Is disagreement a mercy, what is the niqab for women, and what is the reason for the weakness of the hadith of Asma' that specifies the face and hands?

Question:
The questioner from Sudan, Badriyah Muhammad, says: My question, Honorable Shaykh, is whether the disagreement regarding the niqab is considered among the fundamentals or the branches? We would like you to clarify for us the reason for the weakness of the hadith of Asma' that specifies the face and hands, and whether such disagreement is considered a mercy as some claim. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
The Shaykh: Disagreement is not considered a bond of kinship, for it indicates weakness and may cause something in people's hearts. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: So there is no good in disagreement. Whatever agreement and unity on good and truth is possible is better and more beautiful for the Muslim community. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) commanded unity. If a dispute occurs, Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: Disagreement in understanding and comprehension among the scholars in deriving issues from the texts does occur. However, it is obligatory to present the dispute and disagreement to the texts of the Book and the Sunnah, and to take what is supported by evidence. It is obligatory for the one who disagrees, once the truth becomes clear to him, to return to the truth, for returning to the truth is a virtue. By doing so, the dispute and disagreement are removed, by the permission of Allah. As for the niqab for women, it means covering the face with a covering that has two openings for the eyes. This is the niqab, and it is permissible for women who are accustomed to this, and it was part of the dress of the people of their land, because it covers the face except for the eyes. If this is the custom of the land and the custom of the women, there is nothing wrong with it. However, if it is not the custom of the land, and the custom of the land is the full covering, then it is better to remain with the full covering, because it is more complete, more beautiful, and more perfect than the niqab. Yes.
As for the hadith of Asma', the hadith of Asma', the reason for its weakness is from several angles. First, it is a broken chain (munqati'), and its narrator in it is also a weak narrator. Also, there is strangeness in its text; because how is it fitting for Asma' bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, the sister of A'ishah, the Mother of the Believers, and the wife of al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, one of the foremost among the first to embrace Islam, and a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), how is it fitting for this noble and virtuous woman from this good household to enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this state, in thin garments, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproves of her and says to her: "When a woman reaches such and such, it is not permissible for her to reveal except this and this," and he pointed to his face and his two hands. How is it fitting for Asma' to enter in this state?
Also, this hadith contradicts the Qur'anic verses that obligate covering the face and covering the hands from men. So it is a weak and anomalous hadith, and it is not permissible to act upon it. Yes.