A. No, it is not
permissible for a female to perform Hajj without a Mahram.
One of the basic
conditions for the incumbency of Hajj upon a female is that she has a Mahram in the
company of whom she may undertake the journey towards Makkah for the performance of her
Hajj obligation. In the event of her not being able to fund a Mahram the obligation
of Hajj does not become binding upon her. Hence a prerequisite in the case of a female is
for her to have a Mahram and it is only upon accomplishment of this condition that a
female is regarded as one who now has the means to perform Hajj. Possessing the means does
not only imply to have sufficient funds for the duration of the journey in fulfilment of
her physical needs, but even more important is the preservation of her spiritual needs
with reference to honouring her personal self esteem, integrity and chastity and for her
not to become a source of fitna with regards to others for which the Sharī’ah
has made conditional a Mahram to travel alongside her. The prestige and dignity of
a female is heralded as supreme in Sharī’ah whereby it is categorically
stated by Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam: "A female is an object of
concealment."
Similarly, it is
firmly established that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam has said. "It is
not permissible for any woman believing in Allāh Ta’āla and the Last Day that she
travels a single day’s journey (in accordance to the travelling of those days which
was approximately 16 miles) except that she is accompanied by a Mahram."
Bukhari; Muslim
Therefore, it is
most vivid and evident that a woman is not permitted under any circumstances to travel
without a Mahram.
As far as the hadīth
which you had cited pertaining to a woman travelling from Hira to Makkah without
experiencing any fear except that of Allāh Ta’āla and performing Tawāf of
the Kaabah (Bukhari vol. 1 pg. 508) is concerned, this hadīth has no relevance in
this matter as it does not deal with, nor does it discuss in any way any legal aspect with
regard to the promulgation of laws. No where in this hadīth is it mentioned that a
woman can travel on her own without a Mahram.
All that has been alluded to in
this hadīth is that such a time of peace and serenity will dawn upon this Ummah
that such an incident will also be witnessed in the history of man. This is from amongst
the many predictions and prophecies which Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam has
made and informed the Ummah about concerning certain happenings which are to occur in time
to come. These predictions indeed establish the nubuwwat of Rasulullah sallallahu
alaihi wasallam that it is not from his own side but upon divine inspiration that he
was able to guide the Ummah and inform them on certain issues related to them. It is
explicitly for this reason that Imām Bukhari R.A. has recorded this hadīth under the
chapter of Alāmāte Nubuwwat (Signs of Prophethood) and not under the chapter discussing
the validity of travelling with a Mahram or not. |
.