What is the ruling on wearing the burqa if it is not adopted for adornment but only for covering?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : What is the ruling on the burqa if it is not adopted for adornment but only for covering, and a cover is placed over it?
The Shaykh : The burqa used for adornment, where the woman covers her face, is permissible, because it is not seen, so she will cover it with something over it. But the burqa that has nothing in it—we do not issue a ruling permitting it, because it is a trial, and because women do not limit themselves to this. If women had limited themselves to an opening for the eyes, we would have said that this niqab, which is known from the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is permissible. But be certain that if you say today that it is permissible for a woman to wear the niqab for her eyes and look from behind the niqab with her eye, then after a short time this niqab will become wider, widening to the forehead and the cheek, and the covered part of the face will continue to diminish until the entire face is exposed. This is the known custom of women, so closing the door is closer to the truth.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : What is the ruling on the burqa if it is not adopted for adornment but only for covering, and a cover is placed over it?
The Shaykh : The burqa used for adornment, where the woman covers her face, is permissible, because it is not seen, so she will cover it with something over it. But the burqa that has nothing in it—we do not issue a ruling permitting it, because it is a trial, and because women do not limit themselves to this. If women had limited themselves to an opening for the eyes, we would have said that this niqab, which is known from the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is permissible. But be certain that if you say today that it is permissible for a woman to wear the niqab for her eyes and look from behind the niqab with her eye, then after a short time this niqab will become wider, widening to the forehead and the cheek, and the covered part of the face will continue to diminish until the entire face is exposed. This is the known custom of women, so closing the door is closer to the truth.