590 - Issue: He [the author] said: "And the ihram of a woman is in her face; if she has need, she may let down [a covering] over her face."

The entirety of this matter is that it is forbidden for a woman to cover her face while in the state of ihram, just as it is forbidden for a man to cover his head. We know of no disagreement regarding this, except for what was narrated from Asma', that she used to cover her face while she was in the state of ihram (1). It is possible that she was covering it by letting down a veil (2) when necessary, so it would not be a disagreement. Ibn al-Mundhir said: The disapproval of the burqu' (face veil) is established from Sa'd, Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, and 'Aisha, and we do not know of anyone who disagreed on this. Al-Bukhari and others (3) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "A woman shall not wear the niqab (face veil), nor shall she wear gloves." As for when she has a need to cover her face due to men passing near her, she may let down a garment from the top of her head over her face. This is narrated from 'Uthman and 'Aisha. This is also the position of 'Ata', Malik, Al-Thawri, Al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. We know of no disagreement regarding this; this is due to what was narrated from 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "Riders used to pass by us while we were in the state of ihram with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). When they drew parallel to us, one of us would let down her jilbab (outer garment) from her head over her face, and when they passed by us, we would uncover it." Narrated by Abu Dawud and Al-Athram (5). Also, because a woman has a need...