Is it taken from this hadith that the woman was uncovering her face because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw her?
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The questioner : Is it taken from this hadith that the woman was uncovering her face because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw her and approved of looking at her?
The Shaykh : Yes, what is the indication?
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of looking at her?
The Shaykh : He approved of looking and raised his gaze, meaning he looked at her head and her lower parts. Yes, it may be taken from this, but it is not necessary. A person might see a woman’s body or form and desire her or reject her; that is one thing. The second point is to ask: When did the obligation of hijab begin? In the sixth year of the Hijrah, which is late. This may have been before the revelation of hijab. This is an answer that refutes every piece of evidence indicating the permissibility of uncovering the face, unless the date is established. The point of this, and this is a general answer, is that for every hadith indicating the permissibility of uncovering the face, we say: Was this before what? Before hijab. Because hijab has two states: the first state is that it is not obligatory, and the second state is that it is obligatory. So every text that came without a known date after the obligation is understood to be before the obligation of hijab. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, what is the indication?
The questioner : That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of looking at her?
The Shaykh : He approved of looking and raised his gaze, meaning he looked at her head and her lower parts. Yes, it may be taken from this, but it is not necessary. A person might see a woman’s body or form and desire her or reject her; that is one thing. The second point is to ask: When did the obligation of hijab begin? In the sixth year of the Hijrah, which is late. This may have been before the revelation of hijab. This is an answer that refutes every piece of evidence indicating the permissibility of uncovering the face, unless the date is established. The point of this, and this is a general answer, is that for every hadith indicating the permissibility of uncovering the face, we say: Was this before what? Before hijab. Because hijab has two states: the first state is that it is not obligatory, and the second state is that it is obligatory. So every text that came without a known date after the obligation is understood to be before the obligation of hijab. Yes.