Asalaamu alaikum wr wb dear readers and hello, welcome!
Update: This is one of my more popular blog posts, I’ve updated this post as some of the items I reference below are no longer available. The original post was written and published back in 2012.
I always chuckle when I read or hear people “not in the know” speculate on how women who wear Niqab are able to eat while wearing a niqab. Granted it does take some practice but it can be done and I know several niqabis from a variety of backgrounds who will nosh on fries or an ice cream cone alike while out and about in niqab. All it takes is skill – and know-how.
So, without further adieu, here are a couple tips Ive gathered over the years for how to comfortably eat in Niqab with out and about in public.
Please note I am not a Niqabi but over the decades I have occasionally worn Niqab, have had many many friends who wore/wear Niqab and I did for a time reside in Saudi Arabia (Al Khobar) so I am no stranger to Niqab.
A) Choose the right Niqab. Personally I’ve found and from talking to niqab wearing friends a headband Niqab tends to be the easiest to eat in. These are the ones with the headband and the flap of fabric over the face covering the nose and the mouth. The style originated in the GCC (Gulf Collective Countries; such as Saudi Arabia or UAE, etc). This Niqab style tends to have more room available to eat comfortably without showing much if any of the face.
Some design recommendations being choosing a headband niqab with a larger face covering flap thereby allowing you to easily and discreetly lift up a side of the Niqab to nosh. Even better, Niqabs with elastic attaching the face flap to the headband tends to have a decent amount of give making it much easier to lift one side up to eat. I understand the shorter, narrower headband niqabs are popular as well but those will readily show your face if you pull it up even a little.
Half niqabs should probably be avoided when you know you will be eating in public as they just cover the nose and lower face and fit more closely to the bridge of the nose and hence don’t have as much fabric or drap to allow for easy eating in Niqab.
B) What if you consider Niqab Mustahab? Another option and one that Ive seen many Niqabi sisters do, particularly the ones that consider Niqab to be Mustahab (recommended/preferred) but not Fardh (required) is that they will flip the headband niqab flap up over their heads and just eat that way. Many of these sisters will also wear a half-niqab with an elastic band in the back and pull them down under their chin to eat in public.
Disclaimer: Im not here to tell you that Niqab is required, recommended or anything else. Thats research you need to do…Just sayin’.
C) Choose a strategic location when eating in public. Many Niqabis I know will purposely and strategically choose a suitable location to eat when out in public. Such as, if in a restaurant sit so one side of your body is against a wall and facing a corner and discreetly lifting up that side of the Niqab to eat, or if a blank wall or family is in front then some Niqabis will just lift up the entire niqab or pulling the half niqab down exposing the face to eat. Granted a side view of the face may be had by doing so, but again, if you don’t consider Niqab to be required then thats something the wearer would need to decide if they are comfortable with.
Conversely I know many Niqabis that will not eat anything than a light, dry snack or drink a beverage when out in public preferring to eat at home in comfort. Niqabis just like all of us, have individual preferences and comfort levels.
As a side story, when I lived in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia for a year from 2009-2010 all restaurants at the time (and probably still now) had a regular section and a family or ladies section. Women and families would be seated in a private section with booths and curtains between each booth providing privacy to eat. Ladies sections have or had a similar set up but instead of private booths its a regular seating area where women (and women with underage children) can sit comfortably to eat or drink their beverage. Even as a non-Niqabi I found this set up exceedingly comfortable as I could loosen my hijab, maybe take of my abaya and relax to eat.
D) Choose the right foods and come prepared!
While I have had Niqab wearing friends join me for a lunch at a Restaurant and eat spaghetti most choose easier, drier meal options because getting sticky or greasy food on your face and Niqab is not pleasant especially if you will be out for several hours.
Some food suggestions Ive seen preferred are French fries dipped in minimal amounts of ketchup or mayo, wraps and burgers cut up into finger sized portions without tons of gooey sauces, steaks cut up into finger sized portions, drier veggies such as green beans. Corn on the cob cut up into small wedges would be easy as would salad cut up into smaller pieces but not drenched in a ton of dressing would work as well. Rice and noodles and saucy mains and sides while difficult can be done with practice and a strategic seating location. If your new to wearing Niqab you can always practice at home before going out or go to a “low stress” eating establishment with less customers and plenty of room to strategically sit.
