Is It Permissible for a Woman to Perform ʿUmrah in Ramadan Without a Mahram?
Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
❖ Question
A woman inquired:
“I intend to perform ʿUmrah in Ramadan, but my companions will be my sister, her husband, and my mother. Is it permissible for me to go with them for ʿUmrah?”
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
It is not permissible for you to go for ʿUmrah with them, because your sister’s husband is not a maḥram for you.
❖ Sharʿī Evidence
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) that he heard the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ delivering a sermon, in which he said:
«لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِامْرَأةٍ إِلَّا مع ذي مَحْرَمٍ وَلَا تُسَافِرِ امَرْأةُ إِلَّا مَعَ ذِيْ مَحْرَمٍ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb: Safar al-Marʾah maʿa Maḥram ilā al-Ḥajj wa Ghayrihi, Ḥadīth: 1341)
Translation:
“No man should be alone with a woman except in the presence of a maḥram, and no woman should travel except with a maḥram.”
❖ Further Clarification
Upon hearing this ḥadīth, a companion stood up and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! My wife has set out for Ḥajj, and my name has already been written down for such-and-such battle.”
So the Prophet ﷺ instructed:
«اِنْطَلِقْ فَحُجَّ مَعَ امْرَأَتِكَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb Jazāʾ aṣ-Ṣayd, Bāb Ḥajj an-Nisāʾ, Ḥadīth: 1862 / Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Ḥadīth: 1341)
Translation:
“Go, and perform Ḥajj with your wife.”
❖ Explanation of the Sharʿī Principle
At that moment, the Prophet ﷺ did not inquire about any of the following:
✿ Whether the woman was accompanied by other women?
✿ Whether she was young or elderly?
✿ Whether the travel route was safe or not?
This makes it abundantly clear that if a woman does not have a maḥram and, due to this, she is unable to perform ʿUmrah, she will not be sinful — even if she has never performed ʿUmrah before.
Because, for both Ḥajj and ʿUmrah to become obligatory, the presence of a maḥram is a binding condition for a woman.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
