Fatwa ID: 06666

 

Answered by: Alimah Zakiratul Hoque

 

Question:

 

What are the rules if a group of non-related sisters are invited to a wedding – the distance is more than 48 miles and one of the sisters will have a mahram who will drive the whole group there? The group of sisters will stay in a hotel overnight and return back home in the same company with the one sister’s mahram. Is this permissible?

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

 

The ruling regarding women travelling with a Mahram has been mentioned in numerous Hadeeth, some of which are listed below:

 

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “No woman should travel the distance of three days or more unless she is with her father, brother, son, husband or a Mahram.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 2898)⁽¹⁾

 

Narrated Ibn `Umar: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A woman should not travel for more than three days except with a Dhi-Mahram (i.e. a male with whom she cannot marry at all, e.g. her brother, father, grandfather, etc.) or her own husband.)” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1086)⁽²⁾

 

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A woman should not travel except with a Dhu-Mahram (her husband or a man with whom that woman cannot marry at all according to the Islamic Jurisprudence), and no man may visit her except in the presence of a Dhu-Mahram.” A man got up and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! I intend to go to such and such an army and my wife wants to perform Hajj.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to him), “Go along with her (to Hajj). (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1862)⁽³⁾

 

As seen from the above Hadith, a woman cannot travel more than 48 miles without her Mahram. The presence of a Mahram of another woman in the group does not change this impermissibility. She must have her Mahram to travel that distance.

 

The situation you described is not permissible

 

 

⁽¹⁾

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ‏”‏ لاَ تُسَافِرُ الْمَرْأَةُ سَفَرَ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فَصَاعِدًا إِلاَّ مَعَ أَبِيهَا أَوْ أَخِيهَا أَوِ ابْنِهَا أَوْ زَوْجِهَا أَوْ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ

 

⁽²⁾‏”

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ ‏ “‏ لاَ تُسَافِرِ الْمَرْأَةُ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ إِلاَّ مَعَ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ ‏”

 

⁽³⁾‏‏.

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ‏”‏ لاَ تُسَافِرِ الْمَرْأَةُ إِلاَّ مَعَ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ، وَلاَ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا رَجُلٌ إِلاَّ وَمَعَهَا مَحْرَمٌ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ فِي جَيْشِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَامْرَأَتِي تُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ اخْرُجْ مَعَهَا ‏”

 

 

 

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Alimah Zakiratul Hoque

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham