Short answer
In the Hanafi school the face is not awrah in itself, but the relied-upon later Hanafi position is that a young woman must cover her face in front of non-mahram men because of fitnah (temptation). So in practice the major Hanafi institutions treat covering the face as wajib today. The Hanbalis require it; the Malikis do not.
The face and hands are not awrah, so showing them does not affect the prayer. Outside prayer, later Hanafi jurists ruled that a young woman is barred from uncovering her face before non-mahram men to prevent fitnah, which Darul Uloom Deoband and Darul Uloom Karachi treat as wajib in our time. Showing the face for a real need (identification, a doctor, a witness, a marriage proposal) is permitted.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Many later Shafi'i scholars hold that she must cover her face before non-mahram men; others in the school consider it strongly recommended.
- Maliki
- The face and hands are not awrah and covering them is not obligatory, though it is recommended where fitnah is feared.
- Hanbali
- The relied-upon view is that the whole body, including the face, is awrah in front of non-mahram men, so covering the face is obligatory.
Explanation
Niqab is the face veil. The question has two layers in Hanafi fiqh. The first is awrah: the early Hanafi texts say a woman's face and hands are not awrah, which is why she prays with them uncovered. The second is fitnah: the later Hanafi jurists, writing in the books relied upon for fatwa, said a young woman should be prevented from uncovering her face in front of non-mahram men, because the face is the centre of beauty and attraction.
For this reason the Hanafi seminaries of South Asia and their branches in the West teach that covering the face before non-mahram men is necessary in our time. Some Hanafi scholars elsewhere describe it as highly recommended rather than wajib. A woman who does not cover her face but wears full hijab is not committing the sin of exposing her awrah, and she should not be treated harshly.
The face may be shown where there is a real need: a photo ID, a security check, a medical examination, a court, or a man who has come to see her for marriage. During ihram for hajj or umrah, the Prophet ﷺ forbade the niqab itself, so a woman keeps a cloth away from her face if she wants to screen it.
If you live where face covering brings real harm, such as a legal ban or danger, speak to a local mufti about your situation. See the awrah guide and hijab guide for what must be covered in all cases.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:59
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَٰجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَآءِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَٰبِيبِهِنَّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَدْنَىٰٓ أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا ﴿٥٩﴾
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
Many commentators explained drawing down the outer garment as including covering the face.
Quran, Surah An-Noor 24:31
وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَٰرِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ ۖ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ ءَابَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ أَبْنَآءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ إِخْوَٰنِهِنَّ أَوْ بَنِىٓ أَخَوَٰتِهِنَّ أَوْ نِسَآئِهِنَّ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُهُنَّ أَوِ ٱلتَّٰبِعِينَ غَيْرِ أُو۟لِى ٱلْإِرْبَةِ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ أَوِ ٱلطِّفْلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ عَوْرَٰتِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ وَلَا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِن زِينَتِهِنَّ ۚ وَتُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿٣١﴾
And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.
The exception for what normally appears is the basis for the view that the face and hands are not awrah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1838
Sahih... ولا تنتقب المرأة المحرمة ولا تلبس القفازين ...
"A woman in ihram should not wear the niqab or gloves."
Shows that the face veil was known and worn by Muslim women at the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the conditions of prayer. A young woman is barred from uncovering her face among men, out of fear of fitnah.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the conditions of prayer, covering the awrah. Explains that the bar is for fitnah, not because the face is awrah.
- Kashshaf al-Qina', Kitab al-Salah, chapter on covering the awrah. Hanbali: all of a free woman is awrah outside prayer, including the face.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.