Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalamo Alaikum,

Can a married woman perform umra with a group includes her mother in law and sister in law with her husband.Kindly guide us in the light of Quran and sunnah  

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Answer:

Can one go to Umrah with non mehram group?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear Sister in Islam, it is not as if the woman needs a mehram only to accompany her for the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage; it is the command of Allah and His Messenger (saws) that she should not travel alone without a mehram for a considerable distance, for her own protection.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.194 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "It is not permissible for a woman, who believes in Allah and the Last Day, to travel for one day and night except with a Mahram."

Thus sister, in light of the above authentic narration of the Prophet (saws), the law of traveling with a mehram, is not for all women…. The law is only for the believing women who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day! It is not permissible for a woman, who believes in Allah and the Last Day, to travel a considerable distance without a mehram. It does not matter if the travel pertains to making a pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah, or to any other travel; but unfortunately, some people today have applied this law only to the Hajj and Umrah travel, but do not apply it to all the other travels they make.

There is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars whether it is permissible for a woman to travel to the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage without a mehram. Most of the scholars state the ‘letter of the law’ and declare it impermissible for a woman to travel to the pilgrimage without a mehram.

Yahya bin 'Abbad reported that a woman from Iraq wrote to Ibrahim AnNakh'i: "I have not yet performed the prescribed Hajj; for although I am rich, I have no mahram who may accompany me on this trip." He wrote her back: "You are one of those whom Allah has not given the means to perform (Hajj)." Eminent scholars and jurists like Abu Hanifah, Al-Hassan, At-Thauri, Ahmad and Ishaq all hold a similar view on this issue.

Amongst the eminent scholars and jurists, Imam Shafei is of the opinion that a woman may travel without a mehram in the company or group of trusted companions, and cite these hadiths as evidence for his opinion:

This permission for a woman to travel without a mahram in the company of trusted companions or when the journey to Hajj is safe is supported by what is reported by Bukhari from 'Adi ibn Hatem, who says: "I was with the Prophet (saws) when a man came to him and complained of poverty. Another man complained about highway robbery. Thereupon the Prophet (saws) said: 'O 'Adi! Have you seen the city of Hira in Iraq?' I said: 'No, but I have heard about it.' The Prophet (saws) said: 'If you lived long enough you will see that a woman will travel alone from Hira and will perform Tawaf round Ka'bah, and she will have no fear except that of Allah."

This opinion is also supported by the fact that Hadrat Umar (r.a.) gave permission to the wives of the Prophet (saws) to perform Hajj while accompanied by Hadrat Uthman ibn Affan (r.a.) and Hadrat Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf (r.a.), who were not mehrams.

Your Question: Kindly guide us in the light of Quran and sunnah  

Beloved Sister in Islam, if you can find a mehram to accompany you in your journey to the Sacred House of Allah, that would obviously be the absolute best option. But in the unavoidable circumstance, where you cannot find a mehram to accompany you and the absolute only option available is to travel without a mehram, and it is only natural for a believer who sincerely loves Allah and His Messenger (saws) to visit the Holy Places, it is expected that the Lord Most Merciful would accept your love and your striving to visit His Sacred House and would not diminish your reward in the least.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan