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Fatwa CenterTaking off Niqaab during her non-Muslim parents' visit
Question
Asslemu alaikum wa rahamtullahi wa baraketuhu, I´m a sister living in Germany. I became Muslima 4 years ago alhamdulillah and I decided quite early to wear niqab while I didn´t more feel good out showing my face. Nowdays I still wear it but I take it off when my parents (they are not muslim and live abroad) come here to visit us while they accepted hijab but niqab hurts them a lot. I take it off as well when we travel to Tunis, (my husband is from Tunis) while we fear police problems. Now my question is: does it has a sense that I wear niqab nine mounths a year and the others three (holiday and my parent´s visits) I take it off? I tried to take it whole off even here in Germany but i felt so bad and I had to wear it again. Barakallahu fikum wa jazakum Allahu kheiran
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all, all perfect praise be to Allaah, Who guided you to Islam and we ask Him to make you firm and steadfast on His Religion until the day you meet Him.
Seeking to cover one's (whole) body and sticking to the Islamic etiquettes are one of the characteristics of believers. Therefore, we ask Allaah to increase your faith and protect you with regard to your religion and your worldly matters.
There is no doubt that Hijab is a religious obligation, therefore a woman is obliged to cover all her body with the exception of her face and hands in the presence of marriageable men, as there is a difference of opinion among the scholars 
with regard to whether or not a woman is obliged to cover her face and hands.
However, there is no doubt that covering them is better, as this is the most preponderant opinion of the scholars . Whenever a woman is able to cover her face and hands, then she should do so. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 81554 and 83033.
Therefore a woman should not unveil her face or her hands unless there is a preponderant benefit. Nonetheless, if you find it very difficult to wear Niqaab when your parents visit you, or when you are in the country which you mentioned in the question, then it permissible to show your face but you should cover it when there is no longer a necessity for doing so. You should not feel sorrowful by unveiling your face sometimes (provided that you do not apply make-up) as the religious benefit necessitated doing so, because in religion the religious benefit should be met in both cases.
Indeed, one of the religious fundamental rules is to commit the lesser of the two evils in order to repel the greater one, and to neglect a minor benefit in order to achieve a major one; this is one of the wisdoms of Allaah's Religion.
Allaah Knows best.
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