“If travelling was free, You’d never see me again…” How many times have you heard that phrase? It is a motto that has struck the world and taken many into its claws.

We all love to travel; it’s exciting, new places to go, new things to see, new cuisines to taste, a new culture to experience, an opportunity to explore… and when you return, you can rightfully say, ‘been there, seen it, done it!’ Not to mention it’s a break from the mundane routines of school, work and chores, a holiday, in other words.

However, whilst we have been blessed with such chances in the growing age of technology, with modes of transport so common and easy to use, many of us have forgotten the real purpose of travel, and the rules that come with it.

Travelling, is an opportunity to see the wonders of Allah, to appreciate the splendour in His creation, to marvel at all those things that make our planet earth, and most importantly to recognise Him through it and be grateful and subservient to Him.

After all, is it not Allah that gave you the ability to travel, eyes to see the world? Should we not then follow the rules He has determined for us? Thus, it is only natural that we abide by His guidelines as explained to us by the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him.

It is reported from both Bukhari and Muslim that Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet said, “A woman should not travel save and except with a mahram.”

This hadith clearly puts a restriction a on women’s travel. Yes, it is a limit, for isn’t this dunya a prison for the believer?! We as muslims should have no issue accepting this fact. The restriction placed is for our own benefit.

Sadly, many muslims pick and choose what they want to follow from islam. If you choose Islam as a way of life, it’s a comprehensive package, and everything in it, should be taken up to the best of your ability.

Others go fatwa shopping, searching out the fatwa that suits them, that allows them to follow their desires. And so they find the fatwa that says it is permissible for a woman to travel, if her mahram drops her, and another picks her up, or that it is permissible for her to travel with a group women.

I ask you: if the mahram dropped the woman at the airport, and another picked her up on the other side, did this comply with the statement of the Prophet, of travelling with a mahram?! Does a group of women substitute a mahram? The answer is no. And whilst some of our scholars have issued this fatwa, and I am in no position to dispute them, know that they are only human, and have done their best to search for an answer, but they may err. And so, it falls upon our shoulders to find the correct answer and to not blindly follow their opinions, for Allah gave us an intellect to distinguish between right and wrong.

A mahram for a woman, is a male-relative, who is she is permanently prohibited to marry, who is muslim, of sound mind and over the age of puberty.

My dear sisters, Allah has enforced such guidelines to maintain our security and honour. Travelling alone only encourages the corrupt to prey upon your weakness. It opens the door for Shaytaan’s whispers, and aren’t his plans cunning? If he was able to misguide those who were greater than us in morality, what would he do those who are corrupt, who have no ethics to begin with?

There are a multitude of hadith in which the prophet forbade the travel of woman without a mahram, they are general in wording and thus includes travelling for study, holidays, hajj or otherwise.

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram and no man should enter upon her unless she has a mahram with her.” A man said: O Messenger of Allah, I want to go out with such-and-such an army, but my wife wants to go for Hajj. He said: “Go with her.” (Bukhari, 1862)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel the distance of one day, except with a mahram.” (Muslim 1339)

“Travel usually causes exhaustion and hardship, and because women are weak and need someone to look after them and stay with them, and things may happen in the absence of her mahram that she is not able to deal with. These are things that are well known and are frequently seen nowadays because of the large number of accidents involving cars and other means of transportation.

Moreover, if a woman travels alone she may be approached and tempted to do evil, especially when there is a great deal of corruption. Someone may sit next to her who does not fear Allah and he may make haraam actions seem appealing to her. It is perfectly wise that the woman should be accompanied by her mahram when she travels, because the purpose of having her mahram present is to protect her and look after her.” (Taken from islamqa.com)

The ahadith from the Prophet on this matter are crystal clear. Thus anything that is considered travel requires a mahram. Travelling causes difficulties, and there are possibilities of harm, whether by plane, train, or any other mode of transport, including your two feet. There are too many possibilities of harm, and we know we live in world where immorality, is the norm. Save yourself the hassle, Allah protected you, and made things easy for you. He did not make it incumbent upon you to travel, He facilitated security for you, in the care of your male guardians. Many women have fallen prey, the ease of transport has made what the Prophet explicitly forbade fair-seeming to them.

I end with a quote, Imam An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: To sum up, everything that may be called travel is forbidden to women without a husband or mahram.