Continuation of the discussion on the issue of a woman uncovering her face, and whether it is in the interest of the country not to publish the book *The Muslim Woman’s Jilbab*.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : ... and one is not to be blamed for ...
The Shaykh : Is it not better to look into the issue fundamentally? For example, I currently have a book on *The Muslim Woman’s Hijab*. Can I withdraw this book from the market while I am in the process of reprinting it, because in some countries, like yours as you say, it is in the interest not to publish this opinion, even if it is correct? I cannot withdraw this book, and I issue rulings based on what is in it, and every time a response comes against it, my faith in it increases. I try as much as I can to be wise, so I do not stir up this issue, and this is the occasion now. This man sent word that he wants to debate me on this issue, and the group came and informed me, and I told them: I have no objection, but this speech will be recorded and will spread and be broadcast, so who is responsible, I wonder? Is it this stranger, Al-Albani, who left the country after so many years, or are they the ones who are harassing him and directing these questions at him? So they, the people of this country, are the ones responsible. And I am not able to be hypocritical or to equivocate, but rather I present my opinion with complete clarity and defend my opinion with all my right, and so on.
As for it being said: "By Allah, it is in the interest of the country" "The people of Makkah know their valleys best", "The owner of the house knows best who is in it", but this does not mean that I am concealing the knowledge and not clarifying it, because the Islamic countries are not only these countries, and praise be to Allah, there are other countries. Look now at how I view the matter. There are countries, and we know this well, like Syria, like Jordan, and like Egypt. I went to Egypt about fifteen years ago, I went twice, and the Qasimi unveiling, Qasim Amin, was prevalent in those Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian countries, and so on. But now I see the phenomenon of hijab progressing, even if with some hesitation. But, may Allah have mercy on us, some evil is less than some. Previously, the woman would go out with her hair, her neck, and her arms exposed, and so on. But now, in Syria and Jordan, even in Lebanon before the civil war, I used to see in the streets one or two girls out of dozens of unveiled women. So now, at a time when in such countries, for example, they are maintaining the full hijab, and I support this and do not fight it—perhaps you remember that—but I do not want to say: it is forbidden, uncovering the face is forbidden, because the evidence I have does not stand for this prohibition.
Then I do not want to be strict regarding the other countries where, if the woman reaches with us the full hijab, covering the face and hands, we say: May Allah reward them with good, and may Allah reward with good those who strived to bring the women’s society to this stage.
Another stage comes where it is better that you cover your face and hands so that they are not seen. So, it is not in the interest to conceal the knowledge, O Professor, nor the issue, especially since the means of spreading knowledge today are not confined to one country over another. So, what I testify to Allah with must go to all countries. As for some countries or some rulers or princes exploiting the right in order to support the falsehood, this is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation. Do the Christians not exploit some of the Qur’anic verses to support the divinity of Isa? Do you not know that?!
Among the Christians, they have composed treatises supporting the divinity of Isa with some of the Qur’anic verses, despite the Qur’an’s explicit statement:[Al-Ma'idah 5:73] The important thing is that the one who wants to fish in murky water is not stopped by anything, and he is stubborn and misguiding, and so on. So, I do not see that knowledge should be concealed, even though I know that knowledge and its people may also be exploited at times.
In summary:
It is better that we discuss this issue and debate it, so that perhaps we may hear something new from both parties, and it may bring us closer to a convergence of viewpoint on this. This is better than making regional literary suggestions, because in another country, the matter may require the exact opposite.
The questioner : Every country has what suits it.
The Shaykh : That is it, and our opinion suits both countries. Perhaps you remember that one of the titles of my book *The Legitimacy of Covering the Face* was a refutation of people I still know who are alive in Lebanon and in Tripoli of Sham, specifically, who consider a woman covering her face to be an innovation. So, I refuted them and said: This is not from the innovations, because many of the female Companions used to imitate the Mothers of the Believers, who did not uncover their faces.
So, a society like this, in which some say that a woman covering her face is an innovation, is not easy to convince that it is obligatory. But the principle is that it should be said: You erred, how is it an innovation? And there are many reports and authentic hadiths and narrations that covering the face was known in the time of the Messenger, and that is sufficient in that, his saying:Muwatta Malik 20:17, because the implication of the hadith at that time was that the non-mahram woman veils herself, so how can it be said that this is an innovation?!
So, "The best of matters is the middle, and loving extremes is wrong", throw the word of truth and then do not care. As for the people of the country, by Allah, they have a special position, for the people of Makkah know their valleys best. Is it possible that we may hear a viewpoint on the issue from a Sharia perspective and the evidence coming in it, if you wish, and I do not put you in a difficult position.
The questioner : What I know on the subject is the hadith of Aisha when Safwan came, she said:, and the other evidence in which uncovering the face is permissible, most of it is possible that it was before the revelation of the hijab. There are some narrations that are not explicit that they indicate the abrogation of this matter actually.
