Why is there disagreement among scholars on many issues, particularly regarding the face of a woman?

The questioner : We have many questions, but we will choose from them. The first question, may Allah reward you, is about the jilbab. As you see, most people take the hadiths, but the majority of scholars who hold the stronger position rely on what came in Surat al-Nur and what came in Surat al-Ahzab. And Allah knows the truth best. We want you to clarify and state the correct ruling on this question, may Allah reward you, so that it does not become ... because some say ... in hospitals and cars ... and they say, "Bring the evidence?"

The Shaykh : In any case, before I speak about this issue, I draw your attention to a reality from which we have no escape, because it is the will and desire of Allah that returns. Allah the Exalted said: . Disagreement among scholars is a natural matter. Therefore, disagreement existed in the first century, which is the best of the centuries, the purest, the cleanest, and the most knowledgeable, and it is distinguished in every good over the centuries that followed it. The Companions disagreed on more than one issue, and we are not in need now to address any of them. If the best of the centuries disagreed, there is absolutely no wonder that those after them should disagree. But that does not mean that the disagreement should remain continuous among the Muslims; rather, they should try to reduce the disagreement if it can be eliminated. At the very least, they should eliminate a portion of this disagreement, because the matter is not as that baseless hadith says: . If disagreement were mercy, then what would agreement be? Would it be a calamity? Far be it from Allah, Mighty and Majestic. But what must be acknowledged is that disagreement is a natural matter from which there is no escape, due to the difference of minds, capacities, and independent legal reasoning, and so on. If the matter is so, then students of knowledge should know this reality and not be disturbed, and not increase the disagreement when they see some scholars disagreeing on some issues, because such disagreement is a natural matter from which there is no escape. But they should practice and become accustomed to following the evidence of the scholar, rather than being fanatical for this one over that, or for that one over this. After this introduction and this preamble, we addressed this issue in detail in a book that I think you have not heard recorded, which is "The Book of the Hijab of the Muslim Woman in the Book and the Sunnah." I explained there that the jilbab of the Muslim woman must meet eight conditions. The first condition: it must be long enough to cover the entire body of the woman, which is obligatory, except for the face and the hands, where it is recommended to cover them. We mentioned the remaining conditions, including that it should not be perfumed, that it should not be an adornment in itself, that it should not resemble the clothing of men, and that it should not resemble the clothing of disbelieving women, and so on. I stopped with some detail on the issue of the face and the hands. After explaining in a special chapter the virtue of covering the face and hands of the woman, I explained at the same time that this is not obligatory for the woman as it is obligatory for her to cover the rest of her body with the previously mentioned conditions. I certainly addressed the two verses you referred to earlier, and I explained that the statement of the Blessed and Exalted: does not mean that she should cover her face with her jilbab. If a person were to free himself from traditions and customs, and even more so from desire, he would find the matter as clear as the sun at noon. This is because one of the conditions of the jilbab is that it be thick and not transparent. This is a matter I clarified there, and I think there is no disagreement among the scholars of the Muslims on this, and praise be to Allah. If the jilbab is required to cover the face, how would the woman walk at that time, having covered her face with the thick jilbab? Therefore, some of the early exegetes said it is permissible for her to reveal one eye. This permission violates the claim of the generality of covering the face of the woman, because this generality includes covering the face with both eyes. Now, we have excluded one eye following this opinion or this narration. Then it was found that some said the other eye should also be excluded, so that she can see the road while walking. Then it was found that some said it is permissible for her to reveal her face, because there is a benefit for her in that, in terms of her moving freely in her work, on her way to her mosque, and in smelling the air that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created for her and for all men. Then the woman should know that sometimes, in such cases as testimony and the like, the issue is not a matter of reason, but a matter of transmission. There is nothing in the Book or in the Sunnah that obligates the woman to cover her face. This verse, which can be said to obligate the woman to cover her face, and you have known that the jilbab cannot be used by the woman to cover her face, because the jilbab blinds her to the road. Therefore, the strictest people in opinion on the issue of hijab could not do more than say she should reveal one eye to see the road. Some said two eyes. But we see the great Companions, and the interpreter of the Qur'an in particular, namely Abdullah ibn Abbas, excluding the face of the woman from the command to cover, as al-Hafiz Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his book with a sound chain. Similarly, in a narration from Ibn Mas'ud, whose chain I do not recall now. And there is no one among the Companions or the famous Imams who says that the face of the woman is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered). I have proven with correct quotations from many sources from the books of the schools of jurisprudence that Abu Hanifa, Malik, and al-Shafi'i say that the face of the woman is not an awrah. But that does not mean that it is not recommended for her to cover her face. We hear from many who see the obligation of covering the face of the woman that they address the issue with a rational, logical treatment, and this is not the way of the scholars from whom we received knowledge. Knowledge, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
"Allah said, His Messenger said, the Companions said; it is not deception."
And so on. People say the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face for the man, so likewise the most beautiful thing in a man for the woman is his face. If we say it is obligatory for the man to cover his face in front of the woman, no one says this, praise be to Allah. But if we follow this logic, it leads us to forbid what Allah and His Messenger did not forbid. We must bring evidence from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in forbidding something if we are certain of its prohibition. We do not discuss the issue with logic, saying the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face. I say the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, but is this sufficient to forbid revealing it and obligate covering it? No, by Allah, this is not sufficient for any of the scholars at all. Then I say something else: the most beautiful thing in a man is his face. Look, if a man revealed his arms and revealed his body and his beautiful chest, would this be an awrah? It would not be an awrah, but this is a permissible matter. Therefore, the scholars agreed in their saying that the awrah of the man is between the navel and the knee. So the issue requires relying not on mere reason, because no reason is free from another reason. Therefore, it came from Imam Malik his criticism of these rationalists who bring opinions today, holding one view, and tomorrow holding another view, and this is the nature of man. But when a person relies on a text from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then there comes the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He: . So whoever is jealous of his family and his daughters, the matter is wide open for him; let him cover the face. And covering the face is not a religious innovation, as some people say, to whom we responded in the same book, in a special chapter we established that covering the face and covering the hands is among the virtues that many of the female Companions were upon in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So there is breadth in the matter: whoever wants to cover, he has that, and there is no blame on him. And whoever wants to reveal, he has a dispensation in that. But covering is better. As for saying that revealing is forbidden, where is the evidence for that from the Qur'an?

