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Is the tightening of the niqab, which affects breathing, eating, and drinking outside the home, its impact on social relationships, and the difficulty of finding a job because of it, a justification for removing it without incurring God's wrath, given the intention to continue adhering to the Sharia-compliant dress codes?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The most preponderant opinion among jurists is that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face. Shortness of breath, eating, and drinking are not valid excuses for uncovering the face. A woman can cover her face in a way that does not cause her difficulty in breathing, and she can eat and drink in a place where non-mahram men do not see her. Work is not a Sharia-compliant excuse for uncovering the face; for whoever fears Allah, He will provide a way out for them and sustain them from where they do not expect. If a woman is in dire need of work and finds no other way except by uncovering her face, then there is no harm in that, provided she does not exceed the extent of the need, and that she covers her face when she leaves her workplace.

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

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