The issue of a woman covering her face and hands, and the disagreement regarding it.

The questioner : As a follow-up to the question, excuse me.

The Shaykh : Yes, please go ahead.

The questioner : Regarding the woman in relation to her mahram relatives, I mean the answer was regarding the mahram relatives, displaying her adornment.

The Shaykh: All right.

The questioner : But if there are non-mahram men present, is it permissible for her to uncover her face? That is the question. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : There is a disagreement among the jurists regarding two parts of the woman’s body, which are only the face and the hands. Is it permissible for the woman to uncover them or not? The position of the majority of scholars from the Companions and the Successors is that they are not 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). The meaning of "not 'awrah" is that it is not forbidden to uncover them. The one who says they are 'awrah says it is forbidden to uncover her hands, and it is forbidden to uncover the disk of her face. The one who says they are not 'awrah means it is not forbidden; it is permissible. However, what is established in the authentic Sunnah is that the face and hands are not part of the 'awrah, and this is correct. But the best is to cover them. Therefore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The implication is that a woman who is not a mahram wears gloves and wears a niqab (face veil). This indicates the legitimacy of a woman covering her face and hands. But there is no evidence that this is obligatory upon her such that it would be said that it is forbidden for her to uncover her hands as it is forbidden to uncover her arm, and that it is forbidden for her to uncover her face as it is forbidden to uncover her neck. There is absolutely no such evidence, neither in the Book nor in the Sunnah! So it is no wonder and no surprise that the majority of scholars from the Companions, the Successors, and the leading mujtahids (scholars qualified to derive rulings) said that the woman’s face is not 'awrah. This is from one aspect. From another aspect, if we study the history of the female Companions, the wives of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), in their going out from their homes and setting out with their husbands in the expeditions, and their participation in treating the wounded and giving water to the thirsty, and similar interests required by the reality of war, that does not correspond at all with the claim that covering the face and wearing gloves is forbidden. I have a well-known book, and whoever wants elaboration and detail and to know the evidence of both sides and their merits and demerits can refer to it. And if you have an argument from the Book of Allah or from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that refutes this position held by the scholars of the madhhabs and the majority of the Salaf, we would love to hear it!

The questioner : My master, regarding the statement, you mentioned that the majority of the Companions and scholars are of the opinion that covering the face is not obligatory. With the limits of my knowledge and my reading on the issue, the majority of the Salaf, except for Ibn Abbas, are of the opinion that covering the face is obligatory. He said that the intended meaning of the adornment in the exception in Surat al-Nur is the face and the hands. Is that not so?

The Shaykh : What about Surat al-Nur?

The questioner He said the exception here refers to the face and the hands. As for Ibn Mas'ud and the majority of the Companions, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and Ibn 'Umar, they are of the opinion that the intended meaning is what appears of it, i.e., the adornment of the clothing that is exposed. If a woman goes out out of necessity and her clothing, it may be necessary for it to be exposed. That is what is apparent from the woman’s body. As for the intended meaning, you mentioned that the majority of scholars are of the opinion that it is not obligatory and not forbidden! And the limits of my knowledge are that the issue is the opposite of that. All the imams, except for Imam Abu Hanifah, said that covering the face is not obligatory. And I think the issue, I read your book, with respect for your eminence, and you are our Shaykh and above my head, I read the book in response to your book, but we would like to clarify the issue more than this. And if we want the evidence, meaning...

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good. I came to you with the evidence that settles the disagreement: the women of the Companions!!!

The questioner : My master, allow me! The evidence The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about an incident, and it is known that a woman’s ihram (consecrated state of pilgrimage) is on her face!

The Shaykh : Where is the incident? Where is the incident?

The questioner : The incident of ihram.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. This is not called an incident. An incident is said for a specific event. But this is a legal ruling?

The questioner : A legal ruling for the woman in ihram!

The Shaykh : Okay, you are calling it an incident. May Allah bless you.

The questioner : My master, I am not... it might be the wording, forgive me! So the point of the speech...

The Shaykh : Okay, what is the benefit of this discussion? You are saying now that the majority say the opposite of my majority. What is the benefit now of something like this?

The questioner : I would like to reach...

