What is the ruling on a woman covering her face and hands, and does that ruling differ between an unattractive woman and an attractive one?
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The questioner : The 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). We tell the woman that only the hands are exposed, and the face?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This is a matter, and if I were to listen, I mean, I do not know, Allah knows best. If she is of great beauty, she should still hide her face, is that not so? The veil that they wear, I mean, how do we handle this?
Another questioner : And some say: It is obligatory to cover. Some say: Like the shaykh, for example, it is obligatory to cover.
The Shaykh : Yes, even if she is unattractive, for the sake of your peace of mind.
The questioner : It is not for the sake of her not being a fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), that is what I mean.
Another questioner : Excuse me, did you understand what the shaykh intended?
The questioner : I understood, even if covering is obligatory!
Another questioner : No, that is not what the shaykh intended.
The Shaykh : No, it is not like that.
The questioner : Like this?
The Shaykh : I mean, those who make covering the face obligatory do not distinguish between an attractive woman and an unattractive one. I mean, this is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) that must be covered; there is no difference between the unattractive and the attractive. This is what those who say this believe, and the opposite is also the case. Those who say that a woman's face is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) also do not distinguish between attractive and unattractive. It is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), like a woman, for example, who is very, very black. If she exposes part of her arms.
The questioner : It is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered)!
The Shaykh : No, this is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), but if she exposes her hands, then this is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered).
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : She exposed it like this, and she is black.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), but if she exposed it like this, this is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). This is the opinion of those who say that the hands and the face are not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered).
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Whether she is white or fair-skinned. On the contrary, those who say that the face and hands are an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered): the one who does this is haram (forbidden), and the one who does this is haram (forbidden). Why? Because she exposed her 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). Is there a difference between a fair-skinned woman and a black woman? There is no difference. The correct view in this issue is that the face and hands are not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), because first: there is no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face and hands. If such evidence were found, it would be said that she exposed her 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). There is no evidence that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face and hands.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This is a matter, and if I were to listen, I mean, I do not know, Allah knows best. If she is of great beauty, she should still hide her face, is that not so? The veil that they wear, I mean, how do we handle this?
Another questioner : And some say: It is obligatory to cover. Some say: Like the shaykh, for example, it is obligatory to cover.
The Shaykh : Yes, even if she is unattractive, for the sake of your peace of mind.
The questioner : It is not for the sake of her not being a fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), that is what I mean.
Another questioner : Excuse me, did you understand what the shaykh intended?
The questioner : I understood, even if covering is obligatory!
Another questioner : No, that is not what the shaykh intended.
The Shaykh : No, it is not like that.
The questioner : Like this?
The Shaykh : I mean, those who make covering the face obligatory do not distinguish between an attractive woman and an unattractive one. I mean, this is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) that must be covered; there is no difference between the unattractive and the attractive. This is what those who say this believe, and the opposite is also the case. Those who say that a woman's face is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered) also do not distinguish between attractive and unattractive. It is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), like a woman, for example, who is very, very black. If she exposes part of her arms.
The questioner : It is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered)!
The Shaykh : No, this is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), but if she exposes her hands, then this is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered).
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : She exposed it like this, and she is black.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), but if she exposed it like this, this is not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). This is the opinion of those who say that the hands and the face are not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered).
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Whether she is white or fair-skinned. On the contrary, those who say that the face and hands are an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered): the one who does this is haram (forbidden), and the one who does this is haram (forbidden). Why? Because she exposed her 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). Is there a difference between a fair-skinned woman and a black woman? There is no difference. The correct view in this issue is that the face and hands are not an 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered), because first: there is no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face and hands. If such evidence were found, it would be said that she exposed her 'awrah (part of the body that must be covered). There is no evidence that it is obligatory for a woman to cover her face and hands.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.