Continuation of the issue that a woman's face is not an 'awrah.

The Shaykh : We say that as long as the Messenger prevented al-Fadl from looking at the woman's face, that indicates that the woman's face is an 'awrah; she must cover it. When we ask you: Why did he not order her to cover it? You say: Perhaps she was new to Islam!

The questioner : I said lastly: Also, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order her to lower her gaze.

The Shaykh : I allowed you seven minutes instead of five... one minute, so you—praise be to Allah—finished... but I had barely started to draw your attention when you—again—cut me off. What do you think? How much do you allow me to speak?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : I see you are in a hurry.

The questioner : I am clarifying to you that I...

The Shaykh : It is fine, clarify it to me later, do not cut me off.

The questioner : That is enough for you.

The Shaykh : I am now summarizing the discussion that took place between us. I said to you lastly: I hope you will bring the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah that obligates each of us to submit to it. First, I told you: The original ruling for things is permissibility, and you agreed with this, and that it is not permissible to depart from this original ruling except with evidence that moves us from permissibility to prohibition. So I asked you: What is the evidence for the prohibition of a woman uncovering her face? I did not say to you: What is the evidence for the prohibition of a man looking at a woman's face; because this is a matter agreed upon between us. So I demanded this from you and you did nothing, but you passed quickly over His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): , then you listed or rambled on about the callers to unveiling, obedience to the prince, and so on; this has no relation to our research; because this speech does not prohibit or permit; because the action of some of the wealthy, extravagant people... so now I return and demand from you the evidence from the Book and the Sunnah that a woman's face is an 'awrah that she is not allowed to uncover in front of non-mahrams; do you have evidence?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): , and how the scholars of Islam interpreted it, including Ibn Mas'ud and the rest of the imams we mentioned, and also the hadith of the Khath'am woman when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) covered al-Fadl's face and turned his neck (peace and blessings be upon him) to prevent him from looking at her. We said this is because her face is an 'awrah, and if it were not an 'awrah... as for why he did not order her to cover her face, likewise, why did he not order her to lower her gaze, and lowering the gaze is obligatory. This is all I have...

The Shaykh : This is a repetition of words, may Allah bless you.

The questioner : I have no repetition of words.

The Shaykh : So what do you have?

The questioner : ... .

Another questioner : The verse, the verse.

The Shaykh: Yes.

Another questioner : Mention the verse, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : This is not correct, he mentions the verse and does not clarify it, and only says "the imams." A question, if you allow: Is the issue agreed upon among the imams? That is: Did the scholars of the Muslims, from the exegetes, hadith scholars, and jurists, the four imams and their followers, agree that a woman's face is an 'awrah? Did they agree on that, or is the issue a matter of disagreement?

The questioner : It is a matter of disagreement, but there is speech, there are great ones among the imams.

The Shaykh : I am asking you: Is it a matter of disagreement or consensus?

The questioner : It is a matter of disagreement.

The Shaykh : I want to build on this.

The questioner : It is a matter of disagreement.

The Shaykh : Fine; it is a matter of disagreement. Did respected imams say the opposite of what you hold, or did they not say it?

The questioner : By Allah, this returns to the chains of narration.

The Shaykh : You did not answer me—again.

The questioner : ... there are statements.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you, give me a summary of these chains of narration, give me the summary; are there imams from the righteous Salaf, from the Companions, from the exegetes, from the jurists who said that a woman's face is not an 'awrah, and at the same time said that it is forbidden to look at a woman's face, do you know this or not?

The questioner : Based on the Qur'an.

The Shaykh : You did not answer me, you did not answer me—and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings—I beg you to answer my question, and do not shorten my time, hey, it is now seven o'clock and more, my question—may Allah bless you—is specific. First: I asked you, is the issue one of consensus or disagreement? You answered... it is disagreed upon. Are there scholars from the Salaf and the imams who said that a woman's face is not an 'awrah? And that it is not permissible to look at this face despite that? You did not answer me, ... you look into the chains of narration, I want the summary; are there—I repeat for the third time—are there scholars from the Companions and the imams who exercise independent legal reasoning who said that a woman's face is not an 'awrah while saying that it is not permissible for a man to look at a woman's face; does this exist or not?

