The Ruling on the Niqab in 'Umrah and Hajj
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah bless you. Her other question is: Is the niqab categorically forbidden?
The Shaykh:
The niqab is not forbidden; it is required, and it is the covering of a woman's face. If the niqab is worn completely, that is better. If the niqab is worn covering the face but leaving the eyes exposed, which is called the burqu', that is also good and there is no harm in it. If it is the custom of women to wear it, it is less than the full covering and less than the full hijab, but it is good. Yes.
The questioner:
In 'Umrah and Hajj.
The Shaykh:
This is for one who is not in the state of ihram. As for the one in ihram, she does not wear the niqab; she covers her face with something other than the niqab. Yes.
May Allah bless you. Her other question is: Is the niqab categorically forbidden?
The Shaykh:
The niqab is not forbidden; it is required, and it is the covering of a woman's face. If the niqab is worn completely, that is better. If the niqab is worn covering the face but leaving the eyes exposed, which is called the burqu', that is also good and there is no harm in it. If it is the custom of women to wear it, it is less than the full covering and less than the full hijab, but it is good. Yes.
The questioner:
In 'Umrah and Hajj.
The Shaykh:
This is for one who is not in the state of ihram. As for the one in ihram, she does not wear the niqab; she covers her face with something other than the niqab. Yes.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 02/226 — archive.org (7:26)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.