Why is it not advisable for a muslimah to travel alone?

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malt
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rookie
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13/08/2007 3:35:08 PM

There are many clear narrations of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) in this regard.

1) Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (mayAllah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Let no woman travel for more than three days unless her husband or a Mahram is with her”. (Sahih Muslim).

2) Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “A woman must not travel for three days except with a Mahram”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1036 & Sahih Muslim).

3) Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “It is unlawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the last day that she travels the distance of one day and one night without a Mahram accompanying her”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1038).

4) Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “'A woman must not travel except with a Mahram and a man must not enter upon her except if she has a Mahram”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1763).

ref for above hadith and detailed explanation at:
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_...

Now regarding your question why... there is a reasoning and interpretation along the following lines:
ref: http://www.ourdialogue.com/ans...

There is no doubt that travel in the old days, when Islam was revealed, was totally different from present day travel. Nowadays we cross-continents in a matter of hours. Long haul journeys take a matter of 10-12 hours by plane to carry people distances of some six thousand kilometers or so. Should one travel, say, from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines, he would complete the journey within such a time, if he flies non-stop. Such a journey, which would have taken months of continuous Traveling, was never contemplated in old days except by very few people, who would be either merchants or the odd person who wanted to study human communities and their different lifestyles.

Yet the religious rulings that apply to human practices remain the same, as long as the text which sets out a ruling is definitive in its meaning. Hence, when social modes and practices change, we need to look at the wording anew in an effort to learn whether it applies to us in a different mode to that understood by earlier scholars. Their understanding was inevitably within what was available in their societies. This means that the rule remains the same, but the way we understand it or implement it may be different.

The Hadith in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, makes it clear that a Muslim woman must not travel alone mentions a travel of one day and one night, i.e. 24 hours. On the basis of the Hadith, the woman must be accompanied by her husband or a close relative whom she may not marry, such as her father, brother, uncle, nephew, etc. Scholars also mention that it is permissible for a woman to travel with ‘appropriate companionship’. By this they mean either a group of women, or a group that includes some suitable women.

What we need to understand is that Islam does not prevent women from Traveling alone because of any distrust of Muslim women. Definitely not. It simply wishes that a Muslim woman should not find herself in a situation of danger when she cannot call on any help. Travel in old days carried such a danger. Suppose a person traveled on foot or on camel back from Makkah to Madinah alone, the journey would need several days to complete. He would have to sleep on the road, and he may be exposed to danger from wild animals or unknown people who may be Traveling across his way. Should a woman put herself in such a situation, she may come to grief. Should she travel with strangers, she might be a victim of some scheming. Hence the insistence on Traveling with a close relative or appropriate companionship.

Today’s travel is totally different. We use airplanes, trains and coaches. In any of these modes of travel there is a sort of appropriate companionship. It is impossible to imagine a situation in which there is any special risk to which an individual traveler, man or woman, is exposed in such travels. When one arrives, the immigration controls are also safe for all. Should a woman be Traveling from one country to another where she joins other members of her family, she may travel alone. She would be safe throughout and she would not have contravened the rule of not Traveling for 24 hours without a Mahrem.

In the case we are looking at, it is not the actual travel that is concerned, but whether the lady could live alone at her place of work. That comes under a different heading. Islam does not approve of a person living alone in a house or apartment. This is discouraged because something may happen to that person when he needs help or medical attention and he may not find that available. However people may be forced to do that for some periods of their lives. If a person is living alone, he or she should make arrangements, which would ensure that help is available when needed.

Other references:

http://www.islamonline.net/ser...
http://www.sunnah.org/msaec/ar...

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psychedelicmullah
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rookie
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8/03/2008 7:11:37 AM

Don't listen to the speculative douchebags, ultimately there are only guesses as to why the prohibition is in place, and any reason you can think of is probably a good reason. One can pat one's self on the back and say "it's not because women are evil, but because they need protection!" but that may be wishful thinking as well.

Ultimately, if the muslimah wants to be safe, I highly recommend pepper spray (try to find a non-halal variety so that not only their eyes burn, but so will their souls!) there is room for gallons of that stuff under the hijab.