The ruling on the niqab that reveals part of the face and wearing it in prayer

Question:
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: Is the niqab that we see on many Muslim women today, which exposes a large part of the eyes and eyebrows, and part of the nose and face, is it the niqab known in the time of the Companions? What is the ruling on this niqab? Is it permissible to pray in it? And what is the ruling on a woman in ihram wearing it, especially if it has a light covering over it?

Answer:
As for the woman in ihram, she does not wear the niqab at all, neither alone nor under a covering. The woman in ihram does not wear the niqab until she exits her state of ihram. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Nor does she wear the niqab, nor does she wear gloves or the coverings for the hands.”
As for the niqab the questioner described as revealing something of the face, this is not the niqab known among the Arabs and in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is a niqab that is not permissible for a woman to wear because it reveals something of her face, and her face is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered). The known niqab is the one from which only the eyes are visible; only the eyes are visible, and nothing of the face appears, not from the eye sockets, not from the cheeks, nor… But if it is wide and reveals something of the face, then it is not permissible for the Muslim woman to wear it, because it does not cover her; rather, it reveals something of her face.
As for wearing it in prayer, if the woman has men who are not her mahram (a relative one may not marry) present, she covers her face in prayer and in other times. But if she is praying and there are no men present except her mahram, she uncovers her face in prayer. She uncovers her face if she is alone in prayer, or if there are women with her, or if there are men who are her mahram with her; she uncovers her face in prayer.