chemise and head covering. And because she has covered what is mandatory for her to cover, her prayer is valid, just as it is for a man.
Section: If a small portion of the woman becomes exposed, [it is pardoned] (23). The statement (24) of al-Khiraqi: "If anything of a free woman (25) is exposed other than her face and hands, she must repeat the prayer" (25) [is interpreted as referring to that which is significant and offensive. There is no limit for what is considered 'much' or 'little'; rather, the reference for this is 'urf (custom), because determining a specific limit requires a textual source (tawqif), and there is no textual source for this] (26). Furthermore, it is difficult to guard against a small amount, so it is pardoned by analogy to a small amount of a man's 'awrah.
Section: It is disliked for a woman to wear a niqab while she is praying [or to wear a burqa'] (27). Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: They have reached a consensus that a woman must uncover her face during prayer and ihram, and because doing so interferes with the direct contact of the prayer area with her forehead and nose, and it covers her mouth, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has prohibited it (28).
198 - Issue (1); He said: (The prayer of a slave woman while her head is uncovered is valid)
[This is the position of the generality of the scholars] (2). We do not know of anyone who disagreed on this except al-Hasan, for he [among the scholars] (3) made the head covering (khimar) obligatory upon her if she were married or if a man took her as his own,
(23) In MS (m): "Other than the face and hands, I do not know of any explicit, correct statement regarding it." (24) In MS (m): "And the apparent meaning of the statement of." (25) Omitted from MS (m). (26) In MS (m): "It implies the invalidity of the prayer upon the exposure of a small amount; because it is possible to interpret that as referring to a large amount, according to what we have established regarding a man's 'awrah, that a small amount is pardoned in it. So it is the same here." (27) In MS (m), in place of this, it says: "And because that interferes with..." until the end of the following text. (28) Previously cited on page 299. (1) In MS (m): "Section." (2) Omitted from MS (m). (3) Omitted from the original.