The Shaykh : Be patient, be patient. What is the benefit of this discussion? The book is not in your hands, and my book is not in my hands. I quoted there, by part and page, from Imam al-Nawawi and Ibn Rushd al-Andalusi that the majority of scholars say that the woman’s face is not 'awrah. So what is your source when you reverse it and say that the majority of scholars say that it is 'awrah? We do not want to waste the time of our brothers without a useful scientific discussion. But may Allah bless you.

The questioner : ... May Allah gather us. That is enough. I am sorry, my master.

The Shaykh : I came with something practical. I am telling you now that it is impossible for a Muslim woman to ever be a worker, meaning socially as they say today, within the limits of the Shari'ah, and be wearing a niqab (face veil).

The questioner : This is from reason! Religion is not by reason, O Shaykh!

The Shaykh : Allow me, allow me. May Allah bless you, my brother. A woman wants to deal with something, wants to buy something from the market. How does she buy it while wearing a niqab?

The questioner : Wearing a niqab, she walks and attends to her needs while wearing a niqab and covering her face, and things are normal!

The Shaykh : You did not answer me. Tell me, practically, how is it possible for a woman to see this garment, for example, is it thick, is it thin, is it such and such, and so on. You are living in a fantasy!

The questioner : No, we are not living in a fantasy.

The Shaykh : This is a fantasy. Because the Companions, the Companions, when they lived and the reports were transmitted to us from them, from those whose face was seen, from those whose hands were seen. Did you not read the story of the men’s pledge of allegiance to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? One of them said, O Messenger of Allah, take our pledge, shake our hands as you shook the hands of the men. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What do you imagine when this woman said...

The questioner : This...

The Shaykh : ... Please, please, please. I see you preparing to respond before you hear the full response to you. May Allah reward you with good. I am telling you, what do you imagine when a woman from those who pledged allegiance to the Messenger said, "Shake our hands as you shake the hands of the men," and he (peace be upon him) said Do you think she was wearing a niqab? If you say yes, I say, bring your proof if you are truthful. And if you say no, the argument is established. The women who were pledging allegiance to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) were never wearing niqabs. That is because the social life that the Companions of the Messenger lived, please, my brother, may Allah bless you.

The questioner : May Allah give you life, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Do not be biased toward something you heard.

The questioner: No, no.

The Shaykh : You are moving your head beforehand as if you are stopping me and saying to me, "Enough, it is not appropriate like this!" So I said, may Allah bless you, that when the women asked the Messenger to shake their hands as he shook the hands of the men in the pledge, it means the women were uncovering their palms. Please, and I told you, either you bring the evidence that they were wearing niqabs, and I am telling you beforehand, without that, it is like spinning thorns, as they say, spinning thorns. Second, there is an authentic hadith that the pledge from the women was by extending the hands, not for shaking hands. The Messenger extends his hand and the woman extends her hand. This state is not a handshake and it is not a handshake. In another narration, it came that a woman extended her hand wanting to pledge allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said, with disapproval: What do you say about this? Was she wearing a niqab? No. I know that those who wrote that the woman’s face is 'awrah and her hands are 'awrah, these people made two mistakes. First, they have absolutely no transmitted evidence from the Book of Allah and from the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Second, they brought narrations that have no hump and no bridle. And the most famous of those who wrote on this topic isThe Shaykh : Al-Tuwajiri, and he has his book *Al-Sarim al-Maslul*—or whatever the witness called it. It is full of narrations that are absolutely not authentic. I do not want to go into the details now, but we have narrations in the *Seerah* that establish the argument against those who are fanatical and say that it is forbidden for a woman to uncover her face. I say that your statement that it is forbidden is forbidden, because a statement without the Book of Allah and without a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is merely an opinion. And I say now, I ask you: Do you not know that these people interpreted the *khimar* as a covering for the face and the head?

The questioner : Some of them, some of them interpreted it that way.

The Shaykh : Yes, among those who say that a woman's face is not an *awrah* (part of the body that must be covered), or those who say that it is an *awrah*?

The questioner : Those who say that it is an *awrah*.

The Shaykh : Fine. Is this opinion correct?

The questioner : My master...

The Shaykh : Please, please.

The questioner : We need to respond to the first point regarding the issue of the pledge of allegiance.

The Shaykh : My brother, I am asking you; you have no right to ask.

The questioner : Just that, that is all. May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Allow me. How are you? Please, go ahead.