Answered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Am I allowed to go to umrah with my father’s foster father who looked after my father for many year from the age of 13 onwards, is this man a mahram to me? I would sincerely like to know if I can because I need to make arrangements for me to go to umrah with him and his wife.
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
Your father’s foster father, i.e. the man who looked after your father from the age of 13, is not considered a Mahram to you; hence it will not be permitted to travel for Umrah with him, unless you are accompanied by a Mahram.
The reason being is that being a Mahram is established through the relationship of lineage (qarabah), breastfeeding (radha’ah) and marriage (musaharah). As such, this person looking after your father when your father was young does not make him a Mahram to you.
And Allah knows best
Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK