Q: Are the face photos of women in passports or elsewhere considered as exposing `Awrah (parts of the body that must be covered in public)? Is it permissible for a woman, who refuses to have her photo taken, to pay someone else to perform Hajj on her behalf, because she cannot get a passport for that reason? What are the limits of women's clothing according to the Qur'an and Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet)?

A: It is not permissible for a woman to allow her face to be photographed, whether in a passport or elsewhere, because her face is included in `Awrah, and because placing her face photo in a passport or on any other documents is one of the causes of arousing Fitnah (temptation) in men. (Part No. 17; Page No. 170) The whole of a woman's body is `Awrah, according to the evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Therefore, it is obligatory for a woman to cover all her body before non-Mahrams (not a spouse or permanently unmarriageable relatives), because Allah (Exalted be He) says: ...and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons And He (Exalted be He) says: And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen: that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.