I’d also recommend having a back-up or spare Niqab available if food does get on the Niqab.
E) Do “eating” Niqabs exist? Ok, yes and no. LOL. When I originally wrote this blog post back in 2012 there was a sister in Philadelphia that had developed a Niqab with a zipper in the front called a Zip-Niqab and then another Philadelphia based sister developed a headband niqab style where one side snaps to the headband allowing the wearer to unsnap that side and bring it outwards as a shield while eating. Unfortunately neither of those businesses appear to still be in operation although I have come across what appears to be a similar, possibly a knock-off version of the Zip-Niqab doing a basic Google search.
The original graphics from the original 2012 ZipNiqab.
I have in my research come across a design of Niqab coming out of ther Gulf countries which instead of just a flap of fabric over the face attached to a headband, it has 2 large pieces of fabric with an opening at the bottom. The bottom layer sits under the mouth allowing you to slide a straw or finger foods up under the larger outer piece of fabric to eat such as the Bedoon Essm “eating” Niqab.
Here is a selection of legitimate websites where you can purchase Niqabs such as the headband niqab, headband niqab with elastic attaching the face covering to the headband and the Bedoon Essm Eating Niqab.
UK-based (offer worldwide shipping)
| UK-Based (ship worldwide) | Bait Al-Abaya |
| Ina Collection | |
| USA-Based (ships worldwide) | SunnahStyle |
| Al-Shams Abayas | |
| Al Hannah | |
| My Sisters Closet |
Enshallah you’ve found this post helpful! Let me know what you think! If you think there is anything I missed or if you have a shop or design recommendation you want me to share please let me know.
–❤️Bailey Umm Ibrahim
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Although I like the idea of a zip niqab, I don’t think I would ever use one. In my mind, it defeats the purpose of a niqab to be covering the majority of the face except the mouth to eat. Idk. Just seems odd to me, but if anyone actually has experience using one, feel free to correct me! (although i suppose it would be pretty handy for those times when I”m driving and trying to eat at the same time.)
Typically eating isn’t hard. There are definitly a few things (like pasta and soup for example) that I have to really pay attention to (wouldn’t want a stray noodle getting sauce all over me) but mostly it’s OK. One trick is to cut everything into bite size pieces, so if you ever see a niqabi eating a cheeseburger with a fork and knife, please don’t make fun of me! 🙂
Funny story time- There was one time when I was eating some fries and I got so caught up in the conversation I was having that I ending up with french fry and ketchup all over the outside of my niqab. That was pretty hilarious actually. I’m sure every niqabi has a story or two like that.
That’s one thing that sucks a bit about Western Saudi/Hijaz most of the family seating is verrry public and very few restaurants have little closed booths or rooms. We just had to buy food and take it back to our hotel. Alhamdulillaah in London there are many places with private seating/rooms for families the bad thing is that the type of cuisine on offer at those places is often very pricey or not our favourite. Whenever I try and eat in niqab I always make a real hash of it lol so I prefer not to if possible.
I loved the restaurant I went to in pakistan. The booths had tall partitions between the booths and a Curtain on the aisle. So you had the choice of leaving the curtain open or closed. I got tickled when every one ordered ice cream, then his youngest daughter ordered a full meal. But she ate the whole thing!
Eating under my niqab was an action I did not like at all. Very messy business. After years of struggling I just used to flip it up and eat. Bismillah! lol
I can’t thank Allah enough for living in an arab-muslim country! Most restaurants have a family area or a partition they’d put up for you. And even if they don’t, you can’t demand for them to make a private space for you. Alhamdulillah!
And yes, Sara, I don’t get how some muslimaat just flips their niqab over their head and start eating like everybody else in public. For awhile, I was looking for a fatwaa or something saying it’s allowed and couldn’t find any. Sometimes I feel like walking up to the sister and asking her on what basis does she think its fine?