Traveling without a Mahram in a group

18-6-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

Is it allowed for a convert to travel without a Mahram but accompanied by a group of Muslims (female and male) who will deal with it?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. Initially it is forbidden for the Muslim woman to travel without being accompanied by her husband or a Mahram. But the Fuqaha (scholars of Islamic jurisprudence) excepted from this prohibition, the cases of necessity like the emigrating woman or the one who is a prisoner. They allowed women in such critical situations to travel without a Mahram or husband. Some Fuqaha even allow the travel of the woman, if she is accompanied by a trustworthy group of people if the trip is obligatory. From the above, we conclude that if the trip of this woman is for dire necessity like fleeing from temptations and the like, then it is lawful for her to travel with this group of people provided she adheres to the Shariah rules like wearing Hijab and not mixing with men in a way that could lead to temptations, …etc. Allah knows best.