Does the verse “And if you ask them for anything, ask them from behind a veil” imply that it is obligatory for a woman to wear the niqab, or not?

The questioner : Allah the Exalted says: Does this mean that a woman is not permitted to speak with a man, as is our situation in these days, or is she required to wear the niqab? What is the ruling in Islam regarding a woman wearing the niqab, and what is the evidence for that?

The Shaykh : First, the verse mentioned earlier, Many scholars err in interpreting the hijab in this verse, where they interpret the hijab as the jilbab, and this is a mistake. The hijab in the verse is the curtain, whatever type of curtain it is, whether it is made of cloth, wood, stone, a wall, or the like. The verse is very clear that it addresses men when they knock on the doors of their brothers’ houses and a woman comes out wanting to speak to the one knocking. It is not permissible for her to do as many women do who do not fear Allah the Mighty and Majestic in themselves. The one knocking comes to her; he is her husband’s friend, or her neighbor, or her baker, or her butcher, and so on. He knocks on the door, and she opens the door to him as if he were her brother or her father. Our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden a woman to appear before this one knocking, and not to speak to him except from behind a hijab. It does not mean from behind a jilbab, because when a woman leaves her house, she must leave wearing a jilbab. It is not permissible for her to leave in her house clothes. We all know that a woman in her house takes her freedom in her clothing. It is self-evident that she does not leave her house in that state except after she has thrown the jilbab over her body. So, when the woman is sitting in her house in this manner, it is not permissible for her to speak to the one knocking on her door except from behind a wall, from behind a curtain, from behind a hijab. So the hijab here is not the jilbab. This distinction between the two Quranic terms, between the jilbab and the hijab, I mentioned long ago in all editions of my book, “The Hijab of the Muslim Woman in the Book and the Sunnah.” I pointed out this difference, and the merit of pointing it out goes to Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). Then I found in the new edition, by the wisdom and strong style of alerting people to this difference, that I changed the name of my previous book, “The Hijab of the Muslim Woman,” and made it “The Jilbab of the Muslim Woman.” Because the truth is that the book does not investigate the hijab primarily, but rather the jilbab. I touched upon the hijab incidentally, whereas the entire book is composed on the jilbab and its conditions. Therefore, to distinguish between the two terms, I changed the old name to “The Jilbab of the Muslim Woman.” So, the saying of Allah the Exalted, does not mean from behind a jilbab, because the jilbab is what she wears when she is outside the house. But I mean that it is not permissible for this woman to appear like this in her house clothes beforeThe questioner : the one knocking on the door of her house.
As for what came in the question regarding the niqab, its detailed discussion is in the book mentioned earlier, the jilbab or the hijab. And it appeared to us, after long study, that the niqab is a prescribed matter that is desirable. The niqab is what a woman covers her face with. The niqab is something in addition to the jilbab. The jilbab is not the niqab, and the niqab is not the jilbab. The jilbab is what a woman covers her entire body with, except the face. If she wants to complete modesty and covering, she wears the niqab and puts a niqab on her face. That is better for her and more lasting. But there is a difference between the ruling on the jilbab and the ruling on the niqab. The jilbab is obligatory for every adult woman, whereas the niqab is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not an obligation. Therefore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Just as it is not permissible for her to wear gloves, meaning socks for the hands, if this expression is correct. But in her general life, it is prescribed for her to wear the niqab and it is prescribed for her to wear gloves. So it is not permissible for a student of knowledge to mix up the jilbab and the niqab. There is no necessary connection between the two, neither in terms of them being clothing, nor in terms of their relation to the legal ruling. The jilbab is clothing with which a woman covers her entire body except the face, and the niqab is what a woman covers her face with, not her neck, not her chest, and not her back. And the ruling differs, as we mentioned: the jilbab is obligatory, and the niqab is a recommended practice (sunnah). Yes, allow us if
Abu Layla : ... .

The Shaykh : Okay, may Allah reward you with good. Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise be to You. I testify that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.