As per reports, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has given its opinion to the Ministry of Religious Affairs that women can perform Hajj without a mahram if they meet certain criteria. The CII said that according to some Islamic schools of thought, such as Jafri, Maliki, and Shafii, Sharia law allows women to perform Hajj without a mahram.
Further said that women can do so if their parents or husband give them permission, and they do not face any danger or harm during their travel. However, it also said that according to other Islamic schools of thought, such as Hanafi and Hanbali, a woman does not have to perform Hajj if she does not have a mahram.
The CII advised the Ministry of Religious Affairs to verify the group that a woman intends to join for Hajj without a mahram. It suggested that women should only be allowed after the group members have been proven to be reliable and honest. The Ministry of Religious Affairs sought the CII’s guidance on this issue.
This opinion comes after Saudi Arabia announced last year that women from all over the world can now perform Hajj and Umrah without a mahram or a male guardian. The Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah made this announcement in a press conference, ending a long-standing rule by the Kingdom.
He stated that if they are accompanied by “trustworthy ladies or a security company t women can perform the hajj or umrah without a mahram. According to Ahmed Saleh Halabi, the Hajj and Umrah Services Advisor, “This is the viewpoint of the Maliki and Shafi’i scholars.”
He also said that “the supervisor of fatwa at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt, Abbas Shoman, declared in 2021 that a woman allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah without an accompanying mahram,” as quoted by Halabi.
“Allowing women to perform Umrah without the requirement of a mahram makes life easier for them because many have difficult social circumstances and may not find a mahram, or it may cost them a lot, while they are eager to perform Umrah,” said Faten Ibrahim Hussein, a former adviser to the Minister of Hajj and writer.
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