What is the ruling on covering the face and hands of a woman?

The questioner : I have heard from some people that your latest ruling on the hijab of the woman is the obligation to cover the face and the hands.

The Shaykh : My opinion on the issue has not changed; rather, I have increased in faith in the old opinion. But some people misunderstand and consequently misreport, and some deliberately distort. So I say that it is better for the woman to cover her face, but if she wants to reveal her face, it is permissible, provided she is not wearing red, not wearing kohl, and not wearing powder. I am still of this opinion. I am currently in the process of reprinting *The Hijab of the Muslim Woman* with a substantial introduction of about forty to fifty pages, containing a summarized response to those who responded to us, and they are, praise be to Allah, more than twenty people. Yes, it contains proof that the matter is as we used to say in the past: that the face and hands of the woman are not 'awrah (nakedness), but it is better to cover them.