It is widely held that a group of women suffices in place of a mahram; is this correct?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. It is widely held among people that if a woman has no mahram, it is permissible for her to perform Hajj with a group of women who have mahrams in the same caravan. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : This is not correct, except according to the opinion of those who hold that if a woman is safe, she may travel. They say that the operative cause for the obligation of a mahram is fear for the woman; if she is safe, there is no fear for her. However, the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saidBulugh al-Maram 718 without specifying that it is not permissible for her to travel without a mahram, whether she is safe or not.
The questioner :"And it is for her people and for anyone else who passes by her. And whoever performs Hajj from the people of Makkah, his Hajj is from there, and his 'Umrah is from the non-sacred area. And the months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi'dah, and the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah."
The Shaykh : This is not correct, except according to the opinion of those who hold that if a woman is safe, she may travel. They say that the operative cause for the obligation of a mahram is fear for the woman; if she is safe, there is no fear for her. However, the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
Go and join your wife in Hajj
للرجل انطلق فحج مع امرأتكThe questioner :"And it is for her people and for anyone else who passes by her. And whoever performs Hajj from the people of Makkah, his Hajj is from there, and his 'Umrah is from the non-sacred area. And the months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi'dah, and the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah."