A friend of mine from australia, she belongs to a conservative and at the same time not so conservative family . I know problem seem very small and insignificant, briefly, its like making a big fuss over nothing.
khair, she wants to go to pakistan all alone by herself. now u know how all those typical aunites uncles are in our desi community. that “akeli larki ko nahi bhejna chaheay, achi baat nahi hai, kuch ho gaya phir bla bla bla bla”. No one else in the family is able to join her at this stage. so she kind of has to go by herself, although nothing special is going on down there in pakistan.
She’z 19 by the way
so how many of you girls would have no problem going to pakistan all alone, ( its about 1.5 day long journey and will have 2 transit two airports).
I know one of my cousin-sisters had travelled alone from Libya to Pakistan when she was 16. Not just once, but several times, during that time when her parents were there and her school was in Pakistan. I am talking about late 80's.
At 19, your friend should not worry about it, but she should be well-prepared. If all flights work according to their flight schedule and all the luggage comes out, there is typically no problem. She should be prepared, however, on what to do when flights arrive late, she misses the connecting flight or when luggage doesn't come out.
I think it also depends on the personality of the person. If she has a confident demeanor and knows how to handle all kinds of people, then she should be ok. She might encounter weird guys sitting next to her during the long flight, or worse stil, flirts. If she can handle herself, she should be ok.
One way to advance plan is to request the airlines to give her seats at the front. Chances are she will travel with families, who use the bassinet seats. This will be a relatively safe bet, as opposed to leaving it all to chance. Or, she can always request a change of seat from the stewardess.
Oh wel,its not that easy to change seats. I traveled alone for the first time last year and there were 2 men sitting by my side. I wanted to change the seat as I couldnt sleep and wasn't feeling very comfortable. But heck, the stewardess( that was a PIA flight), was not in a mood to help me. But usually before boarding, at the counter one can tell them one's preference and they do listen to it.
Baita, ppl do get to manage in such situations. My flight was 13 hrs late, yes. :) Infact i should say canceled, we spent the night at the airport lounge and the next day in Manchester there was some technical problem with the aircraft. Lag raha that , khota gari ka safar hai. All my connected flights from NewYork onwards to Detroit and Ohio were missed and had to be rescheduled. I was timid, that was muy first time yet I managed. Don't worry she 'll have no problem, inshallah.
lol@ flirt. Faisal bhai, so very true. I was nearly proposed on my way from Pak to US. I can never forget that.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I think it also depends on the personality of the person. If she has a confident demeanor and knows how to handle all kinds of people, then she should be ok. She might encounter weird guys sitting next to her during the long flight, or worse stil, flirts. If she can handle herself, she should be ok.
[/QUOTE]
That said it all. If shez 19, she must go to uni..and if she goes to uni in Aussie..she should be more than ok.
I went to and from Pakistan when i was only 15 yrs old, i think Faisal Bhiya did a great job of pointing out all the factors. If shes not "street smart" than i don't think she should go alone.
I think she should travel alone. She will discover the new person within her after the trip is over. It's a great feeling to be on your own. She should take that as a learning experience.
My 17 year old cousin travelled from Pak to Aus all alone and she was on a plane for the first time in her life!!! A life spent only in Pakistan!
Beat that !
I took my first trip to and from Pak at age 18 when I went to visit relatives. No big deal! The plane (PIA flight) stopped once in Dubai. The passengers had a chance to get out of the airplane and look at the beautiful airport that is all marble, brass, and glass. After a 30 minute stay, everyone was herded back into the plane and it arrived at at its final destination, JFK Airport in NY, safe and sound.
:)
I went to Pakistan by myself when I was 18. I had to catch a connecting flight in London and change airports via a shuttle bus. It was quite nerve-wracking before I left...but once I was in the plane, everything was ok. Canadian Airlines to Heathrow...and British Airways from Gatewick to Islamabad. I waited and waited at ISB airport for my luggage, but no sign of it. It had been left behind at Heathrow during the transit. I got my luggage after 2 days. :-\ But, the good thing was, I didn't have to carry anything except my backpack (which I had with me). :D
On the way back, I had a 24-hour stay in London. When I got back to Toronto, no luggage again. But they delivered it to our house within a few hours. So it was all good. Throughout my whole trip, I didn't have to carry my luggage at all (something I was dreading very much).
