I am a 17-year old American-Egyptian female high school student applying for college my dad wants to send me to a college I hate and I know is not appropriate to my need just so I could continue to live at home. However there are colleges farther away that offer what I need but that would require me to live there. My parents say this is a sin. I don't believe this is true because my sole intent is to study and I am not planning to do anything wrong. Am I right? If I am how do I convince my parents if I am not than why and where exactly in the Quran does it say that women cannot live on their own?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

It is a known fact that parents' rank is very high in Islam. Allaah has joined their rights with His rights as He Says (which means): {And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment.}[Quran 17:23] Indeed, Allaah created parents to love their children and to secure their benefits. More likely, they do not prevent their children from what is beneficial for them except if the disadvantages are greater than advantages. No doubt, they have larger experience and better future sight.

Therefore, you have to obey your parents if they prevent you from studying in another city because staying alone in another city, especially in those countries, leads to exposing oneself to many temptations. It is obvious that a single woman in those countries hardly feels safety for her religion and honour. The matter is not related to your self-confidence or lack of the confidence but a believer does not feel secure from being tempted. So, he/she has to take great care to protect his religion and should keep away from the means of temptations. In fact, there are many Muslims encounter the temptations due to them feeling self-confidence and adherence to their religion but soon they get impressed by the temptations and get entangled in them.

Your parents have the right to prevent you from studying in that city. Your father is your guardian, and it is his duty to keep you away from all that could stray you. Allaah Says (which means): {O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones}[Quran 66:6].

As for the college where your father wants to enrol you in and you do not like it, you have to obey your father if there is no violation of Islamic rulings or harm to you. Probably Allaah will make it blessed for you as He Says (which means): {But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you;}[Quran 2:216].

Do not forget that this worldly life is temporary and perishing while the next life is eternal and everlasting. So, a Muslim should aspire to safeguard his/her religion and to be steadfast on the obedience of his/her Lord to win the admittance in Paradise.

It is worth mentioning that prophetic narrations are also an authentic source of religion just as the Quran. Allaah Says (which means):  {And whatever the Messenger has given you — take; and what he has forbidden you — refrain from.}[Quran 59:7].

The Prophet forbade from being alone, "He forbade from spending the night alone and from traveling alone." [Ahmad] If the ruling is regarding a man then how would be the matter of a woman? If this is applied to the pious and chaste societies then what would be the ruling for the bad environment where means of seductions and bad desires are wide-spread.

Allaah Knows best.