The questioner : The hadith and the verse, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : When you hear the verse, we know that it is not an explicit text. The other verse is the verse of the head covering: It did not say "over their faces." The *khimar* in Arabic is a head covering, and it is suitable for both women and men. That is why the hadiths came regarding wiping over the leather socks and wiping over the *khimar*, because a man covers his head with it. So, there is no explicit text in the Qur'an forbidding a woman from uncovering her face. If it is necessary, then we must move on to the Sunnah.

The questioner :

The Shaykh In the road, the screen is the door, it is the curtain. That is what is intended here, because a woman in her home is, what is the Arabic expression? She is in a state of ease, she is taking her freedom. So it is not permissible for her to open the door as women do in some Arab countries. The baker comes to deliver the bread, or the butcher, or whatever, and she opens the door wide open as if he were her brother or her husband or something like that. This is the meaning of the verse , because the question that is usually asked is this. And suppose that this is the screen, where is the proof that this screen covers the face? As we said earlier, there must be specific proof that the screen must cover the face. We have said that the screen must be thick, it must be heavy, such that if a woman covered her face, she would not see her way. So you are now removing this with that verse. The answer is the same answer.

The questioner : The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when she said: And also, the restriction by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he saw Sawdah bint Zam'a, the Mother of the Believers...

The Shaykh : And this was before the revelation of the screen.

The questioner : So he ordered them to wear the screen. If you would be kind enough to clarify that?

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : O my brothers, do not go around the issue with general terms. Does this mention the face? Does it mention covering the face? What text are you mentioning now? This is the hadith of Aisha, it is explicit in that. The hadith of Aisha, we affirm it. We cited it among the hadiths we cited in the book on the hijab. So we support it. But where do we take from that this act is obligatory for every woman? Then we say this act is for the wives of the Messenger. There are opinions from some scholars that covering the face for the wives of the Messenger is obligatory like covering the rest of the body. Even so, this is an act, and we affirm it for the general Muslim women. And, praise be to Allah, our women are like this. And we did not say that as they say in our region in Syria, "loosely," and as some opponents say, unfortunately, that we call for uncovering. There is no author, and this is a favor from Allah upon me, who wrote about the hijab and brought the conditions we mentioned. And when they brought them, they took them from us. And yet they attribute to us that we are callers to uncovering. We say we call to the hijab that Allah and His Messenger ordered, and we say that covering the face is better. But we say there is no proof that obligates a woman to cover her face. And one of the decisive proofs in that is the hadith of the Khath'am woman. The hadith of the Khath'am woman is in the two Sahihs, there is no room for anyone to doubt it. And its indication is decisive, there is no room for doubt in its indication either. Because al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas, when he was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was looking at her and saying that she was beautiful and lovely. So if she had not been uncovering her face, the man would not have been captivated by her. And there would have been no need for the Messenger to turn al-Fadl's head to the other side. And to say, as in some narrations outside the Sahih, , or as he (peace be upon him) said. The hadith of the Khath'am woman is in his lifetime (peace be upon him). He did not order her to cover her face, but he ordered al-Fadl to turn his face to the other side. And this is an application by the Messenger (peace be upon him) of the noble verse , and an application by him of the hadith of Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, who asked the Messenger, he or someone else, "What if a man's gaze falls upon a woman?" He said: . This is the obligation. So turning the gaze, especially in the story of al-Fadl, does not happen unless there is something in front of the man that he sees which is not obligatory to cover. So this explicit text is proof that the face is not obligatory to cover, even in this case. But the obligation is that we turn our gaze away from the faces of women. If the faces of women are the most beautiful thing in them, then our obligation is to turn our gaze away from the most beautiful thing in them. Just as it is not permissible for a man to look at the face of a woman except for a need, like medical treatment, testimony, or something like that, so it is not permissible for a woman to look at the face of a man, even if the face of a man is not an 'awrah. This is how we understand the issue. So the hadith of Aisha contains covering the face, and we affirm it. But this act does not indicate the obligation of this act, which is covering the face. Rather, it indicates its permissibility. And we are the first to say it. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : On the same topic...

The Shaykh : You have strayed from the topic. May Allah reward you. We are the first to prevent a woman from working outside her home. But you, may Allah reward you, have returned to where the man started. We said, leave logic and leave reason, because reason does not rule over the Shari'ah. If you have a text that obligates a woman to cover her face, we are now agreed that covering her face is the best. We differ on whether it is obligatory for her or not. Do you have a text so that we can look into it and examine it? But by Allah, the fitnah. We brought the hadith of al-Fadl. Was there not fitnah? What do you say about the hadith of al-Fadl?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : If you permit, what do you say, Professor, about the hadith of al-Fadl? Was there not fitnah?

