Traveling without Mahram to Visit Parents

Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan answers a question about the permissibility of a woman traveling without a mahram to visit here parents.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

I hope this finds you in the best health.

I have been traveling by road for the past few years to visit my parents from home, which is about 41 miles. However, my parents have recently moved further and will be about 55 miles away from my home. Is it permissible for me to drive to their house without a mahram? I will have my two kids with me. My husband has offered to drive me every now and then, but I would like to be able to go on my own as well. Please let me know the ruling in this particular situation.

Jazak Allah.

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

Thank you for writing to us.

Undertaking a journey without a mahram has received much discussion from the scholars in recent years. This is primarily because the mediums of traveling have changed considerably from the agrarian world. With the change of these mediums, a lady traveling by herself, will often enjoy much more safety than had she been traveling with a mahram in an agrarian world. The Maliki school in particular was very clear that a lady may travel by herself provided that there is safety during her travels. (Mawahib al-Jalil)

Nonetheless, your journey is just outside the 83km (masafah al-qasr) radius. In addition, you will be staying with your father, who is a mahram. All these considered, it would be permissible for you to travel with your kids to visit your parents.

And Allah knows best.

Abdurragmaan Khan

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.