What is your opinion on covering the face and hands? Is it necessary for a woman? And if a woman does not cover her face and hands, is she held accountable for it being an awrah (the part of the body that must be covered)?

The questioner : This questioner, who used the initials A.M.A. for her name, asks: What is your opinion on covering the face and hands? Is it necessary for a woman? And if a woman does not cover her face and hands, is she held accountable for it being an awrah (the part of the body that must be covered)?

The Shaykh : The stronger opinion among the scholars, which is indicated by the Book, the Sunnah, and correct reasoning, is that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face from men who are not her mahram (a relative one may not marry), because that is modesty and avoiding fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Therefore, we see that in countries that apply what is indicated by the Book, the Sunnah, and correct reasoning, where women cover their faces, these are the countries furthest from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and safest from evil.
So my advice to my Muslim sisters everywhere is to fear Allah, to cover their faces, and to stay away from tabarruj (a woman's display of her adornment) and fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), for a woman is responsible for all the evil and calamity for which she is a cause. Yes.