The ruling on a woman covering her face during tawaf and sa'y

Question : Yes. The questioner asks: Is it obligatory for me to cover my face during tawaf while I am performing 'Umrah, given that the place is full of men, and likewise during sa'y? And you said yesterday that a woman does not wear the niqab, meaning she does not cover her face during 'Umrah.

Answer : Wearing the niqab is not the same as covering the face. Wearing the niqab means putting on the niqab, which is a piece of cloth that covers the face and is open for the eyes, and the same applies to the burqu'. This is what is forbidden for a woman in the state of ihram. As for covering her face when non-mahram men pass by her or are around her, this is a prescribed matter. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that she used to do this: when men from among those around her passed by, she would cover her face, and when they had passed, she would uncover it. This is what a woman should do. If there are non-mahram men around her, she must cover her face. If there are no men around her, the prescribed practice is to uncover it. As for the niqab or the burqu', wearing them is forbidden for a woman in the state of ihram.