ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has given women the go-ahead to travel independently without a mehram (close male relative) on the Hajj pilgrimage.
The Fiqah-e-Jafria, Maliki, and Shafi’i schools of thought, which recognise the Shariat provision enabling women to independently travel on the yearly Islamic pilgrimage, are the foundation for the CII’s conclusion.
If a woman’s parents or husband agree, she can perform Hajj without a mehram, but according to the Hanafi and Hanbali schools of thought, a woman still needs a mehram for Hajj, so the Ministry of Religious Affairs sought the CII’s opinion on the subject.
The CII spokeswoman emphasised that in order to protect women’s safety and security while travelling with other women pilgrims, the ministry of religious affairs should conduct a comprehensive investigation of the group before approving the trip.
Additionally, Saudi Arabia declared this year that women from all over the world are now permitted to perform Umrah and Hajj without a mehram. This modification attempts to make it easier for women to travel to these holy pilgrimages, especially for those who encounter adverse social circumstances or have trouble locating a mehram.
Pakistan has a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the Hajj in 2023. It should be noted that a 50% quota had been set aside for the Sponsorship Scheme, a particular service provided to Hajj pilgrims looking to obtain foreign currency from overseas through the designated dollar account of the Religious Affairs Ministry.
The government set the cost of conducting the Hajj for this year at Rs1.175 million per pilgrim, which is 68% more expensive than the cost from the previous year. Apparently, this increased cost led many Muslims to decide not to perform the ritual in the face of rapidly rising inflation.
The fact that Saudi Arabia is now hosting 2.3 million pilgrims for the first time since the epidemic restrictions were lifted is notable. One million individuals registered for the 2022 Hajj season, but only those between the ages of 18 and 65 who were fully immunised against the virus and had no chronic illnesses were permitted to travel to the country.