The questioner : ... fairness, so I—may Allah will it—do not intend anything but the face of Allah and I do not show partisanship to any of the imams.

The Shaykh : This—also—is a departure from the answer.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : We are all that man, as we hope.

The questioner : But the issue allows—may Allah reward you—for consideration; it is present in the Qur'an; you ask: Is it disagreed upon? So it is a verse in the Qur'an, a text?

The Shaykh : We said the research is not in this—may Allah bless you—Glory be to my Lord! Glory be to my Lord! I said: Do you not know that there are scholars from the Companions and the imams who say both things; namely, that a woman's face is not an 'awrah, and yet it is not permissible for a man to look at this face; do you know this or not? You say "the verse" and what is the verse; the research is not now in providing evidence?

The questioner : What I truly know and understand according to what I read in the exegeses; I read that Ibn Mas'ud affirms that it is an 'awrah, and that Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him) they said that he held the view.

The Shaykh : What does he hold?

The questioner : That her face is not an 'awrah, then they said: And that was in the beginning of the two matters.

The Shaykh : Who said that?

The questioner : The imams said.

The Shaykh : No, we want the narration, and where is the narration from Ibn 'Abbas that in the beginning he said that a woman's face is not an 'awrah, then he returned and refuted this statement of his by saying that a woman's face is not an 'awrah, this has no basis at all.

Another questioner : This is a book...

The Shaykh : It is the book you requested, this is the book.

Another questioner : ... Ali ibn Abi Talhah said from Ibn 'Abbas.

The questioner : ... .

Another questioner : So Muhammad ibn Sirin said: I asked 'Ubaydah al-Salmani about the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): So he covered his face and head and exposed his left eye. 'Ikrimah said: She covers the hollow of her neck with her jilbab, bringing it down over it. And Ibn Abi Hatim said: Abu 'Abdullah al-Dhuhri narrated to us in what he wrote to me, 'Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, Ma'mar informed us from Ibn Khuthaym, from Safiyyah bint Shaybah, from Umm Salamah who said: When this verse was revealed: the women of the Ansar came out as if there were crows on their heads from serenity, and they had black coverings they wore.

The Shaykh : This is not a witness, we want, we want the text...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : By Allah, I was surprised today before dawn by about half an hour, I got up to relieve myself, then returned to the bed, what is the title of your presenceThe Shaykh ؟

The questioner : Abu Ali.

The Shaykh : O Abu 'Ali, I am telling you: Do not tire yourself; because this issue I have digested well, and there is no narration in what I said at all, but it is a statement made by some scholars in the way of reconciling some different reports, and you are still reassured that the issue has no consensus, and that the scholars disagreed on it, are you with me or not with me?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And you know the saying of Allah, the Exalted: . So I say: As long as you believe with us that this is a matter of scholarly disagreement, and that there are those who said that the face of a woman is not an awrah (part of the body that must be covered), and I keep going around until you return to the topic of looking. Those who say that the face of a woman is not an awrah do not mean that it is permissible for a man to look at it. Rather, they combine the negative and the affirmative. They say: The face of a woman is not an awrah; this is the negative. And the affirmative is that it is obligatory for the man not to look at the woman, because this look is forbidden by the explicit text of the Qur'an, as we mentioned earlier. I draw your attention to the fact that the saying of Allah, the Exalted: does not mean that the face of the man is an awrah with respect to the woman. But this verse means that it is not permissible for the woman to look at the face of the man, and this face is not an awrah. Likewise, the saying of Allah, the Exalted: does not mean that the face of the woman is an awrah, but rather that it is not permissible to look at this face. In this regard, some, indeed the majority of scholars, as I transmitted with numbers, pages, and volumes in "The Hijab of the Muslim Woman," the majority of scholars say: The face of the woman is not an awrah. And at the same time, they say: It is not permissible to look at this face. As for you, Abu Ali, you deduce from the prohibition of looking at something that it is an awrah, and no Muslim says this.
The scholars said in their details that if there is a young boy, a handsome youth, it is not permissible to look at him because it is a cause of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), but it does not mean that his face is an awrah. You deduce from something being a cause of fitnah that it is an awrah. There is no necessary connection between the two. Therefore, I have repeatedly and repeatedly asked you: What is the compelling evidence for the Muslim who submits to the word of Allah and the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the face of the woman is an awrah? Regardless of the fact that it is not permissible to look, which is a matter of consensus. So you brought the verse: , and then you passed over it quickly. What is the basis for using this verse as evidence? And the verse says: . What does "lower their veils" mean, may Allah reward you?

