Ruling on Covering the Face of Wmen (IslamQA.com)

7/27/2019 Ruling on Covering the Face of Wmen (IslamQA.com)

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R uling on covering the face, w ith detailed evidence


I w ould like to know those verses in quran w hich talk about the covering of

face by w om en as i need to show it few persons w ho w ant to know w hether

covering of face by w om en is com pulsory or optional.

P raise be to A llaah.

Y ou should note that w om en s observing hijab

in front of non-m ahram m en and covering their faces is som ething that is

obligatory as is indicated by the B ook of your Lord and the S unnah of

your P rophet (peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ), and by rational

exam ination and analogy.

1 E vidence from the Q uraan

(i)

A llaah says (interpretation of the m eaning):

A nd tell the believing w om en to low er

their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts

(from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornm ent

except only that w hich is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the

w ay, or outer palm s of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves,headcover, apron), and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their

bodies, faces, necks and bosom s) and not to reveal their adornm ent

except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband s fathers, or their

sons, or their husband s sons, or their brothers or their

brothers sons, or their sisters sons, or their (M uslim ) w om en (i.e. their

sisters in Islam ), or the (fem ale) slaves w hom their right hands

possess, or old m ale servants w ho lack vigour, or sm all children w ho have

no sense of fem inine sex. A nd let them not stam p their feet so as toreveal w hat they hide of their adornm ent. A nd all of you beg A llaah to

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forgive you all, O believers, that you m ay be successful

[al-N oor 24:31]

The evidence from this verse that hijab is obligatory for w om en is as

follow s:

(a)

A llaah com m ands the believing w om en to guard their chastity, and the

com m and to guard their chastity also a com m and to follow all

the m eans of doing that. N o rational person w ould doubt that one of them eans of doing so is covering the face, because uncovering it causes

people to look at it and enjoy its beauty, and thence to initiate contact. The

M essenger of A llaah (peace and blessings of A llaah be upon

him ) said: The eyes com m it zina and their zina is by looking then he

said, and the private part confirm s that or denies it. N arrated by

al-B ukhaari,

6612; M uslim , 2657.

If covering the face is one of the m eans of

guarding one s chastity, then it is enjoined, because the m eans com e under

the sam e ruling as the ends.

(b)

A llaah says (interpretation of the m eaning): and to draw their veils all

over Juyoobihinna (i.e.their bodies, faces, necks and bosom s) . The jayb (pl. juyoob) is the

neck opening of a garm ent and the khim aar (veil)

is that w ith w hich a w om an covers her head. If a w om an is com m anded to

draw her veil over the neck opening of her garm ent then she is com m anded

to

cover her face, either because that is im plied or by analogy. If it is obligatory

to cover the throat and chest, then it is m ore appropriate to

cover the face because it is the site of beauty and attraction.

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(c)

A llaah has forbidden show ing all adornm ent except that w hich is apparent,

w hich is that w hich one cannot help show ing, such as theoutside of one's garm ent. H ence A llaah says (interpretation of the m eaning):

except only that w hich is apparent

and H e did not say, except that w hich they show of it. S om e of the salaf,

such as Ibn M as ood, al-H asan, Ibn S ireen and others interpreted the

phrase except only that w hich is apparent as m eaning the outer garm ent

and clothes, and w hat show s from beneath the outer garm ent (i.e.,

the hem of one s dress etc.). Then H e again forbids show ing one s

adornm ent except to those for w hom H e m akes an exception. This indicatesthat

the second adornm ent m entioned is som ething other than the first

adornm ent. The first adornm ent is the external adornm ent w hich appears to

everyone and cannot be hidden. The second adornm ent is the inw ard

adornm ent (including the face). If it w ere perm issible for this adornm ent to

be

seen by everyone, there w ould be no point to the general w ording in the first

instance and this exception m ade in the second.

(d)

A llaah grants a concession allow ing a w om an to show her inw ard

adornm ents to old m ale servants w ho lack vigour , i.e.

servants w ho are m en w ho have no desire, and to sm all children w ho have

not reached the age of desire and have not seen the aw rahs of w om en.

Thisindicates tw o things:

1 That show ing inw ard

adornm ents to non-m ahram s is not perm issible except to these tw o types of

people.

2 That the reason for

this ruling is the fear that m en m ay be tem pted by the w om an and fall in lovew ith her. U ndoubtedly the face is the site of beauty and attraction,

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so concealing it is obligatory lest m en w ho do feel desire be attracted and

tem pted by her.

(e)

The w ords (interpretation of the m eaning): A nd let them not stam p their feet

so as to reveal w hat

they hide of their adornm ent m ean that a w om an should not stam p her feet

so as to m ake know n hidden adornm ents such as anklets and the like.

If a w om an is forbidden to stam p her feet lest m en be tem pted by w hat they

hear of the sound of her anklets etc., then w hat about uncovering the

face?

W hich is the greater source of tem ptation a

m an hearing the anklets of a w om an w hom he does not know w ho she is or

w hether she is beautiful, or w hether she is young or old, or ugly or

pretty? O r his looking at a beautiful youthful face that attracts him and

invites him to look at it?

E very m an w ho has any desire for w om en w illknow w hich of the tw o tem ptations is greater and w hich deserves to be

hidden and concealed.

(ii)


A nd as for w om en past childbearing w ho donot expect w edlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing

in such a w ay as not to show their adornm ent. B ut to refrain (i.e.

not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them . A nd A llaah is

A ll-H earer, A ll-K now er

[al-N oor 24:60]

The evidence from this verse is that A llaahstates that there is no sin on old w om en w ho have no hope of m arriage

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because m en have no desire for them , due to their old age (if they discard

their outer clothing), subject to the condition that their intention in doing so is

not to m ake a w anton display of them selves. The fact that this

ruling applies only to old w om en indicates that the ruling is different foryoung w om en w ho still hope to get m arried. If the ruling on discarding

the outer clothing applied to all, there w ould be no point in singling out old

w om en here.

The phrase in such a w ay as not to show

their adornm ent offers further proof that hijab is obligatory for young w om en

w ho hope to m arry, because usually w hen they uncover their

faces the intention is to m ake a w anton display (tabarruj) and to show offtheir beauty and m ake m en look at them and adm ire them etc. Those w ho

do otherw ise are rare, and the ruling does not apply to rare cases.

(iii)


O P rophet! Tell your w ives and yourdaughters and the w om en of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all

over their bodies (i.e. screen them selves com pletely except the eyes or

one eye to see the w ay). That w ill be better, that they should be know n (as

free respectable w om en) so as not to be annoyed. A nd A llaah is E ver

O ft-Forgiving, M ost M erciful

[al-A hzaab 33:59]

Ibn A bbaas (m ay Allaah be pleased w ith him )said: A llaah com m anded the believing w om en, if they go out of their houses

for som e need, to cover their faces from the top of their heads w ith

their jilbaabs, and to leave one eye show ing.

The tafseer of the S ahaabah is evidence,

indeed som e of the scholars said that it com es under the sam e ruling as

m arfoo reports that go back to the P rophet (peace and blessings of

A llaah be upon him ).

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The com m ent and leave one eye show ing is a

concession because of the need to see the w ay; if there is no need for that

then the eye should not be uncovered.

The jilbaab is the upper garm ent that com es

above the khim aar; it is like the abaya.

(iv) A llaah says (interpretation of the

m eaning):

It is no sin on them (the P rophets

w ives, if they appear unveiled) before their fathers, or their sons, or theirbrothers, or their brothers sons, or the sons of their sisters, or

their ow n (believing) w om en, or their (fem ale) slaves. A nd (O ladies), fear

(keep your duty to) A llaah. V erily, A llaah is E ver A ll-W itness over

everything

[al-A hzaab 33:55]

Ibn K atheer (m ay A llaah have m ercy on him )said: W hen A llaah com m anded the w om en to observe hijab in front of

non-m ahram m en, he explained that they did not have to observe hijab in

front

of these relatives, as H e explained that they are exem pted in S oorat al-N oor

w here H e said (interpretation of the m eaning): and not to reveal

their adornm ent except to their husbands

2 E vidence from the S unnah that it isobligatory to cover the face

(i)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of

A llaah be upon him ) said: W hen any one of you proposes m arriage to a

w om an, there is no sin on him if he looks at her, rather he should look at

her for the purpose of proposing m arriage even if she is unaw are. N arratedby A hm ad. The author of M ajm a al-Zaw aa id said: its m en are

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the m en of saheeh.

The evidence here is the fact that the

P rophet (peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) said there is no sin onthe m an w ho is proposing m arriage, subject to the condition that

his looking be for the purpose of proposing m arriage. This indicates that the

one w ho is not proposing m arriage is sinning if he looks at a non-m ahram

w om an in ordinary circum stances, as is the one w ho is proposing m arriage

if he looks for any purpose other than proposing m arriage, such as for

the purpose of enjoym ent etc.

If it is said that the hadeeth does notclearly state w hat is being looked at, and it m ay m ean looking at the chest

etc, the response is that the m an w ho is proposing m arriage looks at

the face because it is the focus for the one w ho is seeking beauty, w ithout a

doubt.

(ii)

W hen the P rophet (peace and blessings ofA llaah be upon him ) com m anded that w om en should be brought out to the

E id prayer place, they said, O M essenger of A llaah, som e of us do not have

jilbaabs. The P rophet (peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) said,

Let her sister give her one of her jilbaabs to w ear. N arrated by

al-B ukhaari and M uslim .

This hadeeth indicates that the usualpractice am ong the w om en of the S ahaabah w as that a w om an w ould not

go out w ithout a jilbaab, and that if she did not have a jilbaab she w ould not

go out. The com m and to w ear a jilbaab indicates that it is essential to cover.

A nd A llaah know s best.

(iii)

It w as narrated in al-S aheehayn that A a ishah (m ay A llaah be pleased w ith her) said: The M essenger of A llaah

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(peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) used to pray Fajr and

the believing w om en w ould attend the prayer w ith him , w rapped in their

veils, then they w ould go back to their hom es and no one w ould recognize

them because of the darkness. S he said: If the M essenger of A llaah (peaceand blessings of A llaah be upon him ) saw from the w om en w hat w e

have seen, he w ould have prevented them from com ing to the m osques as

the C hildren of Israel prevented their w om en.

A sim ilar report w as also narrated by

A bd-A llaah ibn M as ood (m ay A llaah be pleased w ith him ).

The evidence from this hadeeth covers tw oissues:

1 H ijaab and covering w ere the practice of

the w om en of the S ahaabah w ho w ere the best of generations and the m ost

honourable before A llaah.

2 A a ishah the M other of the B elievers and

A bd-A llaah ibn M as ood (m ay Allaah be pleased w ith them both), w ho w ereboth know n as scholars w ith deep insight, said that if the M essenger

(peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) had seen from w om en w hat

they had seen, he w ould have prevented them from com ing to the m osques.

This

w as during the best generations, so w hat about now adays?!

(iv)

It w as narrated that Ibn U m ar said: The

M essenger of A llaah (peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) said:

W hoever lets his garm ent drag out of pride, A llaah w ill not look at

him on the D ay of R esurrection. U m m S alam ah said, W hat should w om en

do w ith their hem s? H e said, Let it hang dow n a handspan. S he said,

W hat

if that show s her feet? H e said, Let it hang dow n a cubit, but no m ore than

that. N arrated by al-Tirm idhi; classed as saheeh by al-A lbaani inS aheeh al-Tirm idhi.

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This hadeeth indicates that it is obligatory for w om en to cover their feet, and

that this w as

som ething that w as w ell know n am ong the w om en of the S ahaabah (m ayA llaah be pleased w ith them ). The feet are undoubtedly a lesser source of

tem ptation than the face and hands, so a w arning concerning som ething

that is less serious is a w arning about som ething that is m ore serious and

to w hich the ruling applies m ore. The w isdom of sharee ah m eans that it

w ould not enjoin covering som ething that is a lesser source of tem ptation

and allow uncovering som ething that is a greater source of tem ptation. This

is an im possible contradiction that cannot be attributed to the w isdom

and law s of A llaah.

