Pakistan's religious body gives nod to women performing Hajj without mehram

• CII gives permission to women under certain conditions.
• Women may perform Hajj if their parents or husband allow them.
• It directs ministry to check group women plan to travel with. 

ISLAMABAD: Women can now perform Hajj without a mehram under certain conditions as the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has granted permission, The News reported Thursday.

The CII, in response to the Ministry of Religious Affairs queries, explained that according to Jafri, Maliki, and Shafii schools of thought, Sharia law permits women to perform Hajj without a mehram.

It stated that women might perform Hajj without a mehram if their parents or husband allow them, and they do not expect any danger or wrongdoing during their journey. 

However, according to Hanafi and Hanbali fiqh, a woman doesn't need to perform Hajj if she does not have a mehram. 

Before allowing a woman to proceed to Hajj without a mehram, the Ministry of Religious Affairs must carefully check the group she plans to travel with. 

It proposed that women should only be allowed after the group members have been confirmed to be trustworthy and honest. The Ministry of Religious Affairs had asked for the council’s opinion on this matter.

Last year, Saudi Arabia said that women across the world can now perform Hajj and Umrah without a mehrem (blood relative) or a male guardian.

The announcement was made by the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, during a press conference, ending decades-long rule by the Kingdom.

Women are permitted to perform Hajj or Umrah without a mehram accompanied by “trustworthy women or a secure company to perform Hajj or Umrah. This is the view of the Maliki and Shafi’i scholars", said Hajj and Umrah Services Adviser Ahmed Saleh Halabi.

“The supervisor of fatwa at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt, Abbas Shoman, declared in 2021 that a woman is allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah without an accompanying mehram,” said Halabi.

Meanwhile, a former adviser to the Minister of Hajj writer Faten Ibrahim Hussein said: “Allowing women to perform Umrah without the condition of a mehram makes life easier for them because many have difficult social conditions and may not find a mehram, or it may cost them a lot, while they are eager to perform Umrah."