❀ Ruling on Women Driving Cars in Islam ❀
This fatwa is extracted from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” compiled from the fatwas of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn and translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
What is the Islamic ruling on a woman driving a car?
There is no doubt regarding the impermissibility of a woman driving a car, as it leads to numerous harms and dangerous consequences. Among these are:
◈ Immodest intermixing between men and women,
◈ Engagement in prohibited actions,
◈ And the eventual breakdown of Islamic boundaries that protect society.
The Sharīʿah has declared unlawful not only what is inherently prohibited but also the means leading to it. All causes that open the doors to immorality and corruption have been forbidden to safeguard the purity and chastity of the Muslim society.
﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:33]
"And remain in your homes, and do not display yourselves as the display of the former times of ignorance..."
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ... يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:59]
"O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalābīb) over themselves..."
﴿وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ... وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ...﴾
[An-Nūr 24:31]
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty, and not to display their adornment except that which is apparent..."
These verses form a comprehensive framework for safeguarding the modesty and dignity of women. Driving, by nature of exposure and movement through public spaces, is considered a means that may breach these limits, especially in a context where widespread temptation and societal laxity prevail.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«ما خلا رجل بامرأة إلا كان ثالثهما الشيطان»
"No man is ever alone with a woman except that Shayṭān is the third among them."
[Musnad Aḥmad]
The Prophet ﷺ also warned:
«ما تركت بعدي فتنة أضر على الرجال من النساء»
"I have not left behind a trial more harmful to men than women."
[Bukhārī & Muslim]
These narrations are part of a larger body of guidance prohibiting all causes of fitnah (tribulation), especially those that involve unnecessary mingling or exposure.
Driving a car is seen not only as a practical act but also as a social behavior that, in many environments, facilitates:
① Unsupervised movement,
② Contact with non-maḥram men (e.g., at fuel stations, traffic stops, public interaction),
③ And being seen or engaged in ways that may attract attention or lead to temptation.
The issue is not solely about the act of driving, but about the consequences that often stem from it in societies where Islamic morals are weak or being eroded.
﴿قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ...﴾
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:33]
"Say: My Lord has only forbidden immoralities – both apparent and hidden – and sin and oppression without right..."
﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ...﴾
[Al-Baqarah 2:168]
"And do not follow the footsteps of Shayṭān. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy..."
The command is to avoid the steps that may eventually lead to sin, even if the initial act appears harmless.
Ḥudhayfah رضي الله عنه narrated that people used to ask the Prophet ﷺ about good, while he would ask about evil fearing that he might fall into it. He mentioned a series of tests and divisions that would arise and the Prophet ﷺ warned him to stay with the Muslim body and its leader. If none were present, he should isolate himself even if alone.
This emphasizes the need to avoid doubtful matters and environments of fitnah, even more so when such matters are widespread.
Thus, women driving—particularly in environments where modesty, seclusion, and unlawful mixing are likely—is considered impermissible due to its consequences. The ruling is based not on the act itself but on what it entails and opens the door to.
We urge all Muslims to adopt taqwā (God-consciousness), avoid all means leading to fitnah, and adhere to the principles of Islamic modesty. May Allah guide our actions, protect us from evil, and aid all Muslims and leaders in implementing what brings reform, safety, and divine pleasure.
«وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم»
(May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family, and his companions.)
(Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله)
This fatwa is extracted from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women,” compiled from the fatwas of the Scholars of the Ḥaramayn and translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
❖ Question:
What is the Islamic ruling on a woman driving a car?
❖ Answer:
There is no doubt regarding the impermissibility of a woman driving a car, as it leads to numerous harms and dangerous consequences. Among these are:
◈ Immodest intermixing between men and women,
◈ Engagement in prohibited actions,
◈ And the eventual breakdown of Islamic boundaries that protect society.
The Sharīʿah has declared unlawful not only what is inherently prohibited but also the means leading to it. All causes that open the doors to immorality and corruption have been forbidden to safeguard the purity and chastity of the Muslim society.
❖ Qur’ānic Evidences:
﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:33]
"And remain in your homes, and do not display yourselves as the display of the former times of ignorance..."
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ... يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ...﴾
[Al-Aḥzāb 33:59]
"O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (jalābīb) over themselves..."
﴿وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ... وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ...﴾
[An-Nūr 24:31]
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty, and not to display their adornment except that which is apparent..."
These verses form a comprehensive framework for safeguarding the modesty and dignity of women. Driving, by nature of exposure and movement through public spaces, is considered a means that may breach these limits, especially in a context where widespread temptation and societal laxity prevail.
❖ Prophetic Guidance:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«ما خلا رجل بامرأة إلا كان ثالثهما الشيطان»
"No man is ever alone with a woman except that Shayṭān is the third among them."
[Musnad Aḥmad]
The Prophet ﷺ also warned:
«ما تركت بعدي فتنة أضر على الرجال من النساء»
"I have not left behind a trial more harmful to men than women."
[Bukhārī & Muslim]
These narrations are part of a larger body of guidance prohibiting all causes of fitnah (tribulation), especially those that involve unnecessary mingling or exposure.
❖ Driving as a Gateway to Immorality:
Driving a car is seen not only as a practical act but also as a social behavior that, in many environments, facilitates:
① Unsupervised movement,
② Contact with non-maḥram men (e.g., at fuel stations, traffic stops, public interaction),
③ And being seen or engaged in ways that may attract attention or lead to temptation.
The issue is not solely about the act of driving, but about the consequences that often stem from it in societies where Islamic morals are weak or being eroded.
❖ Further Qur’ānic Warnings:
﴿قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ...﴾
[Al-Aʿrāf 7:33]
"Say: My Lord has only forbidden immoralities – both apparent and hidden – and sin and oppression without right..."
﴿وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ...﴾
[Al-Baqarah 2:168]
"And do not follow the footsteps of Shayṭān. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy..."
The command is to avoid the steps that may eventually lead to sin, even if the initial act appears harmless.
❖ A Cautionary Example from Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān:
Ḥudhayfah رضي الله عنه narrated that people used to ask the Prophet ﷺ about good, while he would ask about evil fearing that he might fall into it. He mentioned a series of tests and divisions that would arise and the Prophet ﷺ warned him to stay with the Muslim body and its leader. If none were present, he should isolate himself even if alone.
This emphasizes the need to avoid doubtful matters and environments of fitnah, even more so when such matters are widespread.
❖ Conclusion and Supplication:
Thus, women driving—particularly in environments where modesty, seclusion, and unlawful mixing are likely—is considered impermissible due to its consequences. The ruling is based not on the act itself but on what it entails and opens the door to.
We urge all Muslims to adopt taqwā (God-consciousness), avoid all means leading to fitnah, and adhere to the principles of Islamic modesty. May Allah guide our actions, protect us from evil, and aid all Muslims and leaders in implementing what brings reform, safety, and divine pleasure.
«وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وآله وصحبه وسلم»
(May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, his family, and his companions.)
(Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله)