The questioner : They cover.

The Shaykh : They cover; okay; cover your face now with this khimar (head covering), cover it, can you walk?

The questioner : With one eye, and yes, I can.

The Shaykh : No, you cannot. Look now, Abu Ali, you—do not hold it against me—have some amazement. First: you say: you can, and experience will prove to you that if the woman covers her face with the jilbab (outer garment). Is this not a jilbab?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Ah, how can you say you can? And whether you escape from this statement of yours and say you reveal one eye, where did you get the one eye from?

The questioner : This is the saying of the Salaf (the earliest generations).

The Shaykh : Which Salaf?

The questioner : Ibn Mas'ud and others.

The Shaykh : No, there is no Ibn Mas'ud.

The questioner : I mean it, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : But; so the time is over.

The questioner : No, not at this time.

The Shaykh : I apologize, I am saying: the time is over, we are on... But I tell you, may Allah reward you: regarding the one eye or two eyes from Ibn Mas'ud, you will not find anything. Remember this from me, then search. You will find from Ibn Abbas and the narration is weak. You will find from Ubaydah al-Silmani, and Ubaydah is not a Companion. If Ubaydah al-Silmani narrated that from the Messenger (peace be upon him), the hadith would be mursal (a report missing the Companion link) and munqati' (a report with a broken chain); so how is it when it is muqta' (disconnected)? Muqta' means it is mawquf (a report stopping at a Companion).

The questioner : He did not say it about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he described the state of the Salaf. Yes.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : I know, but I am saying: it is disconnected and mawquf upon him. So if he raised it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), it would be mursal; it would not be a proof. So I am confident, Abu Ali, that there is no authentic narration from any of the Companions that it is permissible for the woman to reveal one eye or two eyes. And when he says: they have... let us assume this; then you have contradicted your interpretation of the verse; because it is obligatory for the woman to cover her face; because the face starts from the hairline of the head to the bottom of the chin, while you say: reveal one eye or two eyes. So the one who says revealing one eye or two eyes, maybe she can also reveal her nose! What is the evidence for this detail? We return to the narration of Ibn Abbas, which is weak and disconnected, and it revolves around Abu Salih the scribe of al-Layth, who is weak. If... to Ubaydah, this narration is disconnected and not a proof. From Ibn Mas'ud, you will not find anything except that she covers her body. As for mentioning one eye or two eyes from Ibn Mas'ud, this was never narrated from him at all. Then why do we discard the sayings of Ibn Abbas? That saying was made attractive to you, which told you: he used to say before that the face of the woman is not an awrah, then he returned from that. And what do you say about what was narrated from Ibn Umar with the authentic chain? That the area of the face and hands of the woman is not an awrah. Let us assume for the sake of argument that Ibn Abbas used to say before that the face of the woman is an awrah, then he returned. But you have a narration from Ibn Umar, authentic in "Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah," which says: that the area of the face and hands is not an awrah.

The questioner : At what time? It might be in prayer.

The Shaykh : You jumped, you jumped as usual. Now, is the word of Ibn Umar absolute or restricted?

The questioner : I am asking.

