The Method of the Niqab of the Prophet’s Wives and a Woman Going Out Alone in Lands of Disbelief
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : All right, my brother Zuhayr asked me this. Who is Zuhayr? Zuhayr who lives here. And peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy.
The questioner : Certainly, how are you, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, may I ask a question, if Allah wills?
The Shaykh : Please, go ahead.
The questioner : What is the method reported regarding the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in wearing the niqab: is it covering the eyes or uncovering them? That is the question. Another question: if a woman wears the niqab according to the conditions mentioned in the Sunnah, is it permissible for her to go out alone to buy some things or to visit the sick or one of her sisters in Islam, especially since we are here in the Netherlands? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Especially in the Netherlands, and you are speaking from the Netherlands now. What has kept you in the lands of disbelief?
The questioner : Shaykh, it is difficult to answer this question, I mean.
The Shaykh : Huh? The intention is to remind you, so flee to Allah, flee from the lands of disbelief to the lands of Islam as quickly as possible. As for the answer to the first question, we do not have a clear text that is suitable to present to you as an answer to your question, but it appears that the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cover their faces with the same jilbab, not with something extra to it. Even though the niqab was known in the time of the revelation of the verse[Al-Anfal 8:70] [Al-Ahzab 33:59], the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cover their faces with the same jilbab, but they used to uncover the eyes out of necessity to see the road. This is because among the specific characteristics of the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was that they did not uncover anything of their bodies, not even the hands, let alone the face, which is the prominent place of a woman’s adornment and beauty.
The questioner : I mean, this is specific to the wives of the Messenger only.
The Shaykh : Yes, but I rushed in, and I said “but,” and you got ahead of me, so I wanted to make an exception to say that this ruling is specific to the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars, which is the opinion of the majority among them. I say this to clarify the reality, not because I am a follower of the majority, because I do not believe in following the majority, and also because there are proofs that are decisive for us that a woman’s face and her hands are not part of her awrah (the part of the body that must be covered). However, covering them is better for the Muslim woman in general than exposing them, especially if she is beautiful and she fears for herself that men may be tempted by her. In this case only, it is obligatory for her to cover her face. Is the answer clear?
The questioner : It is clear, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, what was your second question?
The questioner : If a woman wears the niqab according to the conditions mentioned in the Sunnah, is it permissible for her to go out alone to buy some things and visit the sick or one of the sisters in Islam, especially since we are here in the Netherlands, I mean?
The Shaykh : I say: It is permissible for her to do so, on the condition that she does not mix with the foreigners.
The questioner : The foreigners from where?
The Shaykh : The foreigners.
The questioner : In the Dutch language, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : In Arabic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, she does not mix with people, especially if they are disbelievers. And you are living in the lands of disbelief, may Allah save you from it.
The questioner : But when she buys things, for example, is she not touching the disbelievers?
The Shaykh : And this is what I feared.
The questioner : Things that would lead to a relationship between her and the disbelievers.
The Shaykh : This is what I warned you about. So with this condition it is permissible, otherwise it is not.
The questioner : With success. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Something else, meaning how is my brother Ali? And how is my brother Mashhur?
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, he is well and he is hearing you.
The questioner : Good, we have reached the sound, if Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills, it will reach him.
The questioner : Your love for us was great.
The Shaykh : Without an intermediary, and may Allah love you.
The questioner : The one you loved.
The Shaykh : For Him. And you know the condition of love for Allah, do you know what it is?
The questioner : You mentioned it, Shaykh, that is better.
The Shaykh : What is it? The Messenger of Allah said regarding it[Ali 'Imran 3:31], and love for Allah is this condition. Otherwise, the poet’s words will come to pass: “You disobey Allah while you display your love for Him. By your life, this is a strange measure. If your love were sincere, you would have obeyed Him. Indeed, the lover is obedient to the one he loves.” The lesson from this last statement is that the lover is obedient to the one he loves. So save yourself from the lands of disbelief as soon as possible, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Well, I am telling you something, meaning something, one of the reasons that made me...
