Researched and written by ai with my prompts
Apparently, even two visible eyes can be considered too revealing.
A religious ruling published on September 8, 2026, by the Darul Ifta of Jamia Uloom Islamia, Binori Town, in Karachi, Pakistan, states that women should cover themselves from head to toe when leaving home, including their faces and noses, leaving only one eye exposed to see where they are going.
Yes, one eye.
The ruling specifically rejects a style of burqa that allows both eyes and the forehead to remain visible. And this isn't some questionable social-media screenshot circulating without a source. The ruling is published on the institution's own website, complete with its official fatwa number: 144609102247.
You can read the original Urdu ruling here.
When Two Eyes Become a Problem
The ruling responds to several questions about women's clothing, including whether a woman may attend gatherings wearing a niqab without a full burqa, whether different colours are acceptable, and whether modern niqabs exposing the eyebrows and forehead comply with Islamic requirements.
The religious institution's answer goes considerably further than simply recommending modest clothing.
According to its interpretation, women leaving home out of necessity must wear a sufficiently large outer covering that conceals the entire body. Their faces and noses must also be covered, with only one eye left visible for navigation.
The institution further states that clothing must be loose, opaque, undecorated and free of colours that might attract male attention. Perfume is also prohibited under its interpretation because of its potential to attract men.
The ruling extends beyond clothing. It states that men and women who are not closely related should have separate seating and eating arrangements at gatherings. Women are advised not to attend mixed gatherings where these arrangements cannot be maintained.
This Didn't Begin in September
Although the September 2026 ruling is recent, the one-eye interpretation is not new.
In April 2024, the same Pakistani institution published another ruling explaining how women should wear a scarf or outer covering. That document also referenced the interpretation that a woman should cover her face while leaving one eye visible.
It cited traditions attributed to Ibn Abbas and an account involving Ubaydah al-Salmani, who reportedly demonstrated his interpretation of Quran 33:59 by covering his head and face while exposing his left eye.
The distinction matters. A newly published ruling can attract attention without necessarily representing a newly adopted policy or a coordinated religious campaign.
But Does the Quran Actually Require This?
The institution bases its position partly on Quran 33:59, which instructs women to draw their outer garments around themselves.
However, the verse does not explicitly instruct women to expose only one eye.
That requirement comes from particular interpretations of the verse and associated religious traditions.
Islamic scholars have disagreed for centuries over whether women must cover their faces, whether the eyes may remain visible and whether facial covering is obligatory at all.
Even among scholars who advocate face covering, the exact extent of that covering remains disputed. An analysis published by Islam Question & Answer discusses the one-eye interpretation while acknowledging that a specific requirement to conceal one eye is not established as an obligatory practice.
The difference between a religious text and a particular scholar's interpretation of that text is worth remembering, especially when the interpretation determines how much of a woman's face she is permitted to show.
What About Iraq?
Similar concerns have circulated about religious authorities in Iraq, but I could not verify a comparable September 2026 directive from Iraqi imams requiring women to abandon two-eye openings in favour of one.
Iraq has experienced periods of severe religious restrictions on women's clothing, particularly in territory formerly controlled by the Islamic State. Historical documents concerning that organization's rules on women's appearance are preserved in the Combating Terrorism Center's archives at West Point.
Those records are evidence of historical restrictions, not proof of a current Iraqi government policy or a new nationwide religious directive.
A Religious Ruling Is Not National Law
It is also important to distinguish between a fatwa and legislation.
A fatwa is a religious legal opinion issued by a qualified Islamic scholar or religious institution. It may carry considerable authority among followers, but it does not automatically become enforceable national law.
There is currently no verified evidence from this ruling that Pakistan has introduced legislation requiring all women to wear a one-eye niqab.
Nevertheless, religious rulings can influence expectations within families, schools and communities. Whether a particular opinion becomes socially enforced depends on the surrounding circumstances and the authority individuals grant to the institution issuing it.
A woman does not necessarily need to face a government fine for a religious instruction to affect her daily life.
Where Does Modesty End and Control Begin?
There is an important distinction between a woman choosing to cover herself according to her own beliefs and a religious authority determining that even her second eye must remain concealed.
A woman who freely chooses a niqab, hijab or other religious clothing is exercising her personal autonomy. That choice deserves respect.
But the September ruling raises a different question: how far should an institution's interpretation of modesty extend into decisions about another person's body?
The restrictions outlined here are not limited to avoiding revealing clothing. They address eyebrows, foreheads, colours, fragrances, social gatherings and the circumstances under which women should leave their homes.
The underlying concern repeatedly returns to whether a woman's appearance might attract male attention.
Yet the responsibility for controlling that attention is placed overwhelmingly on the woman.
If two visible eyes are considered problematic, what precisely is being protected, and whose responsibility should that protection be?
There is also the practical matter of navigating the world with a deliberately restricted field of vision. Walking through traffic, managing stairs, caring for children and moving through unfamiliar environments all require visual awareness. Reducing that awareness in the name of modesty introduces an entirely different set of considerations.
Religious freedom includes the right to practise one's beliefs, but it also includes the freedom to question religious interpretations and make personal decisions without coercion.
The Bigger Question
This story isn't about every Muslim woman, nor does one religious institution speak for an entire religion. Muslim women hold a wide range of views about covering, modesty and personal choice.
It is about a documented religious ruling, issued in September 2026, that regards two visible eyes and a forehead as unacceptable exposure.
And it raises questions worth asking regardless of religion.
When does modesty become an externally imposed standard rather than a personal conviction? How much authority should religious institutions have over women's appearance? And why does the responsibility for managing men's attention so frequently become a restriction on women's freedom?
The Pakistani ruling is real. Its language is explicit. Its interpretation is not universally accepted, and there is no verified evidence that it represents a new nationwide legal requirement.
But the document itself is revealing enough.
When even the second eye becomes a matter for religious regulation, perhaps the discussion should be about more than the fabric covering it.
Sources and further reading:
1. Jamia Uloom Islamia, Binori Town — September 8, 2026. Original ruling on purdah, niqab and burqa, Fatwa No. 144609102247. Read the ruling.
2. Jamia Uloom Islamia — April 2024. Earlier ruling discussing how women should wear a scarf and referencing the one-eye interpretation. Read the original.
3. Quran 33:59. The verse concerning women's outer garments. Read the verse and translations.
4. Islam Question & Answer. Discussion of the religious evidence and differing interpretations concerning facial covering and exposing one eye.
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