Excerpted from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the Fatāwā of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullah Salīm
Is it considered unlawful khalwah (seclusion) in Sharīʿah for a woman to ride in a rented taxi with a non-maḥram (stranger) driver? Also, is the ruling the same when two women ride with a non-maḥram driver as when one woman does so alone?
When a woman rides alone with a stranger driver, it is not only a case of khalwah (unlawful seclusion) but also leads to certain prohibited actions that often occur in such a state of isolation. The situation in which this woman is riding with the driver—without the presence of a third person—constitutes not just seclusion, but a seclusion that is a source of potential fitnah (temptation).
Such a scenario is far more dangerous than one where another woman or man is also present in the vehicle, as the presence of a third party significantly reduces the likelihood of fitnah. Therefore, this kind of seclusion is not merely unlawful, but one that provokes trials and corruption.
– Fatwā by Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Bāz رحمه الله
❖ Question:
Is it considered unlawful khalwah (seclusion) in Sharīʿah for a woman to ride in a rented taxi with a non-maḥram (stranger) driver? Also, is the ruling the same when two women ride with a non-maḥram driver as when one woman does so alone?
❖ Answer:
When a woman rides alone with a stranger driver, it is not only a case of khalwah (unlawful seclusion) but also leads to certain prohibited actions that often occur in such a state of isolation. The situation in which this woman is riding with the driver—without the presence of a third person—constitutes not just seclusion, but a seclusion that is a source of potential fitnah (temptation).
Such a scenario is far more dangerous than one where another woman or man is also present in the vehicle, as the presence of a third party significantly reduces the likelihood of fitnah. Therefore, this kind of seclusion is not merely unlawful, but one that provokes trials and corruption.
– Fatwā by Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Bāz رحمه الله
