The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said:
"A woman must not travel alone without a mahram . No man may enter the
house of a woman unless there is a mahram with her."
A man stood up and asked Allah'sProphet (Peace be upon Him): "O
Messenger of Allah! My wife is going on Hajj ( pilgrimage), while I
want to participate in a battle, what should I do?" The Prophet of
Allah (Peace be upon Him) said:"Go out with her."
[Bukhari #1763]
For the protection of the person and honor of women, the Islamicrule
encompassed in this tradition forbids any woman, whether she be young
or old, single or married, to travel alone without ( mahram ) as a
travel companion. This man must be of those to whom she is permanently
prohibited to marry due to their close blood relationship, such as a
father, a brother, an uncle, an elder son ornephew after he has
reached puberty, or a husband, etc. Some people might say that this
regulation restricts the freedom of the woman and her basic rightof
movement. The purpose of this rule is not to prevent her ravel but to
free her from harm and molestation, and thus to maintain and preserve
her right of dignity.
Traveling entails many hardships and dangers, and since women are
physically weaker than men, and moreover she may have circumstances of
pregnancy, menses, nursing and childcare, orsome ailments, she is in
more need of help and service. Also women are generally more emotional
and impressionable; they are more susceptible to unscrupulous and
characterless men in search of victims. The Prophet of Allah (Peace be
upon Him) expressed this most eloquently when he said to a man singing
travel songs with a beautiful masculine voice in orderto help the
steady movement of the riding and pack animals, as per the custom of
travelers:
"Go gently, O Anjashah, you're urging on the delicate glassware."
[Bukhari #5857]
The phrase "delicate glassware" describes the fragileness and softness
of the women's nature, who were the riders in that caravan, easily
broken or disturbed.
There are, as we all know, wickedminded, evil and violent men who lurk
about and seek to take advantage of women whom they find susceptible,
gullible or traveling alone. Such wicked-minded men are of course
either interested in robbery, trickery, seduction, or rape. Therefore,
a woman is very much in need of someone to care for, protect and
fulfill her special needs while traveling, providing her the needed
security, service and attention to help her in the difficulties and
ward off strangers and potential predators. The "mahram" of a woman in
Islam protects and serves with utmost sincerity since this is a
natural obligation on him, rewarded by Allah (The Almighty).
We find that many civilizations have similar rules about escorting
women in travel, but often they allow other than the "mahram" to
escort her since they do not differentiate between a "mahram" and a
"non - mahram" in their cultures, which results in terrible stories.
Therefore, and upon this line of reasoning, forbidding a woman to
travel alone, and mandating a male escort who must be a "mahram" , is
not in any way a humiliating restriction or insult to her abilities,
but, in fact, is an honor that she is served, protected and given
companionship by a male escort who has to give her preference over his
personal matters and needs. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
http://translate.google.com/m/ ▓███▓ - -
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