(v)

It w as narrated that Aa ishah said: The

riders used to pass by us w hen w e w ere w ith the M essenger of A llaah

(peace and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) in ihraam . W hen they cam e

near us w e w ould low er our jilbaabs from our heads over our faces, and

w hen they had passed by w e w ould uncover our faces. N arrated by A buDawood,

1562.

The w ords W hen they cam e near us w e w ould

low er our jilbaabs from our heads over our faces indicate that it is obligatory

to cover the face, because w hat is prescribed in ihraam is to

uncover it. If there w as no strong reason to prevent uncovering it, it w ould

be obligatory to leave it uncovered even w hen the riders w ere passingby. In other w ords, w om en are obliged to uncover their faces during ihraam

according to the m ajority of scholars, and nothing can override

som ething that is obligatory except som ething else that is also obligatory. If

it w ere not obligatory to observe hijab and cover the face in the

presence of non-m ahram m en, there w ould be no reason not to uncover it in

ihraam . It w as proven in al-S aheehayn and elsew here that a w om an

in ihraam is forbidden to w ear the niqaab (face veil) and gloves.

S haykh al-Islam Ibn Taym iyah said: This is

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one of the things w hich indicate that the niqaab and gloves w ere know n

am ong w om en w ho w ere not in ihraam , w hich im plies that they covered

their

faces and hands.

These are nine points of evidence from the

Q uraan and Sunnah.

The tenth is:

R ational exam ination and analogy w hich form the basis of this perfect

sharee ah, w hich aim s tohelp people achieve w hat is in their best interests and encourages the

m eans that lead to that, and to denounce evil and block the m eans that lead

to it.

If w e think about unveiling and w om en show ing

their faces to non-m ahram m en, w e w ill see that it involves m any bad

consequences. E ven if w e assum e that there are som e benefits in it, theyare

very few in com parison w ith its negative consequences. Those negative

consequences include:

1 Fitnah (tem ptation). B y unveiling her

face, a w om an m ay be tem pted to do things to m ake her face look m ore

beautiful. This is one of the greatest causes of evil and corruption.

2 Taking aw ay haya (m odesty, shyness) from

w om en, w hich is part of faith and of a w om an s nature (fitrah). W om en are

exam ples of m odesty, as it w as said, m ore shy than a virgin in her

seclusion. Taking aw ay a w om an s m odesty detracts from her faith and the

natural inclination w ith w hich she w as created.

3 M en m ay be tem pted by her, especially if

she is beautiful and she flirts, laughs and jokes, as happens in the case ofm any of those w ho are unveiled. The S haytaan flow s through the son of

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A dam like blood.

4 M ixing of m en and w om en. If a w om an

thinks that she is equal w ith m en in uncovering her face and going aroundunveiled, she w ill not be m odest and w ill not feel too shy to m ix w ith

m en. This leads to a great deal of fitnah (tem ptation) and w idespread

corruption. A l-Tirm idhi narrated (5272) from H am zah ibn A bi U sayd from his

father that he heard the M essenger of A llaah (peace and blessings of

A llaah be upon him ) say, w hen he w as com ing out of the m osque and he

saw

m en m ingling w ith w om en in the street; the M essenger of A llaah (peace

and blessings of A llaah be upon him ) said to the w om en, D raw back, anddo not w alk in the m iddle of the road; keep to the sides of the road. Then

the w om en used to keep so close to the w alls that their garm ents w ould

catch on the w alls because they kept so close to them .

C lassed as hasan by al-A lbaani in S aheeh

al-Jaam i, 929

A dapted from the w ords of S haykh M uham m ad ibn U thaym een (m ay A llaah have m ercy on him ) in R isaalat al-H ijaab.

A nd A llaah know s best.

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Ruling on Covering the Face of Wmen (IslamQA.com)