Women wearing a burqa

Question

Assalam Alaikum

Is Niqab enough for women or they need complete Burqa?

Answer

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما

The burqa‘ refers to a cloth worn which covers the entire body. The burqa’ has been a practice of Muslim women throughout the history of Islam and is primarily worn to fulfill three Islamic injunctions:

  1. Covering the body of a women (i.e covering her satr). 
  2. Covering the shape and contours of the body in a way that it is no longer discernible.
  3. Covering other forms of beauty (such as designs and bright colors of clothes worn underneath)

These purposes are usually fulfilled through wearing the burqa’. If any other clothing  fulfills these purposes then it would be permissible to wear that in place of a burqa’. However, just wearing the niqaab would not suffice without wearing a burqa’ or clothing similar to it.

والله اعلم

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala knows best.

Sulaiman Yusufi

Approved by Mufti Husain Ahmad Madani