The Shaykh : I narrated to you, he says like this: The area of the face and hands of the woman is not an awrah. You ask me at what time. I am not speaking now about my opinion. I will tell you at all times, but we are not in this context. We are now in the context of what is your position regarding what is authentic from Ibn Umar in what I mentioned to you? Do you say that this—for example—is a mistake? Then we say: what is your evidence? You did not bring evidence! You brought the verse: and then you contradicted it; because you permitted her to reveal one eye or two eyes, and this is from the face.

The questioner : But Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) may have said about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that the face of the woman is not an awrah.

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you, may Allah guide us and you. I am saying: he said: the Messenger of Allah said?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : I am challenging you now. You say: Ibn Abbas used to hold that the face of the woman is not an awrah. Is it right for me to ask you: did he raise that to the Messenger?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : It is not right for me to ask you this question; because you are speaking about the opinion of Ibn Abbas, and I am now speaking about the opinion of Ibn Umar. So when we came to you with the narration of Ibn Abbas, you said: some said, or they said: yes, Ibn Abbas used to hold in the beginning that the face of the woman is not an awrah, then he returned. This statement has no existence in a narration from him. Please be patient with me.

The questioner :

The Shaykh : Please be patient with me. We left this because there are two opinions with you: previously he said it is not an awrah, and finally he said: it is an awrah. This has no basis from Ibn Abbas. What is narrated from Ibn Abbas with the authentic chain is that there is no disagreement from him: the face of the woman is not an awrah. But you have a shubhah (a doubtful matter) that you read from the words of Ibn Taymiyyah or others, we know this.

The questioner : Ibn Taymiyyah.

The Shaykh : But there is no narration. I am telling you: I know this, but this does not obligate me to adopt any opinion that has no proof. However, in order to shorten the topic, we left aside the narration from Ibn 'Abbas, assuming it is confused; at one point he said that the face is not 'awrah, and finally he said that it is 'awrah. We left this narration and turned to what is established from Ibn 'Umar that the face and the two hands are not 'awrah. You go back and ask me: Was that raised to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? What does this question mean? We are talking about athar (reports) that stop at a Companion. So what do we say if a person follows the opinion of Ibn 'Umar? It is permissible for him not to find in the Book of Allah or in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) anything that obligates him to contradict Ibn 'Umar and also to contradict Ibn 'Abbas in the authentic narration from him. So there is some leniency in this matter. You should not be fanatical about an opinion you have lived with when you have no proof from the Book or the Sunnah. You bring the verse and then contradict it: You interpret that by covering, and this is a mistake, even if you all agree on it. Because "idna" in the language—as you all know—means bringing close. This covering, for example, which is the jilbab, means "idna." So this "idna" is either such that it covers the entire face and blinds her, or it covers part of the face; all of this falls within the possibility of observing the meaning of "idna." If I say to the person next to me: "Come closer to me," it means "get near," it does not mean "cover yourself"!! So meaning: they should cover. And if we return to the opinions of the exegetes regarding the reason for the revelation of this verse, or the other verse which says: , it was that the woman in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance would throw the jilbab over her head, then walk like this in the road, and her neck would be exposed, and some of her hair would be exposed. So He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: .
What cameThe Shaykh : Muhammad? The owner of the house. We are late, everyone.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : You understood what I am saying, and you return to the sources you referred to to verify what you heard and what I heard.
...

The questioner : ... and only ... this is something we found in the books of the imams, if the issue is.

The Shaykh : But ... the other party, , .

The questioner : I seek refuge in Allah!

The Shaykh : ... the other party.

The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh, by Allah, if the truth were to appear to us without any doubt, by Allah we would accept it.

The Shaykh : No problem, we are all that man. Do you think that if the truth appears to me in your opinion, I would not follow it?! We are all that man.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... May Allah bless, may Allah bless. Therefore I say: You are saying this about me, and I am saying this about you, but the matter requires some breadth of chest, breadth of knowledge, and understanding of what is authentic from the Salaf and what is not, then extracting the truth from what people have differed on. And you know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to include in his supplication in the night prayer, in the opening supplication: , so we ask Allah to guide us to the truth in what people have differed on.

The questioner : By Allah, we love you ... we do not love you except for the sake of Allah ... .

The Shaykh : ... .

The questioner : We see that in this matter ... but your love for the sake of Allah is on the path that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) walked, and the Salafi path ... .

The Shaykh : I believe if you reflected on the topic, I am not saying based on what came in my book "The Woman's Hijab"; if you reflected on the topic based on these few words we mentioned earlier, the face of the truth would become clear to you. And I repeat: it is not the case that it is not permissible by the Shari'ah to look at the face, and that this face is 'awrah. There is no necessary connection between the two. If you remember this and then research it, you will find it as we say: there is no proof that the woman's face is 'awrah, but there are proofs for the prohibition of looking at this face; so there is no necessary connection between the two. And the proof is very clear: it is not permissible for a woman to look at the face of a man, and the face of a man is not 'awrah; so say that it is obligatory for men also to cover their faces and wear veils so that the woman does not look at the face of a man. No one says this!! No one says this!
-- The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Because what?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Welcome.

The questioner : May Allah preserve you.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you.

The questioner : Peace be upon you, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.

The questioner : May Allah gather us with you ... .

The Shaykh : May Allah grant that, O Lord of the worlds.

The questioner : ... --

The Shaykh : ... as for us being drunk on one eye and two eyes, that is not correct ... .

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... it is not a research, to research the issue radically. I now—for example—have the book "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 your country as you say, there is an interest in not publishing this opinion even if it is correct! I cannot withdraw this book, and I said what is in it, and a response came to it ... and I am trying as much as I can to be wise, and I am not raising this issue, and this matter now, this man sent news that he wants to maneuver me in this issue, and it became obligatory for me, and I said to him: I have no objection, but this speech will be recorded and will spread and be broadcast; so who is responsible, I wonder? This man Al-Albani, the stranger from the edge of the land, after so many years, or these who harass him and want to ... the disagreement? So the people of the land are the ones who prevent, otherwise I cannot be hypocritical or make a truce, but rather I present my opinion with complete clarity, and I defend my opinion with all right, and so on. As for it being said, by Allah, the interest of the country, the people of Mecca know its valleys best, the owner of the house knows what is in it best, but this does not mean that I conceal the knowledge and do not clarify it; because the Islamic countries are not only—praise be to Allah—these countries, there are other countries. Look now at how I look at the topic, there are countries and we know this well, like Syria and like Jordan and like Egypt.
I went to Egypt about 15 years ago, I went twice, and the Qasimi unveiling of Qasim Amin was widespread in those Egyptian and Syrian countries and ... and so on. But I now see the phenomenon of hijab moving forward, even if with some liberation, but: "O my soul, some evil is lighter than some," the woman used to go out with her hair, her neck, her arms, and so on. But now in Syria, in Jordan, even in Lebanon before this civil war they have, I used to see in the streets one or two girls, between dozens of unveiled women. Now in the time when, like this country—for example—they maintain the complete hijab, and I support this and do not fight it, perhaps you remember that, but I do not want to say it is forbidden, do you see? Uncovering the face is forbidden; because the proofs for me ... are in this prohibition. Then I do not want to be strict regarding the other countries where the woman has reached with us the complete hijab except the face and hands, we say: may Allah reward them with good, and may Allah reward with good those who strived to bring the female society to this stage. Then another stage comes, 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 or hide it, here is the issue; it is not in the interest to conceal the knowledge, especially since the means of spreading knowledge today are not limited 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 truth in the path of supporting falsehood, this is the Sunnah of Allah in His creation. So the Christians exploit some Qur'anic verses in supporting the divinity of 'Isa, do you not know that? The Christians, some Christians, wrote treatises in supporting the divinity of 'Isa with some Qur'anic verses, despite the Qur'an's explicit statement: . The important thing is that the one who wants to fish in muddy water is not stopped by anything, and he is stubborn and misleading 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.
So in summary: it is better that we discuss this issue and ... perhaps we will hear something new from each of the two parties, and it will bring us closer to convergence in viewpoint in this; this is better than presenting proposals ... because another country may require the exact opposite.

The questioner : For every country, what suits it.

The Shaykh : This is the view, and our opinion suits both countries. Perhaps you remember that one of the titles of my book is: "The Legitimacy of Covering the Face." In it, I refuted people I still know to be alive in Lebanon and Tripoli... specifically those who see a woman covering her face as a religious innovation (bid'ah). So I refuted them and said this is not an innovation; because many of the female Companions used to imitate the Mothers of the Believers, who did not uncover their faces. So, in a society like this, where some say that a woman covering her face is an innovation, it is not easy to convince them that it is obligatory. But the principle is that one should say: "You are mistaken. How can it be an innovation when there are many reports, hadiths, and authentic narrations that covering the face was known in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? And that is sufficient: ; because the implication of the hadith at that time... the woman is forbidden and wears the niqab, so how can it be said to be an innovation? So: "The best of matters is the middle, and loving extremes is an error." Speak the word of truth and do not care. But, by Allah, the people of the town have a specific stance, for the people of Makkah know its valleys best. Perhaps we can hear your view on the issue from the Shari'ah perspective and the evidence presented therein, if you wish, and I will not burden you.

The questioner : ... In this topic, there is the hadith of A'ishah when she came... and she said: "And he knew me before the revelation of the hijab." So the other evidences that allow uncovering the face, most of them, it is possible that they were before the revelation of the hijab. There are some narrations that are not explicit that they indicate...

The Shaykh : ... Do the evidences of those who say that covering the face... is obligatory and that the face is 'awrah, do they not allow for the possibility that they are decisive regarding that?

The questioner : They are decisive in their view.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : They are decisive in their view.

The Shaykh : I am not debating with them, I am debating with... Are they decisive in your view?

The questioner : I mentioned at the beginning that...

The Shaykh : Because – may Allah bless you – I am not held accountable for this, I have lived through it; therefore, just as I have many lovers like you, there are also many malice-mongers. This style is not the scientific style, and it is... basing probability on the opponent's evidence; because this opponent will confront you in kind, and at that time you must prove that your evidence is wrong, and there is no way to do that. Where is the decisive evidence that the woman's face is 'awrah? And I remind you that it is forbidden to look at it; but it is not permissible for her to uncover her face. Where is the decisive evidence in this? Therefore, the issue truly needs to be reconsidered without being influenced by the regional atmosphere that...; 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 : Okay; so the people who live in atmospheres full of...

Another questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The Shaykh: ... They might say, as we quoted earlier from that Lebanese person, 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 it is not an easy matter for the researcher to be free from all environmental influences, and to study the issue based on the Shari'ah evidence from the Book and the Sunnah and submit to it; so wherever... he goes with it, and this is few among people.

The questioner : ... In matters where a person can understand with complete clarity, but some issues he cannot understand except after long research and inquiry; like this issue, it is not by just one or two sessions that a person can say this is the truth, and every party has evidence for it, just as I mentioned, some of it may be decisive, and some of it is not decisive; why... from the beginning that we...?

The Shaykh : Yes, but after I said that, you followed up by saying that the evidences that say the face is not 'awrah are not decisive, they are probable, ... and when you knew, you did not stand by your statement... you said decisive.

The questioner : We repeat it... "Everyone laughs."

The Shaykh : I told you the research is not with them, they are not present, the research is with the scholars. In any case, my intention is, you do not hold me accountable, I did not come with the book until... the discussion is imposed on me by our brothers, but I am saturated... for many years, and I know... and what is refuted and what they do not answer, and so on. I say this – may Allah bless you – this is a good man and he has heat and enthusiasm, but he does not have that knowledge that we can perhaps benefit from, which might lead us to modify our opinion.

The questioner : There are many books written on this topic; like "Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Muqaddim."

The Shaykh : For example?

The questioner : Like "Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Muqaddim," "The Return of the Hijab," the third part he dedicated to discussing the evidence; I do not know if you have looked at it?

The Shaykh : The one that was published in volumes?

The questioner : Yes, volumes, the first two parts are not...

The Shaykh : I had the first two parts, and months before my arrival I obtained the third part, and it has nothing new, it is all repetition of what he quotesThe Shaykh : al-Tuwaijiri in...

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... Yes, and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings, and there is a man from Egypt – also – he named it "The Issue of the Hijab and the Niqab."

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : "Al-Lubab fi Fardhiyyat al-Niqab" (The Essence of the Obligatoriness of the Niqab).

The questioner : Is this Mustafa al-Adawi?

The Shaykh : No, no, no, Mustafa al-Adawi has a thesis named "The Hijab." The man approached the topic from the nearest door, but he did not bring anything new. The sheikhs here rely on the evidence in the verse: that it is based on the woman's face being 'awrah, then they quickly retreat from that, and they want the two narrations, the mursal (missing the Companion link) and the munqati' (broken chain) and the weak one, so the mursal is the one stopping at Ubaydah, and the munqati' and weak one is from Ibn Abbas, from here they say: the verse commands the woman to cover...; meaning: with her jilbab, then they exclude from that uncovering one eye, may Allah reward them with good, so they permitted her to see the road by uncovering one eye or both eyes.

The questioner : A real fitnah (trial/temptation), O Shaykh...

The Shaykh : So they covered it up.

The questioner : ... In discussing this topic. Yes.

The Shaykh : Do you allow them?

The questioner : Oh?

The Shaykh : Do you allow them?

The questioner : No, we preferred not to stir up the topic "Everyone laughs!", so some of them... discussing the topic, he wrote a thesis on it and has not published it to this day, and he mentioned... and I praised him...

The Shaykh : How do you mean?

The questioner : He spoke to you in Jordan.

The Shaykh : He spoke to me in Jordan?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Is he from Jordan?

The questioner : No, from..., he mentioned some of the evidence...

The Shaykh : What did he do?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : I mean, if this news is true as I hope, I have some examples; there is a common proverb in the Levant they say: "He who has not tasted the maghrayyeh does not know what the story is." The maghrayyeh is the container that the carpenters used to use in old times, and I worked in carpentry for two years when I graduated from primary school, a container like what they call a bucket, a container that has a handle? What do you call it here...? A bucket? Okay; like a small bucket, it was... made of pieces like soft plastic, they put it in water and put it on the fire, it dissolves, it melts, and its handle is made of wood... some of it inside some of it, this container is called the maghrayyeh, this when... it does not melt except with intense heat, so they say: "He who has not tasted the maghrayyeh does not know what the story is," and better than this is an old Arabic proverb, the wall said to the nail: "Why do you tear me?" It said: "Ask the one who drives me."

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : So some people imagine thatThe Shaykh : Al-Albani was sitting, waiting for questions and arguments over the phone, going back and forth, and so on. I would tell him my opinion, but he was not convinced, and he would keep going while I did not deny this fact. So I found no way out but to get drunk in his face over the phone, but he did not know what was going on. I am in Amman, bent over research, verification, and writing day and night, and so on. And because of the many questions directed to me, which is a favor from Allah, from all over the Islamic world, from Europe, from America, let alone the Kingdom, and so on, I was forced to set a specific time each day after the 'Isha' prayer. When a questioner calls me to ask me a question at a time other than this, while I am bent over research and verification, I say: Please, call me after the 'Isha' prayer. He says: I can or I cannot. Either I yield to his request and say: Go ahead; and then he launches into a lecture on discussion. I do not force the issue, even though I know the details, and if the details were known, the matter would be as it is said: When the cause is known, the wonder ceases.
Then you see, meaning, the witness sees what is not... upon him is the opinion; so, by the favor of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, our Lord has bestowed upon us patience and forbearance, and so on. But everything has a limit. So if, for example, I did something out of my usual habit, but this is not my habit! We ask about the cause, and he does not look at the cause anymore; he looks at what happened. Yes, indeed. And in any case, there is no person who does not make mistakes.