Is it o.k. if her husband takes her to the airport and her brother meets her in her country?
Question My wife, children and I live in France for certain reasons. I cannot visit my family in my home country this summer. But my wife insists on going alone with our children, one is 3 years old and the other is one year and half. Although she knows it is not permissible, she justifies…
Question
1- Is it permissible to take her to the airport, and in her country her brother will collect her?
2- What shall I do if she insists on going? I can stop her even though this will cause a problem between us.
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible for a
woman to travel without a mahram, whether the journey is for an act of
worship such as Hajj or visiting and honouring her parents, or it is a
permissible journey such as a vacation and the like. The evidence for that
is as follows:
1 – The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No woman should travel except
with a mahram, and no man should enter upon a woman unless her mahram is
with her.” A man said, O Messenger of Allaah, I want to go out with
such-and-such an army and my wife wants to go to Hajj. He said, “Go (to
Hajj) with her.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1862).
Muslim (1339) narrated from
Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allaah and the
Last Day to travel the distance of one day, except with a mahram.”
And there are many
ahaadeeth which forbid a woman to travel without a mahram; they are general
in meaning and apply to all kinds of travel.
2 – Travel may be
exhausting and difficult, and because of her weakness a woman needs someone
to help her and stand by her. Something may happen that makes her lose her
mind and behave contrary to her nature if she has no mahram with her. This
is something that is often seen nowadays because there are so many accidents
with cars and other means of transportation.
Moreover, travelling alone
may expose her to temptation and evil, especially as there is a great deal
of corruption. There may be people sitting near her who do not fear Allaah,
and they may try to tempt her to do haraam things. So it is only wise that
she should be accompanied by a mahram when travelling, because the purpose
of having a mahram with her is to protect her and look after her. Travel is
a situation in which unexpected things are expected to happen regardless of
the amount of time the journey may take.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: The point is that everything that is called travel is
forbidden for a woman without a husband or mahram. End quote.
More than one of the
scholars narrated that the fuqaha’ were unanimously agreed that a woman is
not allowed to travel without a mahram, except in exceptional cases.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: al-Baghawi said: They did not differ
concerning the fact that a woman may not travel for anything but the
obligatory Hajj except with a husband or mahram, except a kaafir woman who
becomes Muslim in daar al-harb or a female captive who escapes. Others
added: or a woman who becomes separated from her group and is found by a
trustworthy man, in which case it is permissible for him to accompany her
until he brings her back to her group. End quote from Fath
al-Baari (4/76).
The scholars differed as to
whether it is permissible for a woman to travel for the obligatory Hajj
without a mahram. The correct scholarly view is that it is not permissible.
This has been explained in the answer to question no.
34380.
What you have mentioned
about taking the wife to the airport and her brother meeting her in the
other country is not acceptable, rather the husband or a mahram must
accompany her throughout the journey.
The wife has to obey her
husband, especially if he tells her to do that which constitutes obedience
to Allaah and he forbids her to do that which constitutes disobedience to
Allaah.
You have to explain the
shar’i ruling to her, and tell her that the believer has no choice when it
comes to the ruling of Allaah or His Messenger.
Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
“It is not for a
believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter
that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys
Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error”
[al-Ahzaab 33:36]
“The only saying of the
faithful believers, when they are called to Allaah (His Words, the Qur’aan)
and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم),
to judge between them, is that they say: ‘We hear and we obey.’ And such are
the successful (who will live forever in Paradise)”
[al-Noor 24:51]
That should be done in a
kind and gentle manner, not a harsh and cruel manner.
We ask Allaah to guide you
both.
And Allaah knows best.