The questioner : ... the society.

The Shaykh : You did not answer me. Well, why did the Messenger not order the Khath'am woman to cover her face, and the fitnah had occurred?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : My brother, may Allah reward you. The era has parts. Fitnah may occur in one place and not occur in another place. So the time when fitnah occurs is the time of obligation to cover the face, which is the cause of the fitnah. So why did the Messenger... How do you understand this hadith? I need you to understand what you have.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Allow me. How do you turn away from the hadith of the Messenger with logic? This leads to fitnah, and the time is corrupt, and so on. How do you direct this hadith? You admit that the fitnah raised its horn between the man and the woman. And the hadith narrates that each of them was beautiful and lovely, and so on. What is your position toward this hadith?

The questioner : There is a text. May Allah reward you. And the chain is authentic. And if you go out...

The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you. What do you answer about this hadith?

The questioner : This is a general text.

The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you. The one who said the hadith is the one who dealt with this issue in the Farewell Pilgrimage. Why did the Messenger not say to the woman, "Cover your face, you will cause fitnah to al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas who is behind me"? Why did the Messenger remain silent about this evil? Let one of you imagine the truth. I believe you are now afflicted because of this stubbornness. Is it not enough for you to say that it is sufficient for the woman to cover her face, and this is better for her? Unless you say this is an obligation upon her, and the Messenger did not make it an obligation upon her. Suppose you are in the position of the Messenger (peace be upon him). Today in Hajj, take any pious, righteous scholar. What would he say in it? If this incident happened to him, he saw a woman coming to ask him, and she was uncovering her face, and he was riding on his camel, and behind him was a handsome young man. He noticed that the girl was looking at him, and he was looking at her, and she was uncovering her face. What does this man do?The Shaykh : The one who believes that a woman must cover her face, what does he do? Tell me with knowledge, if you are truthful, what does he do? Does he not order her to cover her face?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Well, why did the Messenger not do this, O people? He did the opposite of that, the opposite of what you imagine you would do. He turned al-Fadl's face to the other side, because it is not obligatory for this woman to cover her face. It is obligatory for this man to lower his gaze from her, to turn his gaze away from her. If it were as you imagine and as you think, he would have said, "Cover your face." Many of the noble scholars say that she was in a state of ihram. Glory be to Allah. Suppose she was in a state of ihram, and there is no proof that she was in a state of ihram. Rather, I mentioned there a narration that this was after stoning the pillars, where the pilgrim is permitted the lesser release. But suppose she was in a state of ihram. Earlier I mentionedThe Shaykh : Here is a hadith, what is it? It is the hadith of al-Sadl, the hadith of 'A'ishah. Why did he not order her to cover her face? Is there no way out except to commit a violation and wear the niqab? No, the way out is available right now. We say that the hijab commanded in the Qur'an cannot be used to cover the face, because it blinds the woman to her path. Therefore, those who said it is permissible for her to uncover one eye were forced to say so. But she was standing and asking the Messenger of Allah about her father, saying he is an old man and the obligation of Hajj has come upon him, to the end of the hadith. He (peace and blessings be upon him) could have said to her, "Cover your face, for you are the temptation of my son," but he did not do any of that. Instead, he said to the man, "Turn your face away." So we must address our problems in light of the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We do not be strict, nor do we be lenient. We do not say that covering the face is a religious innovation, as some of the negligent and wasteful people say. Nor do we say that covering the face is an individual obligation, like covering her arm and forearm and the like, because there is no evidence for that. The evidence is found at the end of the life of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Farewell Pilgrimage. I do not hear an answer. Look, you are all enthusiastic now, and our brother here is one of them.

The questioner : No, wait a moment, wait a moment, wait. Professor, please, Shaykh, if you please, brothers, if you allow me, let us not embarrass our Shaykh. This is an opinion in itself; let him investigate this matter. This is an opinion in their minds. All the callers, every one says... Shaykh, may Allah protect you. The topic of your speech is the hadith of al-Khath'amiah. I am a reader of it, I think in Zad al-Ma'ad by Ibn al-Qayyim. Her face is an argument against those who said the face should be uncovered, but I do not remember the text now. And when we say al-Fadl looked at her, is it established that her face was uncovered, or was her clothing beautiful and her speech beautiful, and al-Fadl was amazed by her and looked at her?

The Shaykh: This is the statement.

The questioner : No, I mean, this is what many of the scholars of knowledge say.

The Shaykh : Does he look at the blackness of her garment? Or what?

The questioner : He looks at her modesty and her... and her good speech. I mean, I think it is...

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you. Put the "perhaps" at that star. Perhaps and maybe. I ask you: if a woman's garment is adornment, is it permissible for her to go out to the street with it?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Good. If it is not adornment, it is not permissible to look at this garment.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Any research you heat up collapses and nothing is gained from it. You are now saying the hadith , was this before that or after that? I tell you frankly, I do not know. But the scholars of knowledge taught us to assume that this was before or after. You and those like you wish and desire that the hadith be after the hadith of al-Khath'amiah, is that not so?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Ah, assume so, and without establishing this, it is just spinning. Do you see? But I assume with you, ah, it was before that. So what is the result?

The questioner : If that is the case, then it is good and excellent, but we must establish this thing.

The Shaykh : Listen, what is the result? If we assume this hypothesis, which is in your favor, in terms of the idea you carry, what is the outcome? Does the hadith of al-Khath'amiah become inoperative, or does the hadith of al-Khath'amiah serve as an explanation for this absolute or general statement?

The questioner : We must establish this thing.

