The Ruling on the Burqa Made According to Fashion

Question:
Shaykh Salih, if you grant me permission, may Allah bless you, for a brief discussion about what is called the burqa. Recently, it has taken on a specific form that has become revealing and has become more of an imitation of what is called fashion than a means of covering. What is your guidance for our Muslim sisters regarding this matter?

Answer:
The burqa is the well-known wide garment that covers the face, where nothing is visible except two openings the size of the eyes only. It covers the face with a second covering. However, if it is misused, expanded, and becomes a means of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), then it is not called a burqa, and it is not a burqa; it is not the well-known burqa. The burqa is that which covers the face, and it was known among the Arabs and the women of the Bedouin until recently. It covers the face with a veil, and nothing is visible from it except the eyes only. As for if it is distorted, taken beyond its limit, and becomes a fashion of its own, with women varying their actions in it, this is not a burqa. Is it not a burqa as intended? Yes. May Allah reward you with good.