According to popular fiqh, Muslim women cannot travel without mahram. But in today’s age, travel has become so convenient, safe and secure that I think it is lawful for women to travel without mahram. The Prophet once said in this regard:

"A time will soon come when a woman will travel from al-Hira to circumambulate the Kaaba without needing any protection" (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith No. 6679). There is an addition in the narration of Al-Bukhari, "fearing none but Allah" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3595).

It means that at the time of peace and convenience, the condition of the mahram is optional. Islam, however, does not permit the free mixing of men and women. For instance, in the view of Islam, it is not suitable for a man to share a room with a woman if they both are unrelated. Islam asks its followers to maintain a distance of respect, dignity and modesty with each other. This is a safeguard for the personal and private spaces of both genders.

Source: The Seeker’s Guide

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan countered this perception citing the example of his own family. He said, “I strongly disagree with this. The women in my family, for example, have received higher education. My granddaughters have either completed or are pursuing their doctorates and have been an integral part of my mission to spread peace and spirituality. My daughter, Professor Farida Khanam, has tirelessly worked for translating my works into English including the Quran and its commentary.”

A large number of learned women are mentioned in history as authorities on various Islamic sciences such as Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, Seerah (biography) of the Prophet, commentary on the Quran, and so on.

Those who do not educate their girls need to change their mindset. The issue is not that giving higher education to girls would make them rebellious; the real issue is that parents are unable to train their children in a rational manner. They only know and speak the language of dos and don’ts and impose other such restrictions, which fails to address the minds of children.

Islam attaches great importance to learning and education and considers it to be the starting point of every human activity. The female members of a family must therefore be given all opportunities to learn to grow and play a constructive role in the progress and development of society at large.

Source: The Seeker’s Guide

The ‘Burqa’ or Purdah is generally considered an integral part of Islam, but this is not so. In reality, the ‘Burqa’ is a part of Muslim culture and not a part of Islamic teaching. There is a significant difference between the actions of Muslims and the teachings of Islam.  Wearing a ‘Burqa’ or veil is not part of Quranic teaching. At present, Muslims use the term ‘Hijab’ as equivalent to ‘Burqa,’ but the word ‘Hijab’ is likewise not used in the Quran in this sense. ‘Hijab’ literally means curtain. ‘Hijab’ is used in the Quran seven times, but not in the sense prevalent among Muslims today; that is, it is used in its literal meaning of ‘curtain.’

Regarding women’s veil, the Quran has used two words: ‘Jilbab’ (33:59) and ‘Khimar’ (24:31). But again, these words are not used in their present connotation. It is a fact that both words have a similar meaning, that is, chaadar or dupatta, which covers the body of a woman and not her face. So it is evident that the present ‘Burqa’ or ‘Hijab’ are not Quranic terms; both are part of Muslim culture and not part of Quranic commandments. According to the Hanafi and Maaliki school of fiqh, three parts of a woman are exempted from satr (body covering). These three are ‘wajh’ (face), ‘kaffain’ (hands), and ‘qadmain’ (feet). According to the Shariah, women are required to cover their bodies with clothing that is not tight fitting and not meant to attract others. (Tafsir Usmani)

It is noteworthy that the well-known Arab scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Naasiruddin al-Albani, clearly endorses the position mentioned above of the Shariah in his book on this subject, ‘Hijab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah fil Kitab was-Sunnah’ (The Veil of a Muslim Woman in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah). He goes on to say that it is clear from the Quran, the Hadith and the practice of the Companions and the Tabiun (companions of the Prophet’s Companions) that whenever a woman steps out of her home, it is incumbent upon her to cover herself entirely so as not to show any part of her body except the face and the hands (and feet). According to Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani’s findings, the following rules of hijab are applicable: 1. The whole body should be covered except for the exempted parts. 2. But any veil that becomes an attraction is to be avoided. 3. Garments should not be semi-transparent. 4. The dress should not be tight fitting. 5. Garments should not be perfumed. 6. The form of dress should not resemble that of men. 7. Garments should not reflect worldly honour. (Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, Hijab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah fil Kitab was-Sunnah (1914), p. 13.)

Source: Guiding Lights

Chapter 4 of the Quran allows a man to have four wives (4:3). This does not mean that every man should have four wives. This rule is an exception and is not to be taken in a general sense. The general rule is to have only one wife, but in a case of absolute necessity, a man can have more than one wife. This need refers to a situation where, by some unfortunate incident, there is a disparity between the number of men and women in society. When there are more women than men, there is sexual anarchy. To overcome this evil, in exceptional cases, men are allowed to have more than one wife.

The truth is that a natural way of marriage is between one man and one woman. A man is naturally biased against the second wife in most cases. This suffices to prove that monogamy is the natural way, while polygamy is permitted in exceptional circumstances by the law of necessity. There are exceptional laws of this kind that cover other cases as well. However, exceptional laws are for exceptional circumstances, and they cannot be applied in general.

Source: Women in Islam