The Shaykh : But you have not established what I gave you.

The questioner : I am asking you. You are a scholar and I am a student.

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah. I told you I do not know. Do you know?

The questioner : I do not know.

The Shaykh : If we are equal.

The questioner : If we stop until...

The Shaykh : If we stop until this becomes clear to you, whether it was before or after, what is your position regarding the hadith of al-Khath'amiah?

The questioner : I say, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh: And in you, if Allah wills.

The questioner : You have tired us, Shaykh.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you and reward you with good. I am a servant of Allah... sessions until the morning. Look how this is by the grace and blessings of Allah, especially if we have sincere brothers who gather with us upon the Sunnah and in fighting religious innovation. If I were dead, I would be alive.


The questioner : We have many questions, but we will choose from them. The first question, may Allah bless you, is about the jilbab. As you see, most people take the hadiths, but the majority are inclined to what came in Surat al-Nur and what came in Surat al-Ahzab. And Allah knows the truth best. We want you to clarify and give the correct answer to this question, may Allah bless you, so that it does not... because some say... in hospitals and cars... and they say, "Bring the evidence?"

The Shaykh : In any case, before I speak on this issue, I draw your attention to a reality from which there is no escape, for it is the will and desire of Allah, as He the Exalted said: . Disagreement among scholars is a natural matter. That is why disagreement existed in the first century, which is the best of the centuries, the purest, the most noble, and the most knowledgeable, and it is distinguished in every good over the centuries that followed it. The Companions disagreed on more than one issue, and we are not in need now to address any of them. If the best of the centuries disagreed, there is absolutely no surprise that those who came after them would disagree. However, this does not mean that disagreement should remain continuous among the Muslims. Rather, they should try to reduce the disagreement if it can be eliminated. At the very least, they should eliminate a portion of this disagreement, for the matter is not as that baseless hadith claims: . If disagreement were mercy, then what would agreement be? Would it be a calamity? May Allah be far from that. But what must be acknowledged is that disagreement is a natural matter from which there is no escape, due to the difference in minds, capacities, and independent legal reasoning, and so on. If the matter is so, then students of knowledge must know this reality and not be disturbed, and not increase the disagreement when they see some scholars disagreeing on some issues, because such disagreement is a natural matter from which there is no escape. However, they must train themselves to follow the evidence of the scholar, rather than being fanatical for this one over that, or for that one over this. After this introduction and preamble, we addressed this issue in detail, which I believe you have not heard recorded in a book, namely "The Book of the Muslim Woman's Hijab in the Qur'an and Sunnah." I clarified there that the Muslim woman's jilbab must meet eight conditions. The first condition is that it must be long enough to cover the entire body of the woman, which is obligatory, except for the face and hands, where it is recommended to cover them. We mentioned the remaining conditions, including that it must not be perfumed, that it must not be an adornment in itself, that it must not resemble the clothing of men, and that it must not resemble the clothing of disbelieving women, and so on. I stopped with some detail on the issue of the face and hands. After clarifying in a specific chapter the virtue of covering the face and hands of the woman, I also clarified that this is not obligatory for the woman in the same way that it is obligatory for her to cover the rest of her body with the previously mentioned conditions. I certainly addressed the two verses you referred to earlier, and I clarified that His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: , does not mean that she should cover her face with her jilbab. If a person were to be free from traditions and customs, and even more so from desire, he would find the matter as clear as the sun at noon. This is because one of the conditions of the jilbab is that it be thick and not transparent. This is a matter I clarified there, and I believe there is no disagreement among the scholars of the Muslims on this, and praise be to Allah. If the jilbab is required to cover the face, how would the woman walk at that time, having covered her face with the thick jilbab? Therefore, some of the early exegetes said it is permissible for her to reveal one eye, like this. This permission violates the claim of the generality of covering the woman's face, because this generality includes covering the face with both eyes. Now, we have excluded one eye following this opinion or this narration. Then it was found that some said the other eye should also be excluded, so that she can see the road while walking. Then it was found that some said it is permissible for her to reveal her face, because there is a benefit for her in that, in terms of her moving freely in her work, on her way to her mosque, and in smelling the air that Allah the Mighty and Majestic created for her and for all men. Then the woman should know that sometimes, in such cases as testimony and the like, the issue is not a matter of reason, but a matter of transmission. There is nothing in the Book or in the Sunnah that obligates the woman to cover her face. This verse, which can be said to obligate the woman to cover her face, you have known that the jilbab cannot be used by the woman to cover her face, because the jilbab would blind her to the road. Therefore, the strictest people in opinion on the issue of hijab could not do more than say she should reveal one eye to see the road. Some said two eyes. But we see the great Companions, and the interpreter of the Qur'an in particular, namely 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, excluding the woman's face from the command to cover, as al-Hafiz Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his book with a sound chain. Similarly, there is a narration from Ibn Mas'ud, whose chain I do not recall now. There is no one among the Companions or the famous Imams who says that the woman's face is 'awrah. I have proven with correct quotations from many sources in the books of the schools of jurisprudence that Abu Hanifah, Malik, and al-Shafi'i say that the woman's face is not 'awrah. But this does not mean that it is not recommended for her to cover her face. We hear from many who see the obligation of covering the woman's face that they address the issue with a rational, logical treatment. This is not the way of the scholars from whom we received knowledge. Knowledge, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Allah said, His Messenger said, The Companions said; it is not deception."
And so on. People say the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, for the man. So likewise, the most beautiful thing in a man for the woman is his face. If we say it is obligatory for the man to cover his face in front of the woman, no one says that, praise be to Allah. But if we follow this logic, it leads us to forbid what Allah and His Messenger did not forbid. We must bring evidence from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in forbidding something, if we are certain of its prohibition. We do not discuss the issue with logic, saying the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face. I say the most beautiful thing in a woman is her face, but is this sufficient to forbid revealing it and obligate covering it? No, by Allah, this is not sufficient for any of the scholars, absolutely. Then I say something else: the most beautiful thing in a man is his face. Look, if a man revealed his arms and revealed his body and his beautiful chest, would this be 'awrah? It would not be 'awrah, but this is a permissible matter. Therefore, the scholars agreed in their saying that the 'awrah of the man is between the navel and the knee. So the issue requires reliance not on mere reason, because no reason is free from another reason. Therefore, it came from Imam Malik his criticism of these rationalists who bring opinions today, seeing one opinion, and tomorrow seeing another. This is the nature of man. But when a person relies on a text from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then there comes the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He: . So whoever is jealous of his family and his daughters, the matter is broad before him; let him cover the face. And covering the face is not a religious innovation, as some people say, to whom we responded in the same book, in a specific chapter we established that covering the face and covering the hands is among the virtues that many of the female Companions were upon in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So there is breadth in the matter. Whoever wants to cover, he has that, and there is no blame on him. And whoever wants to reveal, he has a dispensation in that. But covering is better. As for saying that revealing is forbidden, where is the evidence for that from the Qur'an?

