The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has granted permission for women to conduct Hajj without a mehram under certain conditions, according to The News on Thursday.
In answer to questions from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the CII noted that Sharia law allows women to do Hajj without a mehram according to the Jafri, Maliki, and Shafii schools of thought.
It stated that women may perform Hajj without a mehram if their parents or husband permit them to do so and they do not anticipate any danger or wrongdoing during their travel.
However, according to Hanafi and Hanbali fiqh, if a woman does not have a mehram, she is not required to undertake Hajj.
Before permitting a woman to perform Hajj without a mahram, the Ministry of Religious Affairs must thoroughly investigate the party she intends to go with.
It advocated that women be allowed only after the group members had been proven to be trustworthy and honest. The Ministry of Religious Affairs has requested the council’s advice on this issue.
Last year, Saudi Arabia announced that women all over the world will be able to perform Hajj and Umrah without the presence of a mahram (blood relative) or a male guardian.
During a press conference, the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced the end of the Kingdom’s decades-long rule.
Women are permitted to perform Hajj or Umrah without a mahram if accompanied by “trustworthy women or a security company.” According to Hajj and Umrah Services Adviser Ahmed Saleh Halabi, “This is the view of the Maliki and Shafi’i scholars.”
“The supervisor of fatwa at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt, Abbas Shoman, declared in 2021 that a woman is allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah without an accompanying mahram,” Halabi explained.
Meanwhile, a former adviser to the Minister of Hajj writer Faten Ibrahim Hussein said: “Allowing women to perform Umrah without the condition of a mahram makes life easier for them because many have difficult social conditions and may not find a mahram, or it may cost them a lot, while they are eager to perform Umrah.”
