In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Prayers and salutations be upon the Master of the Messengers ﷺ, and upon his family and Companions. There is no power nor strength except through Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
Firstly, it must be noted that ʿUmra is obligatory [farḍ], like Ḥajj. This is the view adopted by the majority of the ʿulamāʾ, including the Shāfiʿī and Ḥanbalī scholars, as well as some Ḥanafīs.
Among the Companions who held this view were; ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn ʿUmar, and Jābir (Allah be pleased with them). It was also the view of Ṭāwūs, ʿAṭāʾ, Ibn al-Musayyib, Saʿīd b. Jubayr, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Ibn Sīrīn, al-Shaʿbī, Masrūq, Abū Burda b. Abī Mūsā, ʿAbd-Allāh b. Shaddād, al-Thawrī, Isḥāq, and Abū ʿUbayd (Allah have mercy upon them).
Their evidence is the statement of Allah ﷻ: ﴾And complete Ḥajj and ʿUmra for Allah﴿ [Qurʾān 2:196]. What is meant by completing Ḥajj and ʿUmra for Allah ﷻ is performing them and undertaking them, as in His statement: ﴾Then complete the fast until the night﴿ [Qurʾān 2:187], meaning: perform the fast.
They also have other evidences, though this is not the place to discuss them at length.
Secondly, the majority of fuqahāʾ held that the presence of a maḥram or husband is a condition for Ḥajj becoming farḍ upon a woman. Therefore, if this condition is not available to her, Ḥajj is not initially obligatory upon her.
Their evidence is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “A woman must not travel except with a maḥram, and no man must enter upon her unless she has a maḥram with her.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī §1862; and Muslim §1341.
As for the Shāfiʿī scholars, Ḥajj becomes farḍ upon a woman when there is a husband, a maḥram, or trustworthy women.
Imām al-Nawawī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“Imām al-Shāfiʿī and his students (Allah have mercy upon them) said: ‘Ḥajj is not binding upon a woman unless she is safe with regard to herself through a husband, a maḥram by lineage or otherwise, or trustworthy women. If any of these three are present, Ḥajj becomes binding upon her without disagreement. If none of these three is present, then Ḥajj is not binding upon her according to the relied-upon view of the school, whether one woman is present or not.’”
Imām al-Shirbīnī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“For the farḍ of the Ḥajj rites upon a woman, in addition to what has already been mentioned regarding a man, it is stipulated that there go out with her a husband, a maḥram by lineage or otherwise, or trustworthy women.”
Thus, a woman is not obliged to go out alone for Ḥajj. However, if she does so while being safe with regard to herself, it is permissible for her.
There are therefore two separate issues: the first is the condition for the farḍ of the Ḥajj of Islam, and likewise ʿUmra; the second is the condition for the permissibility of going out to perform it. These two issues have become confused for many people.
Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“As for permissibility, she may go out to perform the farḍ duty of Islam with a trustworthy woman… She may also go out for it alone if she is certain of safety with regard to herself. All of this applies to the farḍ Ḥajj.”
The evidence of the Shāfiʿī scholars is the general import of the statement of Allah ﷻ: ﴾And due to Allah from mankind is Ḥajj of the House, for whoever is able to find a way to it﴿ [Qurʾān 3:97]. They interpreted the ḥadīth, “A woman must not travel except with a maḥram,” as referring to travel that is not obligatory, and they did so out of due consideration for the farḍ act of worship.
Imām al-Ramlī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“The farḍ act differs from other acts in that the interest of acquiring it necessitates sufficing with the lowest degree of probable safety, unlike that which is not farḍ, in which greater caution is taken in securing safety.”
It is narrated from our Master, ʿAdiyy b. Ḥātim (Allah be pleased with him) that he said: “While I was with the Prophet ﷺ, a man came to him and complained of poverty. Then another came to him and complained of highway robbery. The Prophet ﷺ questioned, ‘O ʿAdiyy, have you seen al-Ḥīra?’ I replied, ‘I have not seen it, but I have been informed about it.’ He ﷺ said, ‘If your life is prolonged, you will surely see a woman travelling in her hawdaj from al-Ḥīra until she makes ṭawāf of the Kaʿba, fearing none but Allah…’” ʿAdiyy (Allah be pleased with him) then added: “I saw a woman travelling in her hawdaj from al-Ḥīrah until she circumambulated the Kaʿbah, fearing none but Allah.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī §3595.
Imām al-Nawawī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“This is a ḥadīth of what would occur, and it is understood as indicating permissibility, because Ḥajj becomes farḍ thereby […] Safety may be widespread such that she has no need of anyone; rather, she may travel alone among the caravan and be safe.”
Proper Conduct & Etiquette
Islam has given careful attention to a woman, preserving and safeguarding her from becoming an easy target or readily accessible object for every transgressor or immoral person, even by way of precaution. For this reason, it legislated regulations that protect her from those of corrupt inclinations and those in whose hearts is disease. Among the rulings of the Sacred Sharīʿa, therefore, is that she should have a protector from among her male relatives—whether a husband or a maḥram—or trustworthy women through whom she may find strength and support.
Imām al-Nawawī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“A woman is a likely object of desire, and a likely object of sexual inclination, even if she is elderly […] During travel, one encounters among the foolish and lowly people those who would not refrain from immorality even with an elderly woman or others, due to the dominance of desire, weakness of religion and honour, treachery, and the like.”
Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“A woman is a source of temptation, and being alone with her is ḥarām because of the sexual desire for women upon which human souls have been created, and because Shayṭān is empowered over them through women […] Allah has placed in male maḥārim protective jealousy over their female relatives, and a defence of them, by which safety is secured for them when travelling with such men from what is feared.”
Imām al-Munāwī (Allah have mercy upon him) transmitted from some scholars:
“Allah fortified women through the veil, cutting off unnecessary speech, prohibiting greeting, and distancing bodies, except with one who may lawfully enjoy her, namely the husband, or one who prevents access to her, namely the maḥārim. Since their movement and activity are unavoidable, permission was granted to them for that on the condition of being accompanied by one who protects them; and this applies in the place where such exposure occurs, namely travel, which is the locus of seclusion and the setting of isolation.”