The questioner : The hadith and the verse, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : If you heard the verse, we know that it is not a text. The other verse is the verse of the khimar: . It did not say "on their faces." The khimar in Arabic is a head covering, and it is suitable for women and men. Therefore, the hadiths came regarding wiping over the leather socks and over the khimar, because the man covers his head with it. So there is no text in the Qur'an forbidding the woman from revealing her face. And if it is necessary, then we move to the Sunnah.

The questioner :

The Shaykh: In this context, the screen is the door or the curtain. This is what is intended, because a woman in her home is, in the Arabic expression, "unadorned" or in a state of ease, taking her freedom. Therefore, it is not permissible for her to open the door wide open as women do in some Arab countries, when the baker comes to deliver bread or the butcher comes, or the like. She opens the door as if he were her brother or her husband or something similar. This is the meaning of the verse , because the question that is usually asked is this. And suppose that this is the screen, where is the evidence that this screen covers the face? As we said earlier, there must be specific evidence that the screen must cover the face. We have said that the screen must be thick, substantial, such that if a woman covered her face, she would not see her way. So you are now removing this based on this verse? The answer is the same answer.

The questioner: : The hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when she said: And also, the restriction by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he saw Sawdah bint Zam'a, the Mother of the Believers... .

The Shaykh: : And this was before the revelation of the hijab.

The questioner: : So he ordered them to wear the hijab. If you would be so kind as to clarify that?

The Shaykh: : May Allah bless you,

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: : O my brothers, do not go around the issue with general terms. Does this mention the face? Does it mention covering the face? What text are you citing now? This is the hadith of Aisha, which is explicit in that. The hadith of Aisha, we affirm it. We cited it among the hadiths we cited in the book on the hijab, so we support it. But where do we take from that this act is obligatory for every woman? Then we say that this act, regarding the wives of the Messenger, there are opinions from some scholars that covering the face for the wives of the Messenger is obligatory like covering the rest of the body. Even so, this is an act, and we affirm it for the general Muslim women. And we, praise be to Allah, our women are like this. And we did not say that as they say in our region in Syria, "we are lax," and as some opponents say, unfortunately, that we call for unveiling. There is no author, and this is a favor from Allah upon me, who wrote about the hijab and brought the conditions we mentioned. And when they brought them, they took them from us. And yet they attribute to us that we are callers to unveiling. We say we call to the hijab that Allah and His Messenger ordered, and we say that covering the face is better, but we say there is no evidence that obligates a woman to cover her face. And among the decisive evidence for that is the hadith of the Khath'am woman. The hadith of the Khath'am woman is in the two Sahihs, there is no room for anyone to doubt it, and its indication is decisive, there is no room for doubt in its indication either. Because al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas, when he was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was looking at her and saying that she was beautiful and lovely. So if she had not been uncovering her face, the man would not have been attracted to her, and there would have been no need for the Messenger to turn al-Fadl's head to the other side, and say, as in some narrations outside the Sahih, , or as he (peace be upon him) said. The hadith of the Khath'am woman is during his life (peace be upon him), so he did not order her to cover her face, but he ordered al-Fadl to turn his face to the other side. And this is an application by the Messenger (peace be upon him) of the noble verse , and an application by him of the hadith of Jarir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Bajali, who asked the Messenger, he or someone else, "What if a man's gaze falls upon a woman?" He said: . This is the obligation. So turning the gaze, especially in the story of al-Fadl, does not happen unless there is something in front of the man that he sees which is not obligatory to cover. So this explicit text is evidence that the face is not obligatory to cover, even in this case. But the obligation is that we turn our gaze away from the faces of women. If the faces of women are the most beautiful thing in them, then our obligation is to turn our gaze away from the most beautiful thing in them. Just as it is not permissible for a man to look at the face of a woman except for a need, such as medical treatment, testimony, or the like, so it is not permissible for a woman to look at the face of a man, even if the face of a man is not 'awrah. This is how we understand the matter. So the hadith of Aisha contains covering the face, and we affirm it, but this act does not indicate the obligation of this act, which is covering the face, but rather indicates its permissibility. And we are the first to say so. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The questioner : On the same topic...