I don't think she should have a problem. Just let her know to be careful. :)
p.s. I did get some very odd stares from people at Gatewick who were travelling to Pakistan on the same plane. I had no luggage with me..only my backpack, as I was wandering around the airport. They were probably thinking I had eloped or something. :D But that's ok... :-\
i took my first flight from pakistan to england, alone, when i was 16 :tweetie:
took my first flight from england to america alone when i was 17 :tweetie:
had spent a very sheltered life in pakistan till then 
since then, travelled from america to pakistan, sometimes through london, sometimes thru pacific countries, twice a year.
one time i took public transport from heathrow, london to my uncle’s house in ilford alone with two heavy suitcase, that was when i was like umm..19 i think..
been thru all kinds of experiences, flights getting delayed, all kinds of people sitting next to me on flights, weird ppl at airports, etc etc…
sometimes i used to get lonely but it was never scary or difficult. ALHAMDULILLAH
i think she should say BISMILLAH, ALLAH MALIK HAE, have faith and go for it :k:
Sister it is not allowed in islam for a female to travel by herself without a mehrem. The majority opinion is that a female can't travel more then 60 miles. Sister i'll find the ahadiths for you tonight insh'Allah. You should tell your friend to just have patience and make duaa, i always have the similar problem because i don't have any brothers. But, Alhumdullilah it's for the best.
A woman travelling by airplane without a mahram
From: 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz
To: The noble Brother, the teacher: A. S. I. - may Allaah grant you success in all that is good, aameen.
As-Salaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahe wa Barakaatuhu - (...and) to proceed:
Your correspondence dated 15/01/1394H reached me, and may Allaah guide you.
That which it contained of benefit in that you disagreed with one of your colleagues concerning the issue of the permissibility of a Muslim woman travelling by airplane without a mahram, considering that she is with her walee right up until she boards the plane, and her other mahram is waiting for her at the destination country. Your desire for a fatwa (regarding this issue) is known (and understood).
Response:** It is not permissible for a Muslim woman to travel by airplane or by any other means without a mahram accompanying her during her journey. This is due to the generality of the statement (of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam)):
((A woman is not travel except with a mahram)), [transmitted by al-Bukhaaree - No.1862 and Muslim - No.1339]; and its authenticity is agreed upon (by both al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).**
This is because so long as she has no-one to protect her, it is quite possible that she may be exposed to or subjected to something which is (Islaamically) dangerous during her journey, by whatever means.
And another matter is that sometimes airplanes come across mechanical problems, so it has to land at an airport other than that of the destination. In this case, the passengers are acommodated in a hotel or otherwise wait until repairs are carried out, or even until a replacement airplane is made available. So they could well be waiting for a long time, possibly a day or more. In this (case), a woman travelling by herself is exposed to that which is (Islaamically) dangerous.
All in all, the hidden aspects of the Islaamic Sharee'ah are many and great, and there is no doubt about the danger of falling foul of it without an Islaamically acceptable reason.
May Allaah grant everyone success in understanding the Religion (Islaam), and firmness upon it, indeed He is in charge of all affairs.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah - Volume 16, Page 383
This correspondence is numbered: 1803/kh and dated 05/08/1395H by the Shaykh's office
appkiamaanat:
Your point is very well-taken, with due repsect to Sheikh Ibne Baaz (I presume you took this from fatwa-online.com), I am curious what is the ruling if something happens to the muslim woman one block from her home in her car, which “exposes her to or subjects her to something which is (Islaamically) dangerous during her journey, by whatever means”. What protection do you have when taking a bus from your home to your school? What is the ruling if the woman doesn’t go anywhere but someone enters her home, like in case of a thief?
Does it mean, that a muslim woman can not be left alone even at home because apparently she can not take care of herself and there is no one to protect her?
No one can guarantee that nothing will happen during an air-journey, just as they can not guarantee a car-ride two blocks away or even sitting at home.
If its just a matter of greater risk associated with longer journeys, then the modes of transportation have increased tremendously in the last few hundred years. If the emphasis is on “she has no-one to protect her” then there will be many who will disagree vhemetically not only because woman are much more mentally and physically capable now but also because there are all kinds of laws and safe-guards to protect individuals.
sis aapki jazakallah for the post
subhanallah, i feel we should look at the examples of hz khadija (ra), hz aisha (rz), hz fatima (rz) and the other females in Muslim history and see their achievements and lives :k:
so many women travel alone in all parts of society in all corners of the world, from the woman who goes alone from her house in the village to the fields to take food for male members of her house to women in cities who drive to work to international relief workers and what not…it is really naseeb if something bad happens to her, its all in Allah’s hands. a mehram himself cannot do much to save her from a calamity if there is one in this day and age of modern weapons and all that 
i do believe that a woman is physically weaker than men and their emotional makeup is also different but subhanallah that should not be the limiting factor for women. and especially your point about being exposed to unislamic situations…if the woman is an adult then she can very effectively stay away from them and conduct herself properly :k:
Allah o Alim, but imho as long as the woman follows Islamic guidelines in her personal behaviour there is nothing she should not be able to do
:k:
w’salam
Thanks everyone for their serious replies 
Faisal bhai, you put it in a very nice way :k:
Irem,carebeer,moona, who–me, funguy, belle, solitude…Thank you so much
the thing is kai no matter how safe journey is, SOME of our desi parents
dont feel comfortalbe and keep saying things like " this aint good , you are not allowed to travel alone and all that..
well, as Faisal bhai said, it really depends on the individual and the personality of how she handle the situations. I totally agree with that
anywayz, thanks again,
will appreciate more replies ppl