Fatwa ID: 02764

Answered by:  Maulana Imran Mughal​

Question:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah!

Are women allowed to cover their face during Umrah?

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Answer:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh,

It is specifically mentioned that women and men are not allowed to cover their faces during Hajj or Umrah, this is due to the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) where he said: “A woman in Ihram should not wear a niqab.”^[1]

Nevertheless, a woman is allowed to have something cover her face with the condition that it should not touch the face. Some women wear caps on their heads so if in any instant they need to cover their faces they can do so.

This is narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who narrates: “Riders would pass us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while we were in the sacred state (wearing ihram). When they came by us, one of us would let down her outer garment from her head over her face, and when they had passed on, we would uncover our faces.”^[2]

Otherwise, it is also permissible to place one’s hand over the nose in order for people to not see their faces, however, this is more difficult than the aforementioned solution.^[3]

Only Allah Ta’ala knows best

Written by Maulana Imran Mughal

Checked and approved by Ustadha Sabrina al-Faarsiyyah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

^[1] Sunan Abu Dawud Hadith 1825.

^[2] Sunan Abu Dawud Hadith 1833.

^[3] Ibn Abidin, Raddul Muhtaar Ala Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar (Riyadh: Dar Alam al-Kutub, 2003), 3:497.

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