The Shaykh: : You have strayed from the topic. May Allah bless you. We are the first to prevent a woman from working outside her home. But you, may Allah bless you, have returned to where the man started. We said, leave logic and leave reason, because reason does not rule over the Shari'ah. If you have a text that obligates a woman to cover her face, we are now in agreement that covering her face is the best. We differ on whether it is obligatory for her or not. Do you have a text so that we can examine it and look at it? As for the fitnah, we brought the hadith of al-Fadl. Was there not fitnah? What do you say about the hadith of al-Fadl?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: : If you permit, what do you say, Professor, about the hadith of al-Fadl? Was there not fitnah?

The questioner: : ... the society.

The Shaykh: : You did not answer me. Well, why did the Messenger not order the Khath'am woman to cover her face, and the fitnah had materialized?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: : My brother, may Allah bless you, the era has parts. Fitnah may materialize in one place and not in another. So the hour in which fitnah materializes is the hour of obligation to cover the face, which is the cause of the fitnah. So why did the Messenger... How do you understand this hadith? I need you to understand what you have.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: : Allow me, how do you turn away from the hadith of the Messenger with logic? This results in fitnah, and the time is corrupt, and so on. How do you direct this hadith? You admit that the fitnah raised its horn between the man and the woman, and the hadith narrates that each of them was beautiful and lovely, and so on. What is your position towards this hadith?

The questioner: : There is a text, may Allah bless you, and the chain is sound, and if you go out... .

The Shaykh: : May Allah forgive you, what do you answer about this hadith?

The questioner: : This is a general text.

The Shaykh: : May Allah forgive you, the one who said the hadith is the one who dealt with this issue in the Farewell Pilgrimage. Why did the Messenger not say to the woman, "Cover your face, you will cause fitnah for al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas who is behind me"? Why did the Messenger remain silent about this evil? Let one of you imagine the truth. I believe you are now afflicted because of this fanaticism. Is it not enough for you to say that it is sufficient for the woman to cover her face, and this is better for her, without saying that this is obligatory upon her, and the Messenger did not make it obligatory upon her? Suppose you are in the position of the Messenger (peace be upon him). Today in Hajj, take any pious, righteous scholar, what would he say? If this incident happened to him, he saw a woman coming to ask him, and she was uncovering her face, and he was riding on his camel, and behind him was a handsome young man, and he noticed that the girl was looking at him and he was looking at her, and she was uncovering her face. What does this man do?The Shaykh: The one who believes that a woman must cover her face, what does he do? Tell me with knowledge, if you are truthful, what does he do? Does he not order her to cover her face?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: : Well, why did the Messenger not do this, O people? He did the opposite of what you imagine you would do. He turned al-Fadl's face to the other side, because it is not obligatory for this woman to cover her face. It is obligatory for this man to lower his gaze from her, to turn his gaze away from her. If it were as you imagine and as you think, he would have said, "Cover your face." Many of the noble scholars say that she was in a state of ihram. Glory be to Allah, suppose she was in a state of ihram, and there is no evidence that she was in a state of ihram. In fact, I mentioned there a narration that this was after the stoning of the pillars, where the pilgrim is permitted the lesser release. But suppose she was in a state of ihram, as mentioned earlier...The Shaykh : Here is a hadith, what is it? It is the hadith of al-Sadl, the hadith of 'A'ishah. Why did he not order her to cover her face? Is there no way out except to commit a violation and wear the niqab? No, the way out is present. We say that the hijab commanded in the Qur'an cannot cover the face, because it would blind the woman to her path. Therefore, those who said it is permissible for her to uncover one eye were forced to say so. But she was standing and asking the Messenger of Allah about her father, saying he is an old man who has reached the age of Allah's obligation of Hajj, to the end of the hadith. It was possible for him (peace and blessings be upon him) to say to her, "Cover your face, for you are a temptation to my son." He did not do any of that. Instead, he said to the man, "Turn your face away." So we must address our problems in light of the Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We do not be strict, nor do we be lenient. We do not say covering the face is a religious innovation, as some of the negligent and wasteful have said. Nor do we say that covering the face is an individual obligation, like covering her arm and forearm and the like, because there is no evidence for that. The evidence is in the last days of the life of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Farewell Pilgrimage. I have not heard an answer. Look, you are now enthusiastic, and our brother here is one of them.

The questioner : No, wait a moment, wait a moment, no, Professor, please, Shaykh, if you permit, brothers, let us not embarrass our Shaykh. This is a statement in itself; let him investigate this matter. This is a statement in their minds. All the callers, every one says... Shaykh, may Allah protect you. The topic of your speech is the Khath'amiah. I am a reader of it, I think in Zad al-Ma'ad by Ibn al-Qayyim. Her face is an argument against those who said uncovering the face is permissible. But I do not remember the text now. And when we say al-Fadl looked at her, is it established that her face was uncovered, or was her clothing beautiful and her speech beautiful, and al-Fadl was amazed by her and looked at her?

The Shaykh: This is the statement.

The questioner : No, I mean, this is what many of the scholars say.

The Shaykh : Does he look at the blackness of her garment? Or what?

The questioner : He looks at her modesty and her... and her good speech. I mean, I think it is...

