Source: Ahkām wa Masā'il Kitāb-o-Sunnat Kī Roshnī Mein by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbānī
Can a young girl travel by airplane from Lahore to Karachi without a maḥram (male guardian), accompanied only by her sister-in-law? Is there any evidence in the Qur'an and Sunnah that permits such a journey?
Allah, the Most High, has created woman naturally weak and physically less strong than man. Compared to man, she has been made more delicate in her nature. Likewise, in terms of intellect, she has been made deficient, and is not fully capable of managing many of her own affairs independently.
To ensure her protection and proper management of her affairs, Allah has appointed man as her guardian and caretaker (qawwām), so that he can oversee and safeguard her interests.
When a woman steps outside the confines of her home, the devil glances at her, and she becomes a potential cause for fitnah (tribulation). In order to prevent the objectives that arise from such situations, Allah has imposed certain restrictions upon her.
Whenever a woman intends to travel, she must be accompanied by either her husband or a male maḥram — such as her father, son, brother, nephew (brother’s or sister’s son), maternal or paternal uncle, etc.
Traveling without a maḥram is ḥarām (forbidden) for her.
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا ومعها ذو محرم، ولا تسافر المرأة إلا مع ذي محرم.
“A man must never be alone with a woman unless she is accompanied by a maḥram. And a woman must not travel except with a maḥram.”
Then a man stood up and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! My wife has gone out for Ḥajj, while my name has been recorded for such-and-such expedition.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Go and perform Ḥajj with your wife.”
This ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth clearly proves that a woman cannot travel under any circumstance without a maḥram male, regardless of the purpose of travel — whether it be:
✦ For business,
✦ For acts of worship,
✦ For tourism or recreation,
✦ For visiting family or relatives.
All forms of travel without a maḥram are prohibited for her.
The trials and difficulties of travel — such as exhaustion, unforeseen events, mechanical failures of aircraft or trains, potential accidents, and free intermingling with non-maḥram men — are situations that a woman cannot handle on her own.
Thus, it is impermissible (ḥarām) for a young girl to travel by airplane from Lahore to Karachi accompanied only by her sister-in-law, without a maḥram.
❖ Question:
Can a young girl travel by airplane from Lahore to Karachi without a maḥram (male guardian), accompanied only by her sister-in-law? Is there any evidence in the Qur'an and Sunnah that permits such a journey?
❖ Answer:
Allah, the Most High, has created woman naturally weak and physically less strong than man. Compared to man, she has been made more delicate in her nature. Likewise, in terms of intellect, she has been made deficient, and is not fully capable of managing many of her own affairs independently.
To ensure her protection and proper management of her affairs, Allah has appointed man as her guardian and caretaker (qawwām), so that he can oversee and safeguard her interests.
When a woman steps outside the confines of her home, the devil glances at her, and she becomes a potential cause for fitnah (tribulation). In order to prevent the objectives that arise from such situations, Allah has imposed certain restrictions upon her.
❖ One such restriction is:
Whenever a woman intends to travel, she must be accompanied by either her husband or a male maḥram — such as her father, son, brother, nephew (brother’s or sister’s son), maternal or paternal uncle, etc.
Traveling without a maḥram is ḥarām (forbidden) for her.
❖ Evidence from Ḥadīth:
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا ومعها ذو محرم، ولا تسافر المرأة إلا مع ذي محرم.
“A man must never be alone with a woman unless she is accompanied by a maḥram. And a woman must not travel except with a maḥram.”
Then a man stood up and said:
“O Messenger of Allah! My wife has gone out for Ḥajj, while my name has been recorded for such-and-such expedition.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Go and perform Ḥajj with your wife.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Jihād wa al-Siyar, Ḥadīth 3006
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb: Safar al-Marʾah maʿa Maḥram ilá al-Ḥajj wa Ghayrihi, Ḥadīth 1341
❖ Conclusion:
This ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth clearly proves that a woman cannot travel under any circumstance without a maḥram male, regardless of the purpose of travel — whether it be:
✦ For business,
✦ For acts of worship,
✦ For tourism or recreation,
✦ For visiting family or relatives.
All forms of travel without a maḥram are prohibited for her.
The trials and difficulties of travel — such as exhaustion, unforeseen events, mechanical failures of aircraft or trains, potential accidents, and free intermingling with non-maḥram men — are situations that a woman cannot handle on her own.
Thus, it is impermissible (ḥarām) for a young girl to travel by airplane from Lahore to Karachi accompanied only by her sister-in-law, without a maḥram.
