Did some people understand from your statement that you do not issue a fatwa permitting the niqab that you permit uncovering the face?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. He says:The questioner : Did some people understand from your statement that you do not issue a fatwa permitting the niqab that you say uncovering the face is permissible? Is this correct?
The Shaykh : May Allah help us. This is a great misunderstanding. This is a complete reversal of the meaning. If we do not issue a fatwa permitting the niqab, which is merely uncovering the eyes, how could we issue a fatwa permitting the uncovering of the face? But the people of desires distort words from their context and attribute to them meanings they cannot bear. Do you not know that the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, and others among those who deny the attributes used the statement of Allah the Exalted,[Ash-Shuraa 42:11], as evidence for their claim? They said: This verse indicates that every attribute possessed by a human being is one from which Allah is free. They said: Allah has no face, no eyes, no hand, and no speech heard by sound, because this would imply likeness to creation. And Allah Mighty and Majestic says: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11]. So the people of falsehood use the truth of the speech to support their falsehood. They follow what is ambiguous therein. Who is it that says my statement that I do not issue a fatwa permitting the niqab, and my refusal to issue a fatwa permitting it, means that uncovering the face is permissible? Who understands it in this way? No, only one who has a desire understands it this way. We ask Allah for safety. The important thing is that I say it is obligatory to cover the face, and that whoever does not cover her face has not observed the Shari'ah-prescribed hijab. This is the first point.
Second, I say the niqab is permissible, and it was known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But because it has now become a means to uncover more than is necessary, I refrain from, or suspend, issuing a fatwa permitting it. Yes.
The Shaykh : May Allah help us. This is a great misunderstanding. This is a complete reversal of the meaning. If we do not issue a fatwa permitting the niqab, which is merely uncovering the eyes, how could we issue a fatwa permitting the uncovering of the face? But the people of desires distort words from their context and attribute to them meanings they cannot bear. Do you not know that the Mu'tazilah, the Jahmiyyah, and others among those who deny the attributes used the statement of Allah the Exalted,
There is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءThere is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءSecond, I say the niqab is permissible, and it was known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). But because it has now become a means to uncover more than is necessary, I refrain from, or suspend, issuing a fatwa permitting it. Yes.