What is the ruling in Islam regarding a woman covering her face and hands?

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Question:
What is the ruling in Islam regarding a woman covering her face and hands?

Answer:
The ruling in Islam regarding a woman covering her face and hands from men who are not her mahram (relatives one may not marry) is that this is obligatory; because this protects the woman, and protects the men from falling into fitnah (trial, discord or temptation).
Because forbidden looking leads to falling into fitnah, and hijab (the covering prescribed for women) prevents that. Allah the Exalted said:

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 وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ

[Al-Ahzab 33:53]

So, in hijab there is purity for the hearts of the women who observe hijab, and purity for the hearts of the men so that desires do not creep into them. Do you not read:

in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet

بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ

[Al-Ahzab 33:32]

The woman also does not speak with words that make those with sick hearts hope that she will speak with them in seductive or vulgar and cheap words that make them hope for her. Rather, she speaks only as much as is necessary and with words that are known (good),

but speak with appropriate speech.

وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوفًا

[Al-Ahzab 33:32]

. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good

Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ماحكم الإسلام في تغطية المرأة لوجهها وكفيها؟ الشيخ صالح بن فوزان الفوزان — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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