Discussion regarding a woman uncovering her face.

The questioner : O Shaykh, a question about a woman uncovering her face to people. There is a phenomenon here, and they say that the face and hands are not part of the awrah (part of the body that must be covered), and the phenomenon started... and the important point is... so what is your opinion of this initiative, and what is the status of the hadith that permitted them these things in terms of its authenticity, strength, and weakness?

The Shaykh : We have no opinion against the Shari'ah.

The questioner : Yes, the opinion of knowledge.

The Shaykh : And many of the ignorant take matters by emotions and not by the binding Islamic knowledge. So you said, as we heard from others, that the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face and her hands. And what is the most beautiful thing in the face?

The questioner : Yes?

The Shaykh : What is the most beautiful thing in a woman's face?

The questioner : The eyes and the smile.

The Shaykh : So is it not permissible for her to uncover her eyes to see the road?

The questioner : Yes?

The Shaykh : Is it not permissible for her to uncover her eyes to see her way?

The questioner : By Allah, it is not permissible for her to put the khimar (head covering) over her eyes so that she can see the road...

The Shaykh : What does she put?

The questioner : A small veil... so that she can look.

The Shaykh : And did this come in the Qur'an?

The questioner : No, it did not come in the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : So where did you bring it from?

The questioner : So that fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) is averted.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : Fitnah is averted.

The Shaykh : But, you are known as Abu Jamal and not by another kunyah (honorific name).

The questioner : Yes, Abu Jamal.

The Shaykh : Please, be careful in your speech.

The questioner : Yes?

The Shaykh : Be careful, meaning do not rush.

The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : What is in the hadith: Good.
The question came earlier based on the saying of some distinguished people: that the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, and no one can deny this. But this is a philosophy, not a Shari'ah, because this philosophy is countered by another philosophy, which is, as you heard earlier, what is the most beautiful thing in the face? Her eyes. Forget the smile, because no one says it is permissible, but the most beautiful thing in a woman is her eyes. So the face is from the creation of Allah, and the eyes in it are from the creation of Allah, whereas the smile is from the making of the human. She may smile or not smile.

The questioner : Or she may frown.

The Shaykh : Yes, so this is in your hand, whereas your beauty in your face and in your eyes is not from your earning, but rather it is from the creation of Allah. Nothing. Therefore, I say: it is not befitting to enter into addressing this issue in a way that resembles philosophy, because philosophy has no end, and the experience is before you now.
Where it was said: the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, then it was said the most beautiful thing in her face is her eyes. So if the first philosophy necessitates covering her face, the other philosophy necessitates: covering her eyes. Is that what is obligatory upon her? You said from your own opinion: she puts something, perhaps you mean the dark black glasses or something similar. So we said, where did you bring this addition from? You said: from the perspective of blocking the means to harm. But the Lawgiver is the Wise One who revealed the hijab (the covering prescribed for women), mentioning it in the Qur'an. What blocked the means to harm? Can we say: it blocked the means to harm? We cannot say: except that it blocked the means to harm.
So it is not for you to block the means to harm, because it has been blocked by the ruling of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. At that time, we return to the ruling of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: He said, the Exalted: So what is the meaning of "they lower"?

The questioner : They lower from above their heads.

The Shaykh : Not possible, not possible, hehehe.
Now, this abaya (outer garment) on you, okay? This is the jilbab (the outer garment) if the woman puts it on her head. Yes, what is your opinion, shall we do a practical lesson? You put the abaya on your head now.

The questioner : Yes, good.

The Shaykh : Do you accept that, or do you give me what I accept? Good, stand up so I can see.

The questioner : No, I am the one who stands up. Good, in the name of Allah, this abaya is over the head.

The Shaykh :

The questioner : We lower it.

The Shaykh : Yes, lower it, I will walk to see.

The questioner : A little, a little.

The Shaykh : No, you don't see. Because this is not an abaya, this is a ghutrah (headscarf) and not an abaya. The abaya is this jilbab.

The questioner : One piece.

The Shaykh : It is not important whether it is one piece or two pieces, the important thing is that it is thick and not transparent like the handkerchiefs that some women tie. No, it doesn't sit. Put the jilbab on your head, and cover your face with it.

The questioner : Do I lower it?

The Shaykh : Yes, go, go, you don't see. Is this what your Lord commanded you?

The questioner : We want the thing that benefits us with Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and does not cause fitnah.

The Shaykh : Well done. Your Lord knows best what He created: .
The first thing we must look at is the verse: it did not say "they cover their faces," but rather it said: "Idna" (lowering) is bringing close. So you, as you did earlier: the abaya like this, you lower it like this. You may lower it like this and not see the road, or you may lower it like this and see the road with one eye, or you may lower it like this and see the road with both eyes, or you may lower it like this with a little more exposure, etc.
This specification must have evidence. So we intend with the first experiment to show people in a practical way that those who go to the meaning that "idna" is covering are making a grave error, because either they ignore or they are unaware that if we applied the jilbab in the meaning of covering, we would blind the women to the road and they would not be able to take a single step, because the conditions of the jilbab are that it not be transparent, and that it be thick, is that not so?
So at that time, it is absolutely impossible to understand the verse in the meaning of covering, and the experiment is the greatest proof, correct? So what remains for us, since the meaning of "they lower" is negated, is negated for this word "they cover": we need to understand to what extent "they lower"? Here the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) entered, and this is its affair always and forever when it explains the Qur'an, it clarifies it and makes it clear.
The most easily understood example for all people in terms of the Sunnah clarifying the Qur'an is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: So carrion falls under this word: carrion of the sea. If we stopped at this Qur'anic text, we would forbid ourselves fish, correct? But the Messenger clarified that the carrion of fish is not included under this broad meaning of carrion that was forbidden by the text of the Noble Qur'an, so he said, peace and blessings be upon him: If we did not take the hadith, we would understand fish to be forbidden due to the generality of the verse, okay? If we did not pay attention to the Sunnah in the matter of the woman's face, we would understand that the woman must cover her face, because this is how the later scholars interpreted it, some of them saying that "they lower" means "they cover," and this, as we proved practically, is a false interpretation. Therefore, some of them were forced to say: she uncovers one eye, and some of them, may Allah reward them with good, widened the dispensation and said: she uncovers both eyes, but all of this is by independent legal reasoning.

The questioner : To avert fitnah.

The Shaykh : All of this is by independent legal reasoning.