Is it permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram out of necessity, such as a resident traveling from Saudi Arabia to her home country to visit her family, while her sons are unable to travel with her due to their financial circumstances?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The basic rule is that it is not permissible for a woman to travel without her husband or a , except for the obligatory Hajj and the obligatory '. Some scholars have made an exception for cases of urgent necessity, or if the journey is with a large, trustworthy group, or for a journey of obedience such as maintaining ties of kinship (silat al-rahim). However, the majority of scholars believe that visiting family is not a necessity that permits travel without a mahram, and advise communicating with them through other means until travel with a mahram becomes feasible.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/108243
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 108243
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy