The Shaykh’s discussion of the argument used by those who say it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face, namely that the most beautiful part of her is her face.
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The questioner : No, there is a statement from Ibn Abbas.
The Shaykh : Allow me, my brother, may Allah be pleased with you. We are not in the position of citing evidence right now. Right now, we need to clarify what you are saying and what we are saying. After that, if it becomes necessary to cite evidence for what we say or what you say, that has its own separate page. So right now, you were asked and you answered: the most beautiful thing in her face is her eyes. If you interpret this to mean that a woman must cover her face, and her face includes her eyes, do you go by the apparent meaning of your statement, or do you permit her to uncover her eyes?
The questioner : Let us say she does not uncover her eyes.
The Shaykh : My brother, what is this argument? May Allah reward you.
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : What is the argument in this issue? Each person should state what he believes. But saying “let us say this” or “if we say this” means it is an argument. And here comes his statement (peace be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1993Da'if (Darussalam). So, may Allah reward you, state what you believe and what you profess to Allah, then look at where you stand regarding the verse. Did you act upon it, or are you among those who oppose it, like me, as you claim? From where did you take the permissibility for a woman to uncover one eye with her jilbab, or both eyes entirely? What is your evidence for this?
The questioner : Where is the evidence from the Sunnah or from where?
The Shaykh : Here, you were at ease just now and you took it easy, so it seems as if you are exchanging the topic.
The questioner : Do not bring us all the evidence that is cited in this field, but!
The Shaykh : I, my brother, am not answering with evidence. On the contrary, I am relieving you from having to ask me for evidence or for me to ask you for evidence. But I am arguing with you using your own logic, and I say that your logic is a philosophy that Islam does not accept. Is my statement clear or not?
Why?
Because the honorable brother entered the topic as others do, like al-Tuwajiri and his like, and so on: the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face. Yes, and what is behind that?
So it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face? Is that the evidence?
Who said that opinion is evidence? Who said that opinion is what makes something obligatory? And if that were the case, why do you say it is permissible for a woman to uncover one eye, which is the most beautiful thing in her face? It is a contradictory inconsistency.
Therefore, I say: the thing you are using as an argument against us comes back to you, not to us. As for us, we do not say this by philosophy.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine.
The questioner : What I understand from you, esteemed Shaykh, is that you were asked about this issue, and it is religiously permissible for her to uncover her face, but out of fear of fitnah, she must cover it?!
The Shaykh : No, I do not say this.
The questioner : Or do you cover your family?
The Shaykh : My book, may Allah reward you, has been printed in several editions. There is a specific chapter on the permissibility of covering the face. I emphasized in the introduction and in this chapter that it is better for every woman, even if she is black!
The questioner : It is better for her.
The Shaykh : It is better for her to cover her face, because the proverb says: "For every drop in the village, there is a catcher". But I say: the women of the Companions and the Tabi'un after them were of two types:
Some resembled the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), of whom nothing of their faces was seen. So too, many of the distinguished female Companions. Some of them uncovered their faces, and this was not considered a reprehensible matter. They were affirmed in this practice in the presence of the Messenger, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the imams who came after them. Abu Hanifah said that it is not an awrah, and al-Shafi'i said the same, and Malik said the same, and others said that it is an awrah. So there is scholarly disagreement in this issue.
So why do we get excited and address the issue with logic that is countered by similar logic? Here you are, confronting us with your logic, which is not logical: the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, yes, so what? She must cover it. The most beautiful thing in a woman’s face: her eyes. So she must cover them. No, she does not cover them. What is this inconsistency? And the verse is one, and it is:[Al-Ahzab 33:59].
So now, drop this logic that is refuted by similar logic, and tell us what your argument against us is, so that we can discuss it calmly.
The Shaykh : Allow me, my brother, may Allah be pleased with you. We are not in the position of citing evidence right now. Right now, we need to clarify what you are saying and what we are saying. After that, if it becomes necessary to cite evidence for what we say or what you say, that has its own separate page. So right now, you were asked and you answered: the most beautiful thing in her face is her eyes. If you interpret this to mean that a woman must cover her face, and her face includes her eyes, do you go by the apparent meaning of your statement, or do you permit her to uncover her eyes?
The questioner : Let us say she does not uncover her eyes.
The Shaykh : My brother, what is this argument? May Allah reward you.
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : What is the argument in this issue? Each person should state what he believes. But saying “let us say this” or “if we say this” means it is an argument. And here comes his statement (peace be upon him):
Whoever avoids arguing while he is in the right, a house will be built for him in its midst.
ومن ترك المراء وهو مُحق بني له بيت في وسط الجنةThe questioner : Where is the evidence from the Sunnah or from where?
The Shaykh : Here, you were at ease just now and you took it easy, so it seems as if you are exchanging the topic.
The questioner : Do not bring us all the evidence that is cited in this field, but!
The Shaykh : I, my brother, am not answering with evidence. On the contrary, I am relieving you from having to ask me for evidence or for me to ask you for evidence. But I am arguing with you using your own logic, and I say that your logic is a philosophy that Islam does not accept. Is my statement clear or not?
Why?
Because the honorable brother entered the topic as others do, like al-Tuwajiri and his like, and so on: the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face. Yes, and what is behind that?
So it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face? Is that the evidence?
Who said that opinion is evidence? Who said that opinion is what makes something obligatory? And if that were the case, why do you say it is permissible for a woman to uncover one eye, which is the most beautiful thing in her face? It is a contradictory inconsistency.
Therefore, I say: the thing you are using as an argument against us comes back to you, not to us. As for us, we do not say this by philosophy.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine.
The questioner : What I understand from you, esteemed Shaykh, is that you were asked about this issue, and it is religiously permissible for her to uncover her face, but out of fear of fitnah, she must cover it?!
The Shaykh : No, I do not say this.
The questioner : Or do you cover your family?
The Shaykh : My book, may Allah reward you, has been printed in several editions. There is a specific chapter on the permissibility of covering the face. I emphasized in the introduction and in this chapter that it is better for every woman, even if she is black!
The questioner : It is better for her.
The Shaykh : It is better for her to cover her face, because the proverb says: "For every drop in the village, there is a catcher". But I say: the women of the Companions and the Tabi'un after them were of two types:
Some resembled the women of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), of whom nothing of their faces was seen. So too, many of the distinguished female Companions. Some of them uncovered their faces, and this was not considered a reprehensible matter. They were affirmed in this practice in the presence of the Messenger, the Companions, the Tabi'un, and the imams who came after them. Abu Hanifah said that it is not an awrah, and al-Shafi'i said the same, and Malik said the same, and others said that it is an awrah. So there is scholarly disagreement in this issue.
So why do we get excited and address the issue with logic that is countered by similar logic? Here you are, confronting us with your logic, which is not logical: the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, yes, so what? She must cover it. The most beautiful thing in a woman’s face: her eyes. So she must cover them. No, she does not cover them. What is this inconsistency? And the verse is one, and it is:
to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments
يُدنين عليهن من جلابيبهنSo now, drop this logic that is refuted by similar logic, and tell us what your argument against us is, so that we can discuss it calmly.