Are you allowed to wear a face mask in Ihraam ?

Question:

Are you allowed to wear a face mask in Ihraam? Answer: ﺑﺴﻢ اﷲ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﯿﻢ In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

It is prohibited for a person in the state of ihram (i.e. a muhrim) to cover his face, e.g. wearing a mask, without a valid excuse. If the mask that he wore covered ¼ or more of his face, and he wore it for a complete day or night, he will have to slaughter a goat or sheep in the haram. If the mask covered ¼ or more of his face, and he wore it for less than a day or night, it would be necessary for him to give the amount equal to sadaqatul fitr (1.75 kg of wheat or its value) to those who are eligible to receive zakat. You may give this donation to the poor in your own country or send it overseas; that is to say, you are not restricted to donating within the Haram of Makkah, however, it is best to spend upon the poor people of the Haram. The aforementioned ruling will also apply if the amount covered of his face was less than ¼ irrespective of whether it was covered for a complete day or not. If the muhrim had a valid excuse for covering his face, e.g. COVID 19, it would be permissible to wear a mask and there is no sin on him, however, he will still be penalized. Furthermore, one should only cover that portion of the face that needs to be covered, e.g. mouth and nose. One should not cover other regions of the face unnecessarily, e.g. covering forehead and cheeks. If dam (slaughtering one sheep or goat) becomes necessary for him on account of covering his face, however, it was on the basis of a valid excuse, he will have the following options: 1. Slaughter one sheep or goat in the haram. 2. Give the amount of sadaqatul fitr or its value to 6 poor people each regardless of their location. 3. Fast three days consecutively or separately regardless of location. Should sadaqatul fitr become necessary for him to give to the poor on account of covering his face, however, it was on the basis of a valid excuse, he may give the full amount of sadaqatul fitr or less to a poor person or fast one day.

Raddul Muhtar: v. 3, p. 497 & 591-592 (Dar ‘Aalam Al-Kutub); Anwar e Manasik: p. 212-213 (Maktaba Yusufia Deoband); Nurul Idah: p. 269 (Bushra); Haj kay Masaail ka Encyclopedia: v. 3, p. 43 (Baytul Ammar Karachi); Fatawa Darul Uloom Zakariya: v. 3, p. 453-454 (Zam Zam); Ahsanul Fatawa: v. 4, p. 542-543 (HM Saeed Company)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah Darul Ifta Birmingham