Discussion on the ruling regarding a woman covering her face

The student : Now, regarding the hijab of the woman, does it have to be, I mean, with the niqab, meaning her face and hands are covered, in order for it to be, I mean, valid?

The Shaykh : No... it is better for her to do so.
The student : It is better for her, but it is not obligatory for her to cover her face and hands when she goes to the market or when she goes out into the street.

The Shaykh : It is better for her to cover her face and hands.
The student : But it is not obligatory.

The Shaykh : As for everything else, it is obligatory for her.
The student : ... The garment for the body must cover it; it is only the face and hands that it is not obligatory for her to cover.

The Shaykh : No, it is better.
The student : But, Shaykh, I mean, you know that the woman's face is the part that affects men in terms of temptation, I mean.

The Shaykh : Yes, may Allah forgive you, O you Saudis. At a time when you claim to be Salafis in creed, you are not Salafis in rulings, because you deal with issues using reason, just as those people deal with creed using reason.
The student : This is a mistake, of course, without a doubt.

The Shaykh : Ah, a mistake. Now, what did you say about the woman's face? What would you say if a woman said what you said about her face, but said it about your face? Would it be different?
The student : No, it would not be different.

The Shaykh : I don't know, did you understand me?
The student : I understood, I understood, it would not be different.

The Shaykh : Then you should, especially you, the handsome, beautiful man, wear a niqab so that women are not tempted by you.
The student : But this is not understood from the Qur'anic verses regarding Allah's command - Glorified and Exalted is He - for them to draw their jilbabs over themselves.

The Shaykh : Now you are on the right path. Why didn't you say that before?
The student : This is what I intended... .

The Shaykh : Why didn't you say that before? But this is not what is understood from the Qur'anic verses. Instead, you started the discussion of the issue with opinion.
The student: No, no.

The Shaykh : So when you were confronted with an opinion like yours, you turned on your heels and started arguing with the Qur'an. Now you have adhered to the proof and you know the way, but you strayed from it because we will say to you: Where is the verse that indicates the obligation for a woman to cover her face and hands? Where is the verse?
The student : The verse whose ending says: "That they may not be known and thus be harmed."

The Shaykh : No, the verse does not begin with "that they may not be known"; the verse is "that they may be known."
The student : That they may be known.

The Shaykh : Okay, that they may be known.