she let a cloth hang down from above her head, to keep it from touching her face, just as an overhead covering used for shade is kept from touching a man’s head. Those who regarded her face as analogous to his hands—which is the correct view—said that she was not forbidden to cover her face, but only to wear a niqāb, just as she was forbidden to wear gloves. This is comparable to a man’s being forbidden to wear a shirt, trousers, and similar garments. The same prohibition includes the burqu (face veil) and anything made specifically to cover the face. Covering the face with a cloth hanging down from above the head, however, is like covering it with a blanket or the like while sleeping, or covering the hands with one’s sleeves: she was not forbidden to do that. If men wished to wear niqābs and face veils while leaving women’s faces uncovered, they would be prevented from doing so.

Likewise, a woman is instructed to keep her body drawn together during prayer rather than spread her limbs apart, and she is instructed to cover her head. Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a head covering, even if she is inside a house where no non-mahram man can see her. This shows that Islamic law requires her, as a duty owed to Allah, to cover herself in a way not required of a man, even when no human being can see her.

Allah Most High has said:

“Remain in your homes, and do not display yourselves as in the former times of ignorance.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Do not prevent Allah’s female servants from attending Allah’s mosques, though their homes are better for them.”

He also said: “The prayer of any one of you women