Is it permissible for a female pilgrim to wear a face mask instead of the niqab due to her poor eyesight and desire for clear vision?
A woman in a state of ihram is prohibited from wearing anything tailored to the size of the face, such as the niqab, burqa, and litham, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "A woman in ihram should not wear the niqab nor gloves."
The face mask (kamama) is considered a niqab and is even more prohibited than the litham. If a woman needs to wear a face mask due to illness or offensive odors, it is permissible for her to wear it, but she must offer the fidya of harm. The fidya is: fasting for three days, or feeding six poor people, or sacrificing a sheep.
A woman in ihram should cover her face from non-mahram men by lowering a garment from her head over her face. If this is difficult for her, there is no harm in wearing the niqab with the fidya, and this is preferable to the face mask (kamama) which does not cover the entire face.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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