Women can Perform Umrah without Mahram, Although the presence of a Mahram is one of the conditions of Umrah for women.
Who is a Mahram?
A Mahram is a man that is related by blood to a woman, or the man that she can not marry in Islam, and he could be the woman:
- Parents.
- Grandparents.
- Other ancestors.
- Siblings.
- Sibling of ancestors
- The maternal or paternal uncle.
- Child or grandchild of siblings; above 15 years old.
- Family of the husband including:
- Parent, grandparent, or ancestor of a spouse, Child, descendant, or grandchild of the spouse; above 15 years of age,
- A male who married a descendant of the spouse, or A male who married an ancestor of a spouse.
Umrah Without Mahram, Is It Allowed?
Muslim scholars differed about whether or not it is permissible for a woman to go to Umrah and Hajj without a Mahram, as follows:
Firstly, It Is Allowed
According to the Maliki and Shafi’i schools, it is permissible to perform Umrah without a Mahram for a woman,
provided that the woman is accompanied by a group of trustworthy women and that she does not fear for herself.
And that is for Allah saying:
“And [due] to Allāh from the people is a pilgrimage to the House – for whoever is able to find thereto a way” [Al – Imran: 97]
قوله -تعالى-:
“وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا” [آل عمران: 97]
The Prophet (pbuh) explained the ability to mean the provision and the ride, and he did not mention the Maharam with them.
Secondly, It Is Not Allowed
The Hanafis and the Malikis agreed that it is not permissible for women to perform Umrah without a Mahram,
according to the Hadith of The Prophet (pbuh):
On the authority of Ibn Omar, The Prophet (pbuh) said:
“It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Alla and the Last Day to travel a day and night’s journey, except with her Mahram”
[narrated by Muslim]
عن ابن عمر -رضي الله عنهما-: أنَّ رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال:
“لا يَحِلُّ لاِمْرَأَةٍ تُؤْمِنُ باللَّهِ وَالْيَومِ الآخِرِ، تُسَافِرُ مَسِيرَةَ يَومٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ إلَّا مع ذِي مَحْرَمٍ عَلَيْهَا” [رواه مسلم]
Umrah Without Mahram | Rules
The rules for performing Umrah without a Mahram for a woman may be slightly different than for Umrah with a Mahram, for example:
- Fill out the application for obtaining an Umrah visa without a Mahram.
- Obtaining the necessary vaccines in full, including two doses of the Corona vaccine.
- The pilgrim leaves Saudi Arabia within 15 days from the day of her entry into the Kingdom to perform the rituals of Umrah.
- Registration must be done on the Maqam and Nusuk platforms.
- A valid passport for at least 6 months.
- A copy of the woman’s valid identity card.
- A recent personal photograph of the Umrah pilgrim with a white background, size 4×6.
- Submit the original visa application form without a Mahram.
- A health certificate confirming that there are no contagious diseases for the female pilgrim.
How to Get Visa to Umrah Without Mahram?
Follow the following steps to issue an Umrah visa:
- Log in to the Maqam platform, and enter all the data of the woman who wants to go to Umrah.
- Choosing one of the authorized agents suggested by the platform, and selection are made according to costs, ratings, or criteria that the woman deems important.
- Enter personal data and register, then wait to receive an e-mail containing a reference number.
- Fill out the Umrah visa application form on the official website of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (from here), and enter the reference number in the space provided for it.
- Waiting for approval of the visa application to perform Umrah.
In conclusion,
A woman can perform Umrah without a Mahram, but previously the age of the woman should not be less than 45 years old, and should be with a group of trustful women,
since 2022 those are no conditions anymore for performing Umrah without Mahram.