The Shaykh : No, no, no, do not call these reasons.
The questioner : My times.
The Shaykh : Leave the reasons between you and your Lord; I am merely an honest advisor to you.
The questioner : And upon you, peace.
The Shaykh : That is enough, and peace be upon you.
The questioner : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : Certainly, how are you, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah, may I ask a question, if Allah wills?
The Shaykh : Please, go ahead.
The questioner : What is the method reported regarding the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in wearing the niqab: is it covering the eyes or uncovering them? That is the question. Another question: if a woman wears the niqab according to the conditions mentioned in the Sunnah, is it permissible for her to go out alone to buy some things or to visit the sick or one of her sisters in Islam, especially since we are here in the Netherlands? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Especially in the Netherlands, and you are speaking from the Netherlands now. What has kept you in the lands of disbelief?
The questioner : Shaykh, it is difficult to answer this question, I mean.
The Shaykh : Huh? The intention is to remind you, so flee to Allah, flee from the lands of disbelief to the lands of Islam as quickly as possible. As for the answer to the first question, we do not have a clear text that is suitable to present to you as an answer to your question, but it appears that the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cover their faces with the same jilbab, not with something extra to it. Even though the niqab was known in the time of the revelation of the verse
O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, "If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّtell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments
قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّThe questioner : I mean, this is specific to the wives of the Messenger only.
The Shaykh : Yes, but I rushed in, and I said “but,” and you got ahead of me, so I wanted to make an exception to say that this ruling is specific to the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars, which is the opinion of the majority among them. I say this to clarify the reality, not because I am a follower of the majority, because I do not believe in following the majority, and also because there are proofs that are decisive for us that a woman’s face and her hands are not part of her awrah (the part of the body that must be covered). However, covering them is better for the Muslim woman in general than exposing them, especially if she is beautiful and she fears for herself that men may be tempted by her. In this case only, it is obligatory for her to cover her face. Is the answer clear?
The questioner : It is clear, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Okay, what was your second question?
The questioner : If a woman wears the niqab according to the conditions mentioned in the Sunnah, is it permissible for her to go out alone to buy some things and visit the sick or one of the sisters in Islam, especially since we are here in the Netherlands, I mean?
The Shaykh : I say: It is permissible for her to do so, on the condition that she does not mix with the foreigners.
The questioner : The foreigners from where?
The Shaykh : The foreigners.
The questioner : In the Dutch language, our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : In Arabic.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, she does not mix with people, especially if they are disbelievers. And you are living in the lands of disbelief, may Allah save you from it.
The questioner : But when she buys things, for example, is she not touching the disbelievers?
The Shaykh : And this is what I feared.
The questioner : Things that would lead to a relationship between her and the disbelievers.
The Shaykh : This is what I warned you about. So with this condition it is permissible, otherwise it is not.
The questioner : With success. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : Something else, meaning how is my brother Ali? And how is my brother Mashhur?
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, he is well and he is hearing you.
The questioner : Good, we have reached the sound, if Allah wills, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills, it will reach him.
The questioner : Your love for us was great.
The Shaykh : Without an intermediary, and may Allah love you.
The questioner : The one you loved.
The Shaykh : For Him. And you know the condition of love for Allah, do you know what it is?
The questioner : You mentioned it, Shaykh, that is better.
The Shaykh : What is it? The Messenger of Allah said regarding it
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُThe questioner : Well, I am telling you something, meaning something, one of the reasons that made me...
The Shaykh : No, no, no, do not call these reasons.
The questioner : My times.
The Shaykh : Leave the reasons between you and your Lord; I am merely an honest advisor to you.
The questioner : And upon you, peace.
The Shaykh : That is enough, and peace be upon you.
The questioner : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Source
سلسلة الهدى والنور، المجلس 1138 — d3watuna.com (14:53)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.