A woman went to Makkah to perform 'Umrah, and when she performed wudu' from the miqat, she wore the niqab without exposing her eyes because there was no face covering available. Is there anything required of her?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : A woman went to Makkah to perform 'Umrah, and when she performed wudu' from the miqat, she wore the niqab without exposing her eyes because there was no face covering available. Is there anything required of her in this, is her 'Umrah valid, and what is required of her?
The Shaykh : Her 'Umrah is valid, and nothing is required of her because she is exercising independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). If she was correct, she has two rewards, and if she was wrong, she has one reward. As for the niqab, if she does not expose her eyes—meaning she placed part of the khimar over part of it until her eyes were covered—there is nothing wrong with it. The intended meaning of the prohibition of the niqab is the niqab that is worn according to custom, where the face is covered and openings are made for the eyes. This is what is not permissible for a woman in ihram. Yes.
The Shaykh : Her 'Umrah is valid, and nothing is required of her because she is exercising independent legal reasoning (ijtihad). If she was correct, she has two rewards, and if she was wrong, she has one reward. As for the niqab, if she does not expose her eyes—meaning she placed part of the khimar over part of it until her eyes were covered—there is nothing wrong with it. The intended meaning of the prohibition of the niqab is the niqab that is worn according to custom, where the face is covered and openings are made for the eyes. This is what is not permissible for a woman in ihram. Yes.