Fatwa #4684818 December 2021South Africa
Can my aunt travel without a Maḥram?
Question
As-salāmu alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Respected Ulama/Students, hope & pray to Allah the Almighty; this mail finds you in best shape of Life & Imaan. I have 2 queries:
1) My Uncle (my Fathers brother) recently passed away (may almighty ALLAH forgive him of his short comings, accept his deeds, make his grave from the gardens of paradise & grant him Janat'ul Firdaus Aameen). His wife (my aunt) has completed her Iddah period, and intends to go for Umrah/Haj in near future in sha ALLAH (may almighty Allah make it easy & accept it).
Can I, along with my wife accompany her for Umrah/Hajj? {they have no kids, they always considered us (me & my younger brother) as their kids; to the extent that I'm the nominee for their property}.
2) Can my aunt bequest/vasiyat that post her death her house be given to Masjid/Madrasa? Will this constitute as depriving the rights of relatives in the bequest/vasiyat? Or she can bequest of 1/3 only?
May Almighty accept the hard work you people do, give you & and your family Peace & Success in both the worlds.
Jazak Allahu Khair
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu 'alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle, it is prohibited for a female to travel the distance of safar (which is 48 miles or 78 km) without a maḥram.[1]As the biological nephew of the uncle, and not of the aunt, you do not qualify as a maḥram for her. Accordingly, it will be impermissible for this aunt to travel beyond 48 miles/78 km with you and your wife alone. Alternatively, if your aunt has any brothers or biological nephews, she may travel with them.
In shā' Allāh, your aunt will receive a reward equivalent to the reward of ʿUmrah and even more reward due to her selflessness in obeying the command of Allāh.
As for your second question, according to the Shariah Law of Succession and Inheritance, distribution of an estate will only commence after funeral expenses, which should not be extravagant nor miserly. Thereafter all debts (including legal costs) and bequests (if any) made to non-heirs - which will not exceed one-third (1/3) of the Estate should be paid.
Accordingly, it will only be permissible to bequest 1/3 of her entire estate. If her house equals to or is less than 1/3 of her estate then it will be permissible for her to make a bequest that her house goes to the masjid/madrasa.[2]
And Allah Ta'āla Knows Best
Ibn Aḥsan
Student - Darul Iftaa
New York City, New York, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
(2020-12-31)
[1] بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (2/ 124)
وسواء كانت المرأة شابة أو عجوزا فإنها لا تخرج إلا بزوج أو محرم؛ لأن ما روينا من الحديث لا يفصل بين الشابة، والعجوز.
فتح القدير للكمال ابن الهمام (2/ 419)
(قوله ويعتبر في المرأة) وإن كانت عجوزا (أن يكون لها محرم) كابن أو عم
[2] كنز الدقائق (ص: 668)
الوصية تمليك مضاف إلى ما بعد الموت وهي مستحبة ولا تصح بما زاد على الثلث
البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (8/ 460)
وأن يكون أيضا الموصى به بقدر الثلث حتى أنها لا تصح فيما زاد على الثلث كذا في النهاية