A woman asks: What is the ruling on wearing the niqab in prayer?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on wearing the niqab in prayer?
The Shaykh : If a woman is praying, it is prescribed for her not to wear anything that prevents her from prostrating. Therefore, she should not wear the niqab unless non-mahram men are near her. I mean non-mahram men; in that case, she must cover her face from them, just as if she were in the Sacred Mosque or the Prophet’s Mosque. It is obligatory for her to cover her face if men are looking at her. We say the same in the chapter of ihram: it is not permissible for a woman in ihram to wear the niqab, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it. However, if non-mahram men are near her, she must cover her face completely, whether she is in the tawaf area, the sa’y area, or on the side of the mosque. The important thing is that if men are looking at her, she must cover her face, even if she is in ihram. There is no harm if she touches her face if she has covered it. As for the statement of some people that a woman in ihram must uncover her face, whether men see her or not, this has no basis. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to mention regarding women that when men passed near them, the woman would lower her khimar over her face. Yes.
The Shaykh : If a woman is praying, it is prescribed for her not to wear anything that prevents her from prostrating. Therefore, she should not wear the niqab unless non-mahram men are near her. I mean non-mahram men; in that case, she must cover her face from them, just as if she were in the Sacred Mosque or the Prophet’s Mosque. It is obligatory for her to cover her face if men are looking at her. We say the same in the chapter of ihram: it is not permissible for a woman in ihram to wear the niqab, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it. However, if non-mahram men are near her, she must cover her face completely, whether she is in the tawaf area, the sa’y area, or on the side of the mosque. The important thing is that if men are looking at her, she must cover her face, even if she is in ihram. There is no harm if she touches her face if she has covered it. As for the statement of some people that a woman in ihram must uncover her face, whether men see her or not, this has no basis. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to mention regarding women that when men passed near them, the woman would lower her khimar over her face. Yes.