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. Put the "perhaps" at that star. "Perhaps" and "maybe." I ask you: if a woman's garment is adornment, is it permissible for her to go out to the street with it?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Good. If it is not adornment, it is not permissible to look at this garment.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Any research you heat up collapses and nothing is gained from it. You are now saying the hadith , was this before that or after that? I tell you frankly, I do not know. But the scholars taught us to assume that this was before or after. You and those like you wish and desire that the hadith be after the hadith of the Khath'amiah, is that not so?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Ah, assume so, and without establishing this, it is like cutting cotton, do you see? But I assume with you, ah, it was before that. So what is the result?

The questioner : If that is the case, then it is good and excellent, but we must establish this thing.

The Shaykh : Listen, what is the result? If we assume this hypothesis, which is in your favor, in terms of the idea you carry, what is the result? Does the hadith of the Khath'amiah become invalid, or does the hadith of the Khath'amiah serve as an explanation for this absolute or general statement?

The questioner : We must establish this thing.

The Shaykh : But you have not established what I gave you.

The questioner : I am asking you. You are a scholar and I am a student.

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah. I told you I do not know. Do you know?

The questioner : I do not know.

The Shaykh : If we are equal.

The questioner : If we stop until...

The Shaykh : If we stop until this becomes clear to you, whether before or after, what is your position regarding the hadith of the Khath'amiah?

The questioner : I say, may Allah bless you.

The Shaykh: And in you, if Allah wills.

The questioner : We have tired you, Shaykh.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you and may Allah reward you with good. I am a servant of Allah... sessions until the morning. Look how this is by the grace and blessings of Allah, especially if we have sincere brothers who gather with us on the Sunnah and in fighting religious innovation. If I were dead, I would be alive.


The questioner : I say, may Allah reward you. The brothers want clarification from this verse, from the hadith of 'A'ishah, from the hadith of the Khath'amiah, and from their statement that it is forbidden. But I do not want argument as you mentioned, and enthusiasm. We want clarification so that our souls are at ease. And now your sons are enthusiastic about things they see in your eyes. And until we say, and success is from Allah, even if she covers herself, and even if she is not beautiful, she becomes beautiful, but covering the face restrains the sharpness of people, and if a woman is uncovered, his desire is strong?

The Shaykh : True. But this ugly woman who adorns herself, as you say, this is not permissible by the consensus of the Muslims. If a woman is one who adopts the view that the face is not 'awrah and that it is permissible for her to go out with her face uncovered, then if she goes out adorned, it is forbidden for her to do so. The ugly, old woman... if she adorns her face, it is not permissible for her to uncover her face. The face must be in its natural state, and in the fitrah (innate natural disposition) in which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created it. If she adorns herself as they do today with rouge and powder, this is not permissible. We are talking about the face that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created. And therefore, I say we do not go off topic, as our brother did just now, bringing the topic of the face into the issue of her mixing with men and working with men, and so on. We are not in that context. Is the face that Allah created obligatory for the woman to cover when she goes out of her house? This is the situation, this is the research. Whoever has evidence, let him bring it to us, and we will be grateful to him. And whoever does not, let him not be enthusiastic or force the issue. Because whoever says something lawful is forbidden without evidence is like whoever says something forbidden is lawful without evidence. These are two rulings in the Shari'ah that are equal. Just as it is not permissible to make something lawful without evidence, it is not permissible to make something forbidden without evidence. We agree that covering the face is better, but we differ on what is obligatory. Is this obligatory or not? Until now, we have not heard of an obligation from the Lawgiver.

The questioner : It is known to...The Shaykh : He says it is recommended to cover the face, but he is not able to say it is obligatory.

The Shaykh : Well done. He is not able to say it is obligatory, for I have evidence, and no one else has evidence.

The questioner : Shaykh, we have many questions, but our brothers have not reached this point. Glory be to Allah. Good, if this is the answer...The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : Let the doctor speak.
The doctor: You said that if it were forbidden, she would be supposed to cover her face as 'A'ishah did.

The Shaykh : I did not say that. Understand me well. I said if covering the face were obligatory for the woman when fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have ordered that Khath'amiah to cover her face.


The questioner : Good. I assume she was in a state of ihram (the consecrated state of pilgrimage), and the one in ihram does not wear the niqab or gloves, due to the prohibition of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)...

The Shaykh : My brother, by Allah, may Allah be pleased with you, you have strayed. I say the woman in ihram does not wear the niqab, and does not wear gloves, but she may cover her face.

The questioner : It is not obligatory for her to cover her face. That is, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not want to make it obligatory for her at that time to cover her face, and he did not make it obligatory for her...

The Shaykh : This is my statement, but your statement is that you are repeating my words.

The questioner : No, my statement is, Shaykh, if you allow me, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), you say he delayed the explanation until the time of need, meaning he did not order her to cover her face.

The Shaykh : I say it this way.

The questioner : That is, the Messenger was silent. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not clarify in that response which requires that she must cover her face. He did not clarify this obligation. We say if she was in a state of ihram, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had prohibited wearing the niqab, he did not intend at that time and in that incident to say to her, "Cover your face," because she was in a state of ihram.

