and indecency, and that their homes are better for them. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : First, it should be known that a woman going out to the markets is not desirable, and that staying in her home is better for her. However, if she needs to go out to the market for a need that only she can fulfill, she may go out, and there is no blame on her for going out without a mahram, because this is not travel and it is not seclusion. In the case of going out that she needs, she must go out without wearing perfume and without displaying her adornment, and she must maintain dignity in her walk and lower her voice when speaking to the men she needs to speak to, such as shopkeepers from whom she needs to buy, and the like.
As for what some women do—may Allah guide us and them—of going out wearing perfume and in beautiful clothing that is covered only by an abaya, which may be sheer or so light that the clothes underneath can be seen through it. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said to the wives of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who are the most chaste and purest of women:
And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُولَى وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلاةَ وَءاتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًاAllah intends only to remove from you the impurity
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَThe questioner : May Allah bless you.