Question:-
I have heard that if a female is dropped off at the airport by a Mahram, and she travels to her destination (which is more than 77 kilometers) on her own, and is then received by another Mahram at her destination, then such an arrangement is in order. Is this correct?
Answer:-
The Hadith of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam states, “A woman should not travel for even a single day without a Mahram.” Another narration states, ” It is not permissible for a woman that believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel for three days, except with a Mahram or one’s spouse. The narrations seem to contradict each other but can be reconciled in this manner; that a woman is not even permitted to travel for one day on her own, having the intention of undertaking a journey of three days or more. A journey of three days in previous times (on an animal) is estimated to be 77 kilometers, hence, a woman is not permitted to travel for 77 kilometers or more without a Mahram.
Now, coming to your query, when a female is dropped off at the airport, she will most definitely be undertaking a journey of 77 kilometers or more, as people undertake lengthy journeys by air. This is prohibited in the Hadith of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned above, hence, the arrangement mentioned in your query is unacceptable.
Secondly, when a female travels with a Mahram, then this serves as protection for her. Men generally do not interfere with females that are accompanied by their Mahaarim. In this instance, she has no protection whatsoever, whereas she may be undertaking a journey thousand’s of kilometers away. She may even be seated next to a male passenger on the flight, and the evils that are perpetrated on the planes nowadays are not hidden from any of us.
In conclusion, the arrangement in the question posed to us is absolutely baseless, and holds no weight whatsoever.
أن النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – قال: (لا يحل لامرأة تؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر أن تسافر ثلاثة أيام إلا مع محرم أو زوج).
روى أبو هريرة أن النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – قال: (لا تسافر المرأة يوما إلا مع ذي محرم)
والجواب: أن هذا لا يعارض خبرنا؛ لأنا نجمع بينهما فنقول: لا تسافر يوما قاصدة مسيرة ثلاثة أيام إلا مع محرم
869 التجريد للقدوري ص
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 27 Shabaan 1443 / 30 March 2022
