[abomokhtar]

My daughter is only 18 years old. Should I allow her to travel alone to study abroad in a university in Germany?
Answer
It is permissible for a woman to travel without a mahram provided the way, destination and return journey are safe and provided she does not encounter any harassment jeopardizing both her safety and religion. It has been narrated through 'Uday Ibn Hatem (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet told him, "And if you live a long life, you will surely see women traveling from Hira till they circumambulate the Ka'ba, fearing no one except Allah" [Bukhari and others]. Imam Ahmed's report of the hadith includes: "By He in whose hands is my soul, verily Allah will bring this matter [Islam] into completion till women travel from Hira and circumambulate the Ka'ba without being accompanied by anyone."
From this hadith with its different chains of narration, some scholars have derived the permissibility of a woman traveling alone if her safety is guaranteed. Moreover, they have used this hadith to restrict other prohibiting hadiths which, according to them, referred to the lack of security associated with travel in the distant past.
The majority of scholars have permitted a woman to travel for obligatory hajj without a mahram if accompanied by trustworthy females or company. They based their opinion on the precedence of the Mothers of Believers (may Allah be pleased with them) who went on hajj after the Prophet's death and during the caliphate of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) accompanied by 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).
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http://eng.dar-alifta.org/foreign/Vi...a.aspx?ID=6826