Is Mahram Required For Umrah?

By Author: Adnan Ijaz
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According to the Hanafi school of thought, women can't perform Umrah without their Mahram if they travel alone. If she doesn't have a mahram, she should be patient and wait until Allah SWT gives her one. But before I go into more detail, you need to know who a woman's mahram is. Islamic Travel is offering family umrah packages 2023 to perform the holy pilgrimage of Umrah.

Who is mahram?

Mahram, which means "unmarryable relative," is someone a woman can't marry because it would be against Islam. Mahram also refers to people from whom women don't have to wear purdah. Marriage with a mahram is always against the law. There are three ways to get on the list of mahrams: by blood (qarabah), through a foster relationship (radha'a), or through marriage (sihriyya). In the following verse of the Quran, Allah SWT summed up the mahrams:

"Tell the women who believe that they should close their eyes, cover their private parts, and only show what is necessary of their beauty. They should also wrap their headcovers over their chests and only show ...
... their beauty to their husbands, fathers, fathers of their husbands, sons, sons of their husbands, brothers, sons of their brothers, sisters' sons, women who have something in their right hands, or male servants." And they shouldn't stamp their feet to show what they hide about their beauty. All of you believers, turn to Allah in repentance so that you can succeed.

Why Mahram is required for Umrah?

Umrah is a small pilgrimage that every Muslim, man or woman, wants to do at least once in their life. But according to Islamic rules and regulations, women must do certain things before making the sacred journey. These rules are made to help women. Islam is a religion that has rules for every part of life to make sure that nothing goes wrong in society or the world, but not many people understand this. Islam shows women respect and tells women how they should live their lives. Based on Islamic values, she needs to follow certain moral rules. These rules are put in place to protect her respect and dignity. When they go outside, they must cover their body parts so that men won't be tempted to do things that aren't right. A woman should be careful because Islam gives women a high status and doesn't see them as weaker than men. The reason for the rule is to respect, care for, and protect women.

Kinds of Mahram:

Mahram by Blood: Some of these are
Your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents came before you.
Your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are your heirs.
Your parents' children are your sister, brother, and the children of your sister and brother who are your half-sister and half-brother.
The brothers and sisters of your father. Also, your half-brothers and half-sisters and the brothers and sisters of your mother, including half-brothers and half-sisters.
Mahram by Marriage: Among them are
Husband and wife are each other's mahram.
The husband or wife's descendants are his or her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
Daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and husband/wife of your grandchildren are the children of your husband/wife.
Your husband or wife's ancestors are his or her father's wife, mother's husband, grandmother's husband, and grandfather's wife.
Step daughter and step son, children of your husband.
Mahram by Breastfeeding:
A woman is a mahram for a man if she nursed him before he was 2.5 years old.
All of the children that the woman feeds by breast
Does Umrah need a mahram?

Scholars have given two different answers to the question of whether or not a woman can go on Umrah without a mahram.

A woman can't travel without her mahram: Even though she is travelling for a religious reason, she cannot do so without a mahram. Scholars from the Imam Abu Hanifah School and the Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal School agree with this view. Their claim is based on how they completely understand many stories about the Prophet of Allah (PBUH). He SAWW said, "A woman who believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment can't go on a trip that takes a day and a night unless she's with a mahram."

It is reported by Hazrat Ibn Abbas R.A that Prophet SAWW said,

"No, a man is not allowed to be alone with a woman unless her mahram is there. No woman can travel alone unless she is with a man called a "mahram." A man asked the Holy Prophet, "I signed up for this trip, and my wife went on the annual pilgrimage. He SAWW told him, "Go do hajj with your wife."

Scholars from the Imam Shafi and Imam Malik schools of thought agree that a woman can travel without a mahram. This is the view of the most recent scholars. These scholars think that the real reason women weren't allowed to travel without a mahram in the past was because of safety concerns, and that the ban is lifted if she meets the conditions that make it safe for her to travel. They use a saying from the Prophet that was told by Adiy Ibn Hatem RA to back up their decision.
"And if you live a long time, you will definitely see women walking from Hira to the Kabah without being afraid of anyone but Allah."

Therefore, a woman is allowed to travel alone if she fulfils the following criteria:

If she has trustworthy people with her on the trip and on the way back, she can travel without her mahram.
She can travel alone if she makes sure her trip is safe and she won't run into any trouble or harassment that could put her safety at risk.
Saudi rules for women travelling without a mahram say that no woman under 45 can travel alone without a mahram. But if she is 45 or older, she can do Cheapest Umrah packages by herself, without a mahram. But she needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to show that her mahram gave her permission to travel with a group or family.