WHY WOMEN MUST NOT TRAVEL ALONE

By Adil Salahi
Abu Saeed Al-Khudri, an Ansari companion of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) who was very close
to him said: I heard the Prophet mentioning four
things that I admired: That a woman must not
travel a distance of two days unless she is
accompanied by her husband or a mahram
relative; two days are not allowed to fast which
are the two days of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha; no
voluntary prayer may be offered after two
obligatory ones: After Asr until the sun has set and
after Fajr until the sun has risen; travel may be
undertaken only to three mosques: the Sacred
Mosque (in Makkah), this mosque of mine (in
Madinah) and the Aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem).
(Related by Al-Bukhari)
The first of the four restrictions concerns a woman
traveling alone. The Prophet makes clear that
when a woman travels, she must be accompanied
by her husband or a close relative whom she can
never marry, such as her father, brother, son,
nephew, etc. In this Hadith the distance of
restricted travel is estimated as that covered in
two days. This relates to the time of the Prophet
when all travel was on camels or horses. However,
other Hadiths indicate longer and shorter travels.
Hence, scholars agree that the restriction applies
to what is socially considered as travel.
Some people imagine that the restriction is an
aspect of what they allege to be an inferior status
Islam gives to women. Nothing is further from the
truth. It is indeed the reverse. Islam honors women
and takes care of them. As a lone traveler may
face unforeseen problems, Islam ensures that
women are well looked after, requiring that they
should be accompanied by men who are certain to
take care of them.
So, what distance can a woman travel today, with
our fast means of transport that cross continents
in a few hours? To answer this question, we need
to look at how scholars considered this restriction.
They defined the aim behind it, which is to ensure
that a woman could travel safely. Therefore, in
addition to the relatives mentioned in the Hadith,
they also added ‘trusted companionship’. They
maintain that a woman can travel with a group of
women, or a mixed group which includes women
traveling with their husbands or mahram relatives.
They speak about this in detail, always aiming to
ensure the safety of women travelers.
A woman who wants to travel from Cairo to
Alexandria, for example, without a companion, has
several options: To travel by train, coach or car.
The distance is over 200 km. The first two means
of transport are much safer than traveling by car if
she is driving alone. Her car may develop a
problem on the way and she may be stranded. On
the other hand, if she goes by train or coach and a
problem develops, she is much safer as she will be
with a large number of passengers. Again, we look
at her situation at her destination. If she is well
looked after, then there is no problem with her
travel.
The Hadith also places a measure of responsibility
on families. Every family must look after its
women. Leaving them to travel alone and exposed
to risks is not acceptable. If a woman’s travel is
necessary, then her family must provide her with
safe travel, including providing a male companion
who is either her husband or a close mahram
relative.