❀ Ruling on a Woman Riding with a Non-Maḥram Driver ❀
This fatwa is derived from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the rulings of the scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
What is the ruling regarding a woman riding in a vehicle with a non-maḥram driver?
It is impermissible (ḥarām) for a woman to ride alone with a non-maḥram driver in a vehicle unless she is accompanied by a maḥram (unmarriageable relative). The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا مع ذي محرم»
“A man must not be alone with a woman unless she is accompanied by a maḥram.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Book of Nikāḥ, Chapter 112]
If there are two or more women riding with the driver, then there is no harm in this arrangement, as it does not constitute khalwah (seclusion). However, even in this case, the driver must be trustworthy, and the ride must not qualify as a journey (safar) in the Sharʿī sense, which would require a maḥram for travel.
Important Conditions:
✔ There should be no seclusion (khalwah).
✔ The driver must be trustworthy.
✔ The situation must not be travel (which demands maḥram presence).
(Fatwa by: Shaykh Ibn Jibrīn raḥimahullāh)
This fatwa is derived from the book “500 Questions and Answers for Women” based on the rulings of the scholars of the Ḥaramayn, translated by Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Salīm.
❖ Question:
What is the ruling regarding a woman riding in a vehicle with a non-maḥram driver?
❖ Answer:
It is impermissible (ḥarām) for a woman to ride alone with a non-maḥram driver in a vehicle unless she is accompanied by a maḥram (unmarriageable relative). The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لا يخلون رجل بامرأة إلا مع ذي محرم»
“A man must not be alone with a woman unless she is accompanied by a maḥram.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī – Book of Nikāḥ, Chapter 112]
If there are two or more women riding with the driver, then there is no harm in this arrangement, as it does not constitute khalwah (seclusion). However, even in this case, the driver must be trustworthy, and the ride must not qualify as a journey (safar) in the Sharʿī sense, which would require a maḥram for travel.
Important Conditions:
✔ There should be no seclusion (khalwah).
✔ The driver must be trustworthy.
✔ The situation must not be travel (which demands maḥram presence).
(Fatwa by: Shaykh Ibn Jibrīn raḥimahullāh)
