Question:
What is the ruling on a woman going to the market without her husband’s permission?
Answer:
If a woman wishes to go out of the house, she should inform her husband and tell him where she is going. The husband should also grant her permission to go to a place where there is no fear of strife and corruption, because the husband has greater knowledge of what is good for her. Allah, the Exalted, says:
«وَلَهُنَّ مِثْلُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِنَّ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلِلرِّجَالِ عَلَيْهِنَّ دَرَجَةٌ»
“And women have rights similar to those over them, according to what is reasonable. And men have a degree over them.”
In another place it was said:
«الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّـهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ»
“Men are in charge of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others.”
