What Parts of the Face Can Be Visible during a Woman’s Prayer?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

For women, the face and hands are not a part of ‘awra in prayer. Hence, how many parts of the face can exactly be visible? Is your prayer valid if the part near your ears (jawbone/beard’s starting point for men) is visible?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful

Limits of the Face

The parts of the face that are permissible to show during the prayer are the same parts that must be washed during that integral of wudu.

It says in the Reliance of the Traveller:

e5.8 Then one washes the face three times, face meaning from the point where the hairline usually begins to the chin in height and from ear to ear in width.

The above quote means that a woman should also cover underneath her chin while praying. My teachers have taught me that one must cover a little beyond the limits of nakedness to ensure that movement and such do not cause the nakedness to be uncovered.

Keep that in mind. As such, showing the skin toward your ear, as long as the ear is fully covered, is sufficient for the validity of one’s prayer.

Please see this link as well:
Proper Prayer Attire for Women: What is the Proof?

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.