Some people travel abroad during the vacation, and the girl uncovers her face, citing necessity and the existence of a second opinion on the issue. What is your ruling?
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The questioner : This is a question about, he says: People during the summer vacation, some travel abroad, and the girl wears the known hijab, which is covering the head and neck, leaving only the circle of the face. They cite necessity and the second opinion on the issue. What is your ruling? Then what is your opinion on photographing a woman for the travel passport, even though it is officially required?
The Shaykh : I see that the one whom Allah has blessed with wealth should not travel to foreign countries. As for the one whom Allah has not blessed with abundant wealth but has tested him with poverty, he is not going. But the problem is with the one whom Allah has enriched. I see that he should not go to foreign countries because there are harms in that. First: his family will change due to what they see, whether they change suddenly or over the long term. Second: as the questioner said, perhaps she covers her entire body except her face, meaning she covers the body and leaves what is the source of fitnah (trial/temptation), because showing the face is the fitnah in reality. And a woman’s beauty is in what? In her face. The place of fitnah is her face, there is no doubt in this. And when a man’s soul becomes attached to a woman, he does not care about anything beyond the face. That is why you find the one who asks about beauty does not say, "How is her leg?" or "How is her finger?" Rather, he says first of all, "How is her face?" So it is the place of desire and the place of fitnah. And it is not permissible for a person to worship Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, according to his own desire. If in his country he worships Allah according to the opinion of those who say it is obligatory to cover the face, and when he goes to another country he worships Allah according to the opinion of those who say it is permissible to uncover the face, this is from the category of playing with the religion of Allah. As long as you believe that the religion of Allah is such and such, do not deviate from it, and do not turn to something else, otherwise you will become one who plays with the religion and follows dispensations (rukhsah). And the scholars said: "Whoever follows dispensations is an open sinner". But I, praise be to Allah, hear that those who need to travel abroad, if the woman wears a niqab, it is not looked at her, and she does not become famous among people. And the niqab is that she covers her face and opens only for her eyes, just enough for her eyes to see her way, and this is permissible. So if the woman needs to travel abroad and uses this niqab, there is no harm.
The Shaykh : I see that the one whom Allah has blessed with wealth should not travel to foreign countries. As for the one whom Allah has not blessed with abundant wealth but has tested him with poverty, he is not going. But the problem is with the one whom Allah has enriched. I see that he should not go to foreign countries because there are harms in that. First: his family will change due to what they see, whether they change suddenly or over the long term. Second: as the questioner said, perhaps she covers her entire body except her face, meaning she covers the body and leaves what is the source of fitnah (trial/temptation), because showing the face is the fitnah in reality. And a woman’s beauty is in what? In her face. The place of fitnah is her face, there is no doubt in this. And when a man’s soul becomes attached to a woman, he does not care about anything beyond the face. That is why you find the one who asks about beauty does not say, "How is her leg?" or "How is her finger?" Rather, he says first of all, "How is her face?" So it is the place of desire and the place of fitnah. And it is not permissible for a person to worship Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, according to his own desire. If in his country he worships Allah according to the opinion of those who say it is obligatory to cover the face, and when he goes to another country he worships Allah according to the opinion of those who say it is permissible to uncover the face, this is from the category of playing with the religion of Allah. As long as you believe that the religion of Allah is such and such, do not deviate from it, and do not turn to something else, otherwise you will become one who plays with the religion and follows dispensations (rukhsah). And the scholars said: "Whoever follows dispensations is an open sinner". But I, praise be to Allah, hear that those who need to travel abroad, if the woman wears a niqab, it is not looked at her, and she does not become famous among people. And the niqab is that she covers her face and opens only for her eyes, just enough for her eyes to see her way, and this is permissible. So if the woman needs to travel abroad and uses this niqab, there is no harm.