# What do Saudi scholars say about women travelling without a mahram?

*Saudi fatwas: no journey at all without a mahram*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jp8gjvvonms/s/5/
- Date: 2018-04-22 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Hadith Analysis & Fatwa: Women Can Travel Without a Mahram - Mufti Abu Layth (19:38–23:01)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp8GjvVONMs&t=1178s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jp8gjvvonms/

**Topics:** Interaction between men and women; Salafism and Wahhabism

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth reports the Saudi fatwa board and Ibn Baz forbidding any journey without a mahram, even a short staff bus trip, and mocks the strictness.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says Saudi Salafis go further than the Hanafis, reading out a fatwa of the Saudi board of fatwa that a woman's journey without a mahram is haram whether long or short. He jokes about the name of Shaykh Ibn Baz, then prays for mercy on him, and relates that Ibn Baz was asked by a Saudi female teacher whether staff could take the school bus to deliver sessions in neighbouring localities, and said no, it is haram because it goes against the hadith of the Prophet. Mufti says he does not think Ibn Baz allowed women to travel without a guardian generally, and says he will come to what is really going on.

## Sources and names cited

- the Saudi board of fatwa (al-Lajna al-Da'ima) [?]
- Ibn Baz
- Salafi

## Transcript (machine tier, 19:38–23:01)

[19:01] know that final step that's gonna make it 48 miles that's one small step for a woman one giant leap this is absurd this is ridiculous this one is making mockery of the religion you know this is a mockery of the Deen okay so we're making a mockery people right so now I'm going to come back to arms taking a look at these issues right so these issues people and let's let me give you another example and like the the hanafis the

[19:37] seller fees especially the saudi seller fees Oh Baba the Saudi seller fees both oh you know these Hannah fees in can be Berkeley layer above the moon they're like whoa they like hmm you think that's controlling will show you controlling so look check this out the Fatah WA that the board of fatwa in Saudi Arabia for tower legend at that

[20:16] email was asked can a woman traveled without a madam they said yeah i don't wanna learn marathi suffer suffer it's Haram for it to have a journey Badoon madam Mulliken categorically so uh an asura tilma surfer and Pollitz even if it's a long journey or a short journey i

[20:44] gotta I've gotta act like one of those you know those who did really so and then Chef bimba's chef Mumbai's you've all heard of chef bimba's bimba's is a bit of a sleek name though you gotta say he's got that bombards it's got that kind of ring to it though it sounds like kind of like super hippo more like I don't know like you you're kind of thinking bin bass people say bin baz is gonna come whoa probably picturing like

[21:19] a super bass a bass but chef minbars who's passed away may Allah have mercy on him and elevate him in Jonah's as elevate every Muslim may Allah have mercy on all of his creation on all in the whole of humanity I mean right so chef bin baz was asked by a saudi a paul so I mean she wasn't pausing financially poor but a an unfortunate teacher

[21:55] Saudi woman female teacher who said that to go sometimes whilst we're teaching we have to go from them man the the city the man in Saudi Arabia we have to go by bus to some neighboring kind of some vicinities some localities where we we will be having either a session or delivering something and we'll go by the school bus as in the whole the staff bus we're gonna take the bus

[22:26] can we go he said he said laughs no it is haram because it goes against the hadith of the Prophet so it's interesting that look that these this whole understanding this whole understanding and I don't think somebody said oh they mean I don't think it was I mean allowed women traveling generally either without a guardian I don't think

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment jp8GjvVONMs/s/5. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jp8gjvvonms/s/5/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.