Can a woman take a taxi alone?

The Details of the Question

My house is about half an hour (on foot) away from my mother’s house. When my husband is at work and when I need to go to her house, I take a taxi. It takes about ten-fifteen minutes. Is there a drawback to taking a taxi on my own?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is haram for a non-mahram man and woman to be in a place alone. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in a hadith:

"If a man stays alone with a woman, the third one is Satan." (Ahmad b. Hanbael, Musnad, 1/222; 3/339)

That is, Satan will want to provoke their lust by causing delusions in their hearts. Therefore, there is no drawback to a woman taking a taxi alone within the city from a place that she knows to a place that she knows if she knows that there is no danger. 

However, it is haram for her to take a taxi alone to go out of the city, or to take a taxi at night or without the permission of her husband. (see Halil GÜNENÇ, Günümüz Meselelerine Fetvalar, II/260)

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