The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) stated in a written statement to the Ministry of Hajj that a woman can undertake the holy pilgrimage alone if she is not afraid of traveling or the associated risks. The council asserted that a woman can perform the Hajj without a male guardian based on the beliefs of the Shafi’i, Maliki, and Jafari schools of thought.
These schools state that a woman can undertake the Hajj if she has dependable female companionship. If the woman is married, she will require the consent of her spouse or parents.
The CII clarified that a woman is not obligated to perform the Hajj if a male guardian is unavailable, according to the Hanafi and Hanbali schools of thought. Saudi Arabia permitted women to undertake the Hajj and Umrah without a mahram in October of last year. These women hailed from various parts of the world. The Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, informed reporters during a press conference at the Saudi embassy in Cairo that women wishing to travel to the kingdom for Hajj or Umrah no longer need to be accompanied by a mahram.
According to writer and former advisor to the Hajj minister, Faten Ibrahim Hussein, women’s lives are made easier when they can perform Umrah without a mahram because many of them come from challenging social backgrounds and may find it difficult or expensive to secure one, despite their desire to perform Umrah.
Before this change, women were only allowed to embark on the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage when accompanied by a male guardian. Certain exceptions existed, such as women being permitted to participate in the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage in sizable groups exclusively comprised of women.
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 stated in a written statement to the Ministry of Hajj that a woman can undertake the holy pilgrimage alone if she is not afraid of traveling or the associated risks. The council asserted that a woman can perform the Hajj without a male guardian based on the beliefs of the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Jafari schools of thought.){kind=link}