The ruling on a woman wearing the burqa
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Our sister asks about the ruling on wearing the burqa when going out of the house?
The Shaykh:
Covering the face is obligatory, according to the correct opinion of the scholars, in all cases, even if she is not beautiful. Covering the face is obligatory. As for if she is beautiful, this is the view of everyone; I am not aware of any disagreement on this if she is likely to cause temptation. It is obligatory to cover the face during tawaf, during sa'y, in the mosque, and in every place. So she must cover her face, because exposing it is a source of temptation. The same applies to her head, and likewise the rest of her body is a source of temptation. So it is obligatory for her to wear the hijab. His statement, Exalted and Majestic is He, in His great Book:[Al-Ahzab 33:53] And His statement, the Exalted, regarding the believing women: [An-Nur 24:31] the verse in al-Ma'idah. The face is greater than adornment. However, if she covers herself with a burqu' that allows nothing to show except the eye or the two eyes, there is no harm. The Arabs used to wear buruq, and they were called niqab. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred that the woman in ihram wear the niqab while she is in ihram, which indicates that she wears it when she is not in a state of ihram. The niqab is what covers the face, made for the face, with an opening for the eye, or two openings for the two eyes, just the size of the two eyes. There is no harm in that, according to the correct opinion, which is without doubt. And if she covers her head with something other than the niqab that covers her entire face in a way that does not prevent her from seeing the road, there is nothing wrong with it. It is more complete and further from temptation.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. Do you require certain characteristics for this burqa, Your Eminence the Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
That it covers everything except the two eyes. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes, there are multiple details regarding this burqa, and people have been inventive in it.
The Shaykh:
If there is fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) in it, leave the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and wear something better that has no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
The presenter:
Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
Our sister asks about the ruling on wearing the burqa when going out of the house?
The Shaykh:
Covering the face is obligatory, according to the correct opinion of the scholars, in all cases, even if she is not beautiful. Covering the face is obligatory. As for if she is beautiful, this is the view of everyone; I am not aware of any disagreement on this if she is likely to cause temptation. It is obligatory to cover the face during tawaf, during sa'y, in the mosque, and in every place. So she must cover her face, because exposing it is a source of temptation. The same applies to her head, and likewise the rest of her body is a source of temptation. So it is obligatory for her to wear the hijab. His statement, Exalted and Majestic is He, in His great Book:
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّnot expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers
وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّThe questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. Do you require certain characteristics for this burqa, Your Eminence the Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
That it covers everything except the two eyes. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes, there are multiple details regarding this burqa, and people have been inventive in it.
The Shaykh:
If there is fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) in it, leave the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and wear something better that has no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
The presenter:
Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ ابن باز Alsheikh Binbaz»، 2628 - حكم لبس المرأة للبرقع - نور على الدرب — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.