Is there not evidence in the hadith of al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas with the Khath'am woman regarding Hajj that it is permissible for a woman to uncover her face?
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The questioner : He says:The questioner : The hadith of the young man who was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and looked at a woman while he was in the state of ihram, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face away; is there not evidence in it that the woman’s face was uncovered and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent, or not?
The Shaykh : This is the hadith the questioner asked about; it is the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:.
This is evidence that it is not permissible for a man to look at a woman’s face, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned al-Fadl’s face to the other side.
But the issue remains: was this woman uncovering her face or not?
Some scholars said: It is possible that she was not uncovering her face, and that al-Fadl looked at her body, because a woman’s body may be a body that is pleasing to the soul.
And some of the scholars said: The woman was uncovering her face, but it does not follow from her uncovering her face to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while she was asking him that she was uncovering her face to the general public, because among the characteristics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is looking at a woman, even if she is a non-mahram, and likewise seclusion with her, as Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) established in "Fath al-Bari". This is because what is prohibited regarding a woman uncovering her face in relation to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is impossible to the utmost degree, unlike others; for if others see a woman’s face, their desire may be aroused and they may become attached to her, whereas the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is protected from that. For this reason, the woman came uncovering her face to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it does not follow from her uncovering her face when asking the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that she was uncovering her face to the general public. This is closer to the truth than the first possibility.
The questioner : ... Most women perform Hajj with their faces uncovered?
The Shaykh : This one is asking, he says ... Read, read, okay.
The questioner : He says to me, I have a problem with a brother in my country, and it is a commercial problem. He says, may Allah reward you, give us five minutes of your time.
The Shaykh : This is the hadith the questioner asked about; it is the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
Al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so a woman from Khath'am came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asking him about her father, an old man who could not stay on the mount; should she perform Hajj on his behalf? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, perform Hajj on his behalf. And al-Fadl was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas, so he kept looking at the woman and she looked at him, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned al-Fadl’s face to the other side.
كان الفضل بن عباس رديف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فجاءت امرأة من خثعم إلى النبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم تسأله عن أبيها شيخ كبير لا يستطيع الثبوت على الراحلة فهل تحج عنه؟ فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: نعم حجّي عنه، وكان الفضل رديف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، الفضل بن عباس فجعل ينظر إلى المرأة وتنظر إليه فصرف النّبي صلّى الله عليه وسلّم وجه الفضل إلى الشّقّ الآخرThis is evidence that it is not permissible for a man to look at a woman’s face, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned al-Fadl’s face to the other side.
But the issue remains: was this woman uncovering her face or not?
Some scholars said: It is possible that she was not uncovering her face, and that al-Fadl looked at her body, because a woman’s body may be a body that is pleasing to the soul.
And some of the scholars said: The woman was uncovering her face, but it does not follow from her uncovering her face to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while she was asking him that she was uncovering her face to the general public, because among the characteristics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is looking at a woman, even if she is a non-mahram, and likewise seclusion with her, as Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) established in "Fath al-Bari". This is because what is prohibited regarding a woman uncovering her face in relation to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is impossible to the utmost degree, unlike others; for if others see a woman’s face, their desire may be aroused and they may become attached to her, whereas the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is protected from that. For this reason, the woman came uncovering her face to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it does not follow from her uncovering her face when asking the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that she was uncovering her face to the general public. This is closer to the truth than the first possibility.
The questioner : ... Most women perform Hajj with their faces uncovered?
The Shaykh : This one is asking, he says ... Read, read, okay.
The questioner : He says to me, I have a problem with a brother in my country, and it is a commercial problem. He says, may Allah reward you, give us five minutes of your time.