Is it permissible to go to Mecca from Jeddah to perform Umrah in a group of women (five girls and the mother) with young male children, without a mahram, under the pretext that the distance is short and the father is busy and cannot go with them?

Authentic hadiths in the Sunnah of the Prophet have prohibited women from traveling without a mahram. Some jurists have gone so far as to completely forbid a woman from traveling without a mahram, even for the obligatory Hajj and Umrah. Others have permitted her to travel without a mahram in the case of obligatory Hajj and Umrah. A third group has taken a more expansive view, permitting her travel without a mahram if there is no fear of fitna, even if it is not out of necessity.

The most preferable and cautious approach is to travel with a mahram to avoid disagreement. However, if there is a need to travel without a mahram, there is no harm in taking the concession and adopting the view of those who permit it when there is no fear of fitna.