Has a person been forbidden from traveling alone?

The prohibition of solitude has been established in prophetic traditions (hadiths), including the hadith: "If people knew what I know about solitude, no rider would travel alone at night." The prohibition of a man sleeping alone has been narrated as a mursal hadith from Ata, and from Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): "No man should travel alone, nor sleep in a house alone." And from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "A single rider is a devil, two riders are two devils, and three are a riding party."

These hadiths indicate the detestability of solitude in situations where one fears weakness, perdition, hardship, or the temptation of Satan, as the presence of companions aids and strengthens one in goodness. Scholars have clarified that the prohibition of solitude in travel applies to desolate and frightening roads, and does not apply to populated roads or travel by modern means such as airplanes, ships, and buses, where there are companions.