Should a Woman Cover Her Face in the State of Ihrām?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
Should a woman cover her face while in the state of ihrām?
❖ Answer:
Yes, it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face from non-maḥram men while in ihrām.
Scholarly Consensus
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (رحمه الله, d. 463H) said:
أجمعوا أن لها أن تسدل التوب على وجهها من فوق رأسها سدلا خفيفا تستتر به عن نظر الرجال إليها .
“The scholars are unanimous that a woman (in ihrām) should let a cloth hang lightly over her face from above her head, so that she remains covered from the gaze of men.”
(al-Tamhīd: 15/108; al-Iqnāʿ by Ibn al-Qaṭṭān: 1458)
Conclusion:In the state of ihrām, a woman does not wear a niqāb directly on her face, but she must cover her face from non-maḥram men by letting a cloth hang down over it. This ruling is agreed upon by the scholars.