The Shaykh : A word of fairness, may Allah bless you:
Do the evidence of those who say that covering the face, the woman’s face, is obligatory and that the face is an awrah, do they not admit that it is not definitive, meaning?
The questioner : It is definitive for them.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : It is for them.
The Shaykh : I am not debating with them, I am debating with the Sultan. Is it definitive for you?
The questioner : I mentioned it to you at the beginning.
The Shaykh : Because, may Allah bless you, do not hold me to this, I have lived, and therefore, as many as I have lovers like you, I have many haters. This style is not the style of knowledge, and it is opening the door of probability to the opponent’s evidence, because this opponent will meet you with the same, and at that time you must prove that your evidence is definitive, and there is no way to that. Where is the definitive evidence that the woman’s face is an awrah? And I mention that it is forbidden to look at it, but it is not permissible for her to uncover her face. Where is the definitive evidence in this?!
Therefore, the issue really needs a re-examination without being influenced by the regional atmosphere in which a person lives, because you know well, if Allah wills, that the environment, just as it affects physical health, also affects mental health. Do you see this with me?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the people who live in atmospheres full of rocks may say what we quoted to you earlier about that Lebanese man that it is an innovation, and the people who live in other atmospheres say it is forbidden. So, there is something called the present age, and this is not an easy matter that the researcher must be free from all environmental influences and study the issue on the Sharia evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and submit to it. So, wherever it leads him, he is with it, and this is few among people.
The questioner : And this, may Allah protect you, is in matters where a person can describe them with complete clarity. But some issues, he cannot do so except after long research and investigation. So, an issue like this is not one where a person can say in just one or two sessions that this is the truth, because every party has evidence. As you mentioned some of it, some may be definitive and some may not be definitive. For this, I said from the beginning that I am in a state of hesitation.
The Shaykh : Yes, but after you said that, you followed it with your saying: that the evidence that says the face is not an awrah, meaning, is not definitive, it is probable, so it was opposed. When it was opposed, you did not stand by your opinion, you were in hesitation, you said: definitive.
The questioner : For them.
The Shaykh : Heh, the research is not with them; they are not present. The research is with the Sultan. In any case, my target is you, so do not hold it against me that I did not bring the book with me so that I could prepare myself for any discussion our brothers might impose on me. However, I have been saturated with the idea for many years, and I know the evidence, what is brought against it, and what they answer with, and so on. This brother of ours, may Allah bless him, is a good man with passion and enthusiasm, but he does not have that level of knowledge from which I might benefit in a way that would lead us to modify our opinion.
The Shaykh : Is it not better to look into the issue fundamentally? For example, I currently have a book on *The Muslim Woman’s Hijab*. Can I withdraw this book from the market while I am in the process of reprinting it, because in some countries, like yours as you say, it is in the interest not to publish this opinion, even if it is correct? I cannot withdraw this book, and I issue rulings based on what is in it, and every time a response comes against it, my faith in it increases. I try as much as I can to be wise, so I do not stir up this issue, and this is the occasion now. This man sent word that he wants to debate me on this issue, and the group came and informed me, and I told them: I have no objection, but this speech will be recorded and will spread and be broadcast, so who is responsible, I wonder? Is it this stranger, Al-Albani, who left the country after so many years, or are they the ones who are harassing him and directing these questions at him? So they, the people of this country, are the ones responsible. And I am not able to be hypocritical or to equivocate, but rather I present my opinion with complete clarity and defend my opinion with all my right, and so on.
As for it being said: "By Allah, it is in the interest of the country" "The people of Makkah know their valleys best", "The owner of the house knows best who is in it", but this does not mean that I am concealing the knowledge and not clarifying it, because the Islamic countries are not only these countries, and praise be to Allah, there are other countries. Look now at how I view the matter. There are countries, and we know this well, like Syria, like Jordan, and like Egypt. I went to Egypt about fifteen years ago, I went twice, and the Qasimi unveiling, Qasim Amin, was prevalent in those Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian countries, and so on. But now I see the phenomenon of hijab progressing, even if with some hesitation. But, may Allah have mercy on us, some evil is less than some. Previously, the woman would go out with her hair, her neck, and her arms exposed, and so on. But now, in Syria and Jordan, even in Lebanon before the civil war, I used to see in the streets one or two girls out of dozens of unveiled women. So now, at a time when in such countries, for example, they are maintaining the full hijab, and I support this and do not fight it—perhaps you remember that—but I do not want to say: it is forbidden, uncovering the face is forbidden, because the evidence I have does not stand for this prohibition.
Then I do not want to be strict regarding the other countries where, if the woman reaches with us the full hijab, covering the face and hands, we say: May Allah reward them with good, and may Allah reward with good those who strived to bring the women’s society to this stage.