The Shaykh : My dear friend, letting the garment hang down (isdal) is not the same as wearing the face veil (niqab). A woman in the state of ihram lets her garment hang down and does not wear the face veil. It is permissible for her to let it hang down, whether men are present or not. You do not distinguish between letting the garment hang down and wearing the face veil. I have stated in the book that it is not permissible for a woman in the state of ihram to wear the face veil, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . However, a woman for whom it is not permissible to wear gloves is permitted to do this. Do you understand? And a woman for whom it is not permissible to wear the face veil is permitted to do this. Those who say that a woman’s face is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) and that it is forbidden for her to expose it must answer regarding the hadith of al-Khath'amiah, for she was in the state of ihram, and a woman in the state of ihram is not permitted to wear the face veil. You are repeating their words, and this argument is refuted. We do not say that it was obligatory for the woman to cover her face, especially during times of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). We do not say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was required to order her to wear the face veil, nor do we think he was required to order her to let her garment hang down, because letting the garment hang down is permissible for a woman in the state of ihram. So, distinguish between letting the garment hang down and wearing the face veil. If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not do this, meaning he did not order her to cover her face, this is evidence of the permissibility of a woman exposing her face, even if there is a man looking at her. Here, what is said by the scholars of usul al-fiqh (the principles of jurisprudence) applies: delaying the explanation until the time of need is not permissible. This is a point of agreement. Therefore, he wished for it. And whenever we examine this issue, what is your answer to this problem? We do not hear an answer. Delaying the explanation until the time of need is not permissible; there is no disagreement among the scholars of usul al-fiqh on this. Why did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not order this woman, when the women were setting out for Hajj (the major pilgrimage), if a group of riders passed by them, to say, "Let your garments hang down over your faces"? There were men riding and walking on their camels. This was a sign of wara' (scrupulousness) on their part, but Shaytan (Satan) entered between the man and the woman. Yet the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, "Let your garment hang down over your face." Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) fall short? Did he not say, "Let your garment hang down over your face"? Did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) fall short? I gave you an example earlier: if this al-Harithah were to encounter one of you today, one who believes that covering the face is obligatory and that it is an awrah, what would he do? Would he say to the woman, "Cover yourself," or would he say to the man, "Avert your gaze"? He would say to the woman, "Cover yourself, let your garment hang down." So why did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not do this? If you are wrong, then the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the one who is right, and this is the truth by which we worship Allah.

The questioner : You have mentioned many of the proofs...

Another questioner : You are tired now, and may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : This is the companion of Habib, may Allah preserve him. Well, we are responding to our companion. We will give them another half hour, until eleven o'clock, if Allah wills.


The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. I mean, the practice of the Companions...

The Shaykh : You have done well. On both points: among the women of the Companions, some used to cover their faces and some used to expose their faces. And I mentioned there many athar (reports from a Companion or successor) that support both positions and support exactly what we are saying. It is permissible to cover, and that is better, and it is permissible to expose, and that is the lesser of the two. And in Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, a sound chain was provided that when they visited Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in his house, they saw his hand was tattooed. Does this indicate that a woman’s hand is an awrah? How did they know about the tattoo? And there are athar that people passed by Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was in al-Rabizah when he was exiled during the time of 'Uthman, and they passed by his house and saw the wife of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), and she was black. How did they know? And the woman who used to clean the mosque, do you remember this hadith? She died and was buried without the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) knowledge or his being informed. When he missed her and did not find her, he asked about her. He said to them . They excused themselves with an excuse, and he said . He went and prayed over her. This black woman, how did they know she was black if everything about her was covered, as our companion said, which is what we desire? How did they know she was black? It is not possible to know that she was black, or brown, or white in the way you described the woman. There must be something, something that appears from the woman when she was cleaning the mosque. Perhaps you imagine she was wearing gloves, and then I ask how she was picking up garbage in the mosque with gloves? All this is unnecessary difficulty. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) admonished the women on the day of the festival, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas saw the women waving their hands to their ears and giving charity with their jewelry. He saw their palms. A person should not be stubborn except for the truth. And there is an expression in Syria taken from a sound hadith: "Excessive tightness leads to looseness." "Excessive tightness leads to looseness" means, look, Shaykh Nasser, when I do this and then let the reins go, and so on. May Allah reward you. This is "excessive tightness leads to looseness," taken from his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) . So we have stopped at the Sunnah (the Prophet's way). If you want to cover your daughter’s and your wife’s face, that is better. If you want your daughter to expose her face, do not be strict with her. She may expose her hair, and this is what we are afflicted with in this time. Excessive tightness leads to looseness. And we hope that the women in this land remain modest and cover their faces, but beware of excessive tightness leading to looseness. The signs are very clear. So strive to walk with the women according to the permissible ruling now. Let the reins go.

The questioner : Today, some of the religious brothers go out with their wives beside them, their faces exposed and their arms exposed as well. He goes out with his beard, and his wife is exposed.

The Shaykh : Exposed, showing her awrah (part of the body that must be covered).

The questioner : Her face.

Another questioner : She is in a state of tabarruj (a woman's display of her adornment).

The Shaykh : Tabarruj (a woman's display of her adornment) is haram (forbidden).

The questioner : If the woman is commanded to cover her face, then what are the men to avert their gaze from?

The Shaykh : From her garment, and likewise, in return, meaning from the garments of the men.

The questioner : O brothers, these are the sayings of the scholars, and there are other scholars. Pray upon Muhammad, may Allah send blessings and peace upon him. We want to benefit. May Allah reward you. Glory be to Allah the Great.

The Shaykh : There is no god but Allah.
From the series "Al-Huda wa al-Nur" (Guidance and Light): Answers to questions via telephone

The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and His forgiveness.

The questioner : How is our Shaykh?

The Shaykh : I praise Him and thank Him

The questioner : May Allah bless you with good

The Shaykh : How is everyone?

The questioner : They are all well, and praise be to Allah

The Shaykh : What... is with you?

The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, just as we say it in Jordan... your hand

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : May Allah assist you.

The questioner : My Shaykh, we have here our brother Aymen from the people of Irbid, whom you met a while ago. He wants to ask you a question. Do you allow him?

The Shaykh: Go ahead.