We are Muslim women accompanying our husbands in America, and we long for our relatives and kin, and our husbands are busy with their studies, so what is the ruling if one of us

The questioner : A female questioner asks and says: We are Muslim women accompanying our husbands here in America, and sometimes we long for our relatives and kin, and our husbands are busy with their studies, so what is the ruling if one of us wants to travel alone—for example—from New York City directly to her country without a mahram?

The Shaykh : It is not hidden from any student of knowledge that it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to travel, absolutely, whether it is three days by the known stages of old or less than that. The correct opinion among the scholars is that absolute travel, just as it permits shortening and combining prayers, also does not permit a Muslim woman to travel without a mahram. This is the principle, unless there is a pressing need, for "necessities permit the prohibited." However, it is not permissible for a Muslim to take the rule in an absolute sense, for it is qualified by the scholars' statement: "Necessities are estimated by their degree." As for her longing for her relatives, her father, her mother, and her kin, this is not a necessity that permits what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has forbidden. Therefore, we advise these Muslim women to be patient and to remain with their husbands wherever they are. However, we remind them of the necessity of emigrating from the lands of disbelief to the lands of Islam, both men and women.
Yes.