Title

Can a woman travel alone overseas to see her ill parents, as her husband cannot afford the cost of their travelling together or sending any other ‘mehram’ with her? Mufti Sahib Says:...

Question

Can a woman travel alone overseas to see her ill parents, as her husband cannot afford the cost of their travelling together or sending any other ‘mehram’ with her? Mufti Sahib Says: She can travel alone. The condition of a ‘mehram’ accompanying her in a journey no longer applies for the types of travel nowadays.
Kindly comment on the following fatwa Question: Can a woman travel alone overseas to see her ill parents, as her husband cannot afford the cost of their travelling together or sending any other ‘mehram’ with her? Mufti Sahib Says: She can travel alone. The condition of a ‘mehram’ accompanying her in a journey no longer applies for the types of travel nowadays.

Answer

In the name of Allāh, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalāmu ῾alaykum wa Rahmatullāhi Wabarakātuh

In principle it is not permissible for a woman to travel alone in any circumstances.^[1] There are many incidents of women having been put into extreme difficulty and their chastity been attacked by travelling alone in short and long distances. No mode of transport is error-proof and no woman is chaste-proof, especially in these times of vice and immorality.

Nabi Sallalahu Allaihi Wassallam mentions in a hadith;

حدثنا قتيبة بن سعيد حدثنا سفيان عن عمرو عن أبي معبد عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أنه  سمع النبي صلى 

الله عليه و سلم يقول لا يخلون رجل بامرأة ولا تسافرن امرأة وإلا معها محرم فقام رجل فقال يا رسول الله  اكتتبت في غزوة كذا وكذا وخرجت امرأتي حاجة قال اذهب فحج مع امرأتك.

A man cannot be in seclusion with a woman nor can a woman travel except with a mahram… (Bukhārī)^[2]

Furthermore in light of the above, we as believers should express our true submission to the laws of the Shari'ah. Allah Ta'ala is al-Hakeem (the All-Wise) and He and His Prophet  Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam know the wisdom of the laws of the Shari'ah. Our responsibility is to express true submission to the laws of Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam, whether we understand them or not. Know well that every law of the Shari'ah is filled with wisdom. That includes the prohibition of female travelling long distances without a Mahram.

And Allāh Ta῾āla Knows Best
Wassalāmu ῾alaykum 

Mufti Luqman Hansrot,
Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Dārul Iftā