Dought & clear, - The Muslim Woman, - • Necessity of a mahram to accompany a woman when she travels, even ifit is a short trip.

We live in the country. Sometimes I like to visit my uncle who lives
in a city that is 50 km furtherthan us. I have to use mixed
transportation and go alone because my father thinks it is very
expensive to use transportation. He leaves the matter of meeting my
uncle or notup to me. There is no other place I can go to. I visit my
uncle every 5-8 months. Am I allowed to travel without a mahram?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The saheeh Sunnah indicates that it is not permissible for a womanto
travel without a mahram. This includes both long trips and shorttrips,
according to the majority of scholars. Everything that is called
travelling is forbidden for a woman unless she has a mahram with her.
Al-Bukhaari (1792) and Muslim (2391) narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: 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.'"
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)said in Sharh Saheeh Muslim,
explaining that travel here does not refer to a specific distance:
Everything that is called travelling, it is forbiddenfor a woman to do
without her husband or a mahram, whether it is three days, two days or
one day, or anything else, because of the hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas,
according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "No woman should travel without a mahram." Thisincludes
everything that is called travel. And Allaah knows best.
End quote.
And it says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(17/339): It is haraam fora
woman to travel without a mahram in all cases, whether the journey is
long or short. End quote.
Based on this, if this distance is regarded by people in your country
as travelling, then it is not permissible for you to travel without a
mahram. But you will be rewarded for your intention, in sha Allaah,
and you can maintain ties with your uncle by telephone, and that will
be sufficient in sha Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.