Lesson 5 · Women: Travel Rulings & the Mahram

In summary

Imam Sheikh Omar Effendi continues istita'ah by discussing women's travel for Hajj and Umrah, emphasising safety and equal spiritual reward for men and women. He presents the travel hadiths and explains how scholars consider circumstances when applying rulings. He attributes a strict mahram requirement to Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, contrasting this with Imam Shafi'i's allowance for safe travel with reputable women. The class also addresses a husband's permission, mutual marital responsibility, and avoiding conflict when considering scholarly differences. It then outlines mahram relationships through blood, suckling and marriage, distinguishing cousins and adopted children. Menstruation and iddah rulings are deferred to the next class.

Key takeaways

• 01Assess travel safety as part of istita'ah, rather than treating pilgrimage preparation as logistics alone.
• 02The teacher applies the travel discussion beyond pilgrimage and gives more than 95 kilometres one way as the traveller threshold.
• 03As presented, Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik and Ahmad ibn Hanbal require a mahram even when the route is safe.
• 04The teacher presents Imam Shafi'i's allowance for safe travel with two or more reputable women.
• 05Seek a husband's permission and discuss legitimate concerns; the teacher separately cites Abu Hanifa's view that obligatory Hajj requires no permission.
• 06Use scholarly guidance responsibly, not to provoke conflict between spouses.
• 07Identify mahram relationships through blood, suckling or marriage; cousins are not mahram.
• 08Take suckling relationships seriously: the teacher states that marriage prohibition is established by suckling within the first two years.
• 09Do not assume adoption alone establishes the same mahram relationship as biological parenthood.

Mentioned in this lesson

• Qur'an: “li yashhadu manafi'a lahum,” on witnessing pilgrimage's benefits; surah and verse number not given.
• Qur'an: “Man 'amila salihan min dhakarin aw untha…,” on righteous deeds by men and women; surah and verse number not given.
• Hadith narrated by Aisha: Hajj and Umrah as jihad for women; collection and reference number not given.
• Hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah: a believing woman travelling a day and night only with a mahram; collection and reference number not given.
• Hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas: travel with a mahram and the man instructed to accompany his wife for Hajj; collection and reference number not given.
• Qur'an, Surah An-Nisa: “Ar-rijalu qawwamuna 'ala an-nisa,” on men's protective responsibilities; verse number not given.
• Qur'an: “Wa atimmul Hajja wal Umrah,” on completing Hajj and Umrah; surah and verse number not given.
• Scholarly views attributed to Imams Abu Hanifa, Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Shafi'i on women's travel; textual references not given.
• Hadith narrated by Adi ibn Hatim: a woman travelling from Hira to the Kaaba fearing none but Allah; collection and reference number not given.
• Qur'an: “fihi ayatun bayyinat,” cited in discussing Makkah's safety; surah and verse number not given.
• Qur'an: instructions for men and women to lower their gaze; surah and verse numbers not given.
• Imam Abu Hanifa's view on a husband's permission for obligatory Hajj; textual reference not given.
• Hadith: a woman whose husband is pleased with her when she dies will enter Paradise; collection and reference number not given.
• Hadith: suckling establishes marriage prohibition within the first two years; collection and reference number not given.
• Qur'an, Surah An-Nisa 4:23: relationships prohibited in marriage.
• Qur'an: adopted sons are not biological sons, and Muhammad is not the father of any of their men, discussed with Zayd and Zaynab; surah and verse numbers not given.