Islamic marriage advice and family advice

Umrah or Hajj without a Mahram.

Hajj

 

Salaam,

I  would like to know if I can  do Umrah or Hajj without the presence of a Mahram.

Could anybody tell me?

Thank you.

tulip


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10 Responses »

  1. Salam Sister,

    as far as I'm informed, you can travel without a Mahram as long as you are in a tour group that guides

    you through the holy cities and organizes your hotel. This is the most important factor. Women can

    travel without mahrams nowadays because the security terms have changed and we have a tour

    nowadays that we didn't have 1400 years ago. Make sure that whenever you're leaving the hotel

    for whatever reason not to go alone, in the company of other sisters. Don't stay outside too late,

    although I would personally only make such a trip with my husband. Going with the brothers or

    an uncle or father can be somehow weird, as you're going to prefer to spend your time with other sisters,

    and not your family when you're on a ziarah trip. Furthermore, they will always be segregated during

    the meals and I don't see how they could grant you protection when you're always among a group

    of girls. If you were about to travel to a country like Saudi Arabia on your own, I would be worried in terms

    of security, language problems and mentality( European women travelling on their own etc).

    But with a ziarah group, you are in safe hands as a female. Oh, before I forgot it, make sure that you sleep

    in a room with other sisters( it's unavoidable, but nevertheless) , that's going to be even safer.

    Jazakallah

  2. Dear Tulip,

    I do believe you must have a mahram. Here is a link I found with some good information. http://www.mathabah.org/Pilgrimage-Hajj/ruling-on-a-woman-performing-umrah-or-hajj-without-a-mahram.html

  3. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has written,

    "As for the point that carrying out this operation may involve woman's travel from [one] place to another without a mahram, we say that a woman can travel to perform Hajj [pilgrimage to Mecca] in the company of other trustworthy women and without the presence of any mahram as long as the road is safe and secured. Travel, nowadays, is no longer done through deserts or wilderness; instead, women can travel safely in trains or by air."

    This the standard opinion among Shafi'i and Maliki scholars, based on several things including the following:

    1. `Adî b. Hâtim relates that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to him: "O `Adî, have you seen al-Hîrah (a region in Iraq)."

    `Adî replied: "I have not seen it, but I have heard of it."

    Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "If you live long enough, you will see a woman departing by camel in a litter and traveling until she reaches the Ka`bah without fearing anyone but Allah."

    `Adî informs us that he thought to himself: "Where are the robbers and bandits who run rampant through the land?" Then `Adî says: "I have seen a woman travel by camel litter from al-Hirâh to the Ka`bah fearing no one but Allah." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]

    2. The wives of the Prophet (pbuh) went for Hajj together, with no mahrem, accompanied by Uthmaan bin Affaan (RA) and Abdur Rahmaan bin Auf (RA).

    These scholars also point out that traveling for Hajj is different from ordinary traveling, since Hajj is obligatory, and a mahrem may not always be available.

    However, from what I understand, Hanafi and Hanbali scholars do not allow the woman to travel for Hajj without a mahrem.

    Here is another general ruling on this matter from IslamOnline.net:

    Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

    In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

    All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

    Dear sister in Islam, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His sake.

    It should be clear that Islam cares for the dignity and honor of the woman. Because of her weakness and vulnerability to being targeted by vile men, Islam is keen to close the doors to such situations by insisting that a woman should not travel long distances or stay away from home by herself unless she has taken adequate measures to ensure her protection.

    In her response to your question, the prominent Muslim scholar and daiyy, Zienab Mostafa states:

    “Nowadays the world has become a small village as the advanced means of transportation have gathered its parts, but we still follow our Islamic teachings. A woman can travel without a mahram if she finds a company of trustworthy people. This applies to performing Hajj or any other travel that is meaningful or is meant to achieve any important aim in her life, such as education or attending an Islamic function like Islamic conferences and international meetings. We can understand this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he promised `Adi ibn Hatim At-Ta’iy (may Allah be pleased with him) three signs when he accepted Islam: that Islam would reach the east and the west; that the companions would obtain the treasures of Kisra, the king of Persia; and that peace would be spread all over the world when Islam reached the east and west so that a woman would be able to travel alone from Yemen to Hadramout not fearing anything but Allah and the wolf, meaning she would fear nothing.

    Scholars understand from this hadith that a time will come when women can travel alone when they feel secure.

    So, I can say that women can travel alone if the aforementioned conditions are fulfilled. If she really can’t find any mahram to accompany her during the period of study, she can stay alone with good, trustworthy sisters, such as a Muslim hostel for women or any other.”
    Islamonline.net

    Wael
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  4. Salammualaykom I have a questions for umrah I don't have any man to go with.But I would like to go umrah in the wish of my father that he want to go for hajj but sad to say he cannot comes coz he died last year, I have boyfriend we want to married in makkah if its we can married there or were we can do marriage there ..if it's allows to married there I'm humble to wait a reply on me my email account.

  5. I dont have brother and father. and i am single. but i want to perform umrah. can i perform umrah without mehram?

    • Assalamualaikum Sisters, Some Muslims seem to have different opinions. I was raised by Catholics and Christians and i am a newly convert. No one in my family is Muslim and i am 18 years old and unmarried. i don't have a mahram that can take me. What do the MAJORITY of scholars say about this issue? It seems like a gray area if there is evidence to support that it is haram for women to travel alone, but yet we have an obligation to perform Hajj. Its an issue for me since i have no mahram to travel with. Can some tell me what MAJORITY of scholars say about it? Thank you

  6. does a widow women cn perform umrah with his husbands ( elder brother's son) can termed as nephew simply. and his nephew's mother is also going.

  7. I too had the same question. i have been getting different answers regarding this.

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