Another stage comes where it is better that you cover your face and hands so that they are not seen. So, it is not in the interest to conceal the knowledge, O Professor, nor the issue, especially since the means of spreading knowledge today are not confined to one country over another. So, what I testify to Allah with must go to all countries. As for some countries or some rulers or princes exploiting the right in order to support the falsehood, this is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation. Do the Christians not exploit some of the Qur’anic verses to support the divinity of Isa? Do you not know that?!
Among the Christians, they have composed treatises supporting the divinity of Isa with some of the Qur’anic verses, despite the Qur’an’s explicit statement:
They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three."
لقد كفر الذين قالوا إن الله ثالث ثلاثةIn summary:
It is better that we discuss this issue and debate it, so that perhaps we may hear something new from both parties, and it may bring us closer to a convergence of viewpoint on this. This is better than making regional literary suggestions, because in another country, the matter may require the exact opposite.
The questioner : Every country has what suits it.
The Shaykh : That is it, and our opinion suits both countries. Perhaps you remember that one of the titles of my book *The Legitimacy of Covering the Face* was a refutation of people I still know who are alive in Lebanon and in Tripoli of Sham, specifically, who consider a woman covering her face to be an innovation. So, I refuted them and said: This is not from the innovations, because many of the female Companions used to imitate the Mothers of the Believers, who did not uncover their faces.
So, a society like this, in which some say that a woman covering her face is an innovation, is not easy to convince that it is obligatory. But the principle is that it should be said: You erred, how is it an innovation? And there are many reports and authentic hadiths and narrations that covering the face was known in the time of the Messenger, and that is sufficient in that, his saying:
a woman in ihram should wear neither a veil nor gloves
لا تنتقب المرأة المحرمة ولا تلبس القفازينSo, "The best of matters is the middle, and loving extremes is wrong", throw the word of truth and then do not care. As for the people of the country, by Allah, they have a special position, for the people of Makkah know their valleys best. Is it possible that we may hear a viewpoint on the issue from a Sharia perspective and the evidence coming in it, if you wish, and I do not put you in a difficult position.
The questioner : What I know on the subject is the hadith of Aisha when Safwan came, she said:
She used to know me before the hijab was revealed
كان يعرفني قبل نزول الحجابThe Shaykh : A word of fairness, may Allah bless you:
Do the evidence of those who say that covering the face, the woman’s face, is obligatory and that the face is an awrah, do they not admit that it is not definitive, meaning?
The questioner : It is definitive for them.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : It is for them.
The Shaykh : I am not debating with them, I am debating with the Sultan. Is it definitive for you?
The questioner : I mentioned it to you at the beginning.
The Shaykh : Because, may Allah bless you, do not hold me to this, I have lived, and therefore, as many as I have lovers like you, I have many haters. This style is not the style of knowledge, and it is opening the door of probability to the opponent’s evidence, because this opponent will meet you with the same, and at that time you must prove that your evidence is definitive, and there is no way to that. Where is the definitive evidence that the woman’s face is an awrah? And I mention that it is forbidden to look at it, but it is not permissible for her to uncover her face. Where is the definitive evidence in this?!
Therefore, the issue really needs a re-examination without being influenced by the regional atmosphere in which a person lives, because you know well, if Allah wills, that the environment, just as it affects physical health, also affects mental health. Do you see this with me?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So, the people who live in atmospheres full of rocks may say what we quoted to you earlier about that Lebanese man that it is an innovation, and the people who live in other atmospheres say it is forbidden. So, there is something called the present age, and this is not an easy matter that the researcher must be free from all environmental influences and study the issue on the Sharia evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and submit to it. So, wherever it leads him, he is with it, and this is few among people.
The questioner : And this, may Allah protect you, is in matters where a person can describe them with complete clarity. But some issues, he cannot do so except after long research and investigation. So, an issue like this is not one where a person can say in just one or two sessions that this is the truth, because every party has evidence. As you mentioned some of it, some may be definitive and some may not be definitive. For this, I said from the beginning that I am in a state of hesitation.
The Shaykh : Yes, but after you said that, you followed it with your saying: that the evidence that says the face is not an awrah, meaning, is not definitive, it is probable, so it was opposed. When it was opposed, you did not stand by your opinion, you were in hesitation, you said: definitive.
The questioner : For them.
The Shaykh : Heh, the research is not with them; they are not present. The research is with the Sultan. In any case, my target is you, so do not hold it against me that I did not bring the book with me so that I could prepare myself for any discussion our brothers might impose on me. However, I have been saturated with the idea for many years, and I know the evidence, what is brought against it, and what they answer with, and so on. This brother of ours, may Allah bless him, is a good man with passion and enthusiasm, but he does not have that level of knowledge from which I might benefit in a way that would lead us to modify our opinion.