Women get CII’s conditional nod to perform Hajj sans mehram

Reliable female companionship and approval from parents or husband set as condition

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Wednesday granted conditional permission for women to perform Hajj without a mehram or male guardian, Express News reported.

In a written response to the Ministry of Hajj's query, the CII mentioned that a woman who does not have concerns about travel and Hajj-related risks can go for the holy pilgrimage without a male guardian.

The council opined that according to the Jafari, Maliki, and Shafi'i schools of thought, a woman can perform Hajj without a male guardian.

According to these schools of thought, a woman who has reliable female companionship can go for Hajj. However, the woman would need permission of her parents or husband in case she is married.

According to the Hanafi and Hanbali schools of thought, the CII said that Hajj is not obligatory for a woman if a male guardian is not available.

In October last year, Saudi Arabia allowed women from all over the world to perform Umrah and Hajj without a mehram.

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Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, the Saudi minister for Hajj and Umrah, told reporters at a news conference at the Saudi embassy in Cairo that women who want to go to the kingdom for Umrah or Hajj no longer need a mehram.

Faten Ibrahim Hussein, a writer and former adviser to the minister for Hajj, said that letting women perform Umrah without a mehram makes their lives easier because many of them live in hard social situations and might not be able to find a mehram or may cost them a lot, even though they want to perform Umrah.

Prior to this, women could only go on the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage if they were accompanied by a male guardian. There were some exceptions to the rule. For example, women could join large groups of other women on the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage.