Q: I have a problem which I hope that Allah will solve for me, as He is the Most Merciful to His Servants. The problem is concerned with performing Hajj; I am a fifty year old woman, and I have been longing to perform Hajj for two years now, but what hinders me is that I have no Mahram (spouse or permanently unmarriageable relative) to travel with. My husband is only interested in collecting money and engaging in his worldly affairs, and does not intend to perform Hajj, except if the company for which he works pays the costs of Hajj. But he has not got his turn yet, and I am afraid to die before that time comes and to be considered to be neglectful [in front of Allah] for not performing Hajj while having the provisions and the means of transportation. I have two sons; one of them is working abroad to provide the expenses for his marriage and the other one is here in Helwan, but he is also busy with work and saving money for his marriage, even my son in law is abroad (Part No. 11; Page No. 96) in one of the Arab countries. To sum up: All my Mahrams can not travel with me due to their work engagements. I have done my best in trying to convince them, but they were not able to go with me. Is it permissible for me to travel with my brother's widow along with a group of women? Knowing that I am veiled and that I observe the Islamic legal dress, without boasting. Please also be informed that this is the first time for me to intend performing Hajj. May Allah reward you amply.

A: If the fact is as mentioned, that none of your Mahrams is capable of traveling with you to offer Hajj, then, Hajj will not be obligatory for you, for the accompaniment of a Mahram is one of the conditions by which Hajj becomes obligatory for you, and it is impermissible for you to travel for Hajj or for any other purpose without a Mahram, even if you travel with your brother's widow and a group of women, according to the soundest opinion of scholars, for the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): A woman should not travel except with a Dhu-Mahram (i.e.Her spouse or any unmarriageable relative) Its authenticity is agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Thus, you can travel with your brother and his wife, for he is considered a Mahram for you. However, all that you have to do is to work hard in fulfilling other acts of worship that do not require travel, and have patience, perhaps Allah will make it easy for you to perform Hajj with your husband or any other Mahram of yours.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.