If It
Is Permissible For A Woman To Live Alone, Why Can't She
Travel Without A Mahram?
Islamic Rulings -
Living Shariah Verdicts
Islamic Questions & Answers
Can women live alone? If they can live alone, why
can't they travel alone?.
Praise be to Allaah.
A woman may live alone subject to the condition that
she is trustworthy and is not a woman of dubious
character. With regard to a woman travelling without a
mahram, it is clearly not allowed, as in the hadeeth
narrated by al-Bukhaari (1729) and Muslim (2391) from
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "No woman should travel except with a
mahram, and no man should enter upon her unless a
mahram of hers is present." A man said: "O Messenger
of Allaah, I want to go out with such and such an army
and my wife wants to go for Hajj." He said: "Go out
(for Hajj) with her."
This is completely wise, because travel involves
hardship and exhaustion, and because of her weakness a
woman needs someone to help her and stay by her side.
Things may happen to her that may cause her to lose
control when her mahram is not with her. This is well
known nowadays when there are so many accidents
involving cars and other means of transportation.
Moreover, if a woman travels alone, that exposes her
to temptation and men may make approaches, especially
when there is a great deal of corruption. Someone may
sit near her who does not fear Allaah, and he may
tempt her to do something haraam.
If we assume that a woman is travelling alone in her
car, she is exposed to other dangers, such as her car
breaking down, or evil people ganging up on her, etc.
This makes its clear that Islam is the first of all
systems to take care of women, protect their honour,
respect them and regard them as precious pearls that
must be protected from evil.
We submit to the command of Allaah and His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
know that it contains complete wisdom and mercy,
because Allaah only forbids to His slaves that which
is harmful for them.
It is not correct to compare travel to a woman staying
alone in a house in her own land, because there are
more dangers in the place that a woman travels to. If
a woman is in her own town, if anything happens to her
or she needs someone to help her, she will find
someone to help her. The fear of evil people attacking
her is less when she is in her own town and her own
house than when she is travelling.
And Allaah knows best.
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