Fatwa

Can Muslim women go hiking

Question

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Are muslim women allowed to go hiking?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

The default rule is that women should not exit the home without genuine cause. Hiking is considered to be a sort of recreational activity even though it possesses health benefits. Given that similar health benefits may be obtained via other permissible methods, women should not exit the home for hiking.

Some may claim that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam would climb to the cave of Mount Hira for ibadah, therefore an intention of sunnah can be made for hiking. Such a claim intentionally masks impermissibility under the guise of Sunnah, as it overlooks the fact that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was a male, hence, the same rulings cannot be inferred for females. Furthermore, the prophetic era makes no mention of noble and chaste Sahabiyaat going for hikes.

In this era of feminism and liberalism, such ideas aim to move conservative societies away from tradition which in this case is also a shift away from religion. Unfortunately, some modern-day women, versed in Islamic knowledge, are misguiding others and striving towards an end goal that is not religious at all.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Bilal Pandor

Concurred by
Mufti Nabeel Valli

Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia

www.daruliftaazambia.com