Pakistani women have been granted conditional permission by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) to perform Hajj in the absence of a ‘Mehram.’
It should be recalled that in a historic announcement, the Saudi government allowed women from across the globe to perform Hajj without a male guardian.
Following the Saudi decision, the Ministry of Religious Affairs approached the Council of Islamic Ideology to seek their opinion on the matter.
The CII, in its response, stated that a provision in Shariah allows women to perform Hajj or Umra sans Mehram. It cited the Jafria, Maliki, and Shafi’i schools of thought in its reply.
It added that a married, unmarried, widowed, or divorced female pilgrim performing Hajj without a Mehram must seek permission from her husband or parents, as per the aforementioned schools of thought.
It should be noted that once granted the permission, the female pilgrim must be accompanied by other trustworthy female companions.
Furthermore, Hanfi and Hanbli schools of thought state that Hajj isn’t an obligation for a woman in the absence of her male guardian.
