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Is it permissible for my wife to remove her niqab in order to reside with me in an American state characterized by racism, which I am currently unable to leave?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the intent behind uncovering the face is a necessity, then there is no harm in it, as some scholars permit uncovering it as long as there is no fear of temptation (fitnah), even though the opinion that obligates covering it is the more cautious and preponderant. Therefore, it should not be uncovered except when harm is certain. As for uncovering the head or neck, it is impermissible by consensus. The necessity that permits the forbidden does not include the lack of employment. Even if this necessity were to hypothetically apply to the questioner, it does not apply to the wife, and the forbidden uncovering remains forbidden in her case, adhering to its original ruling. The questioner can take a leave of absence and travel to his wife instead of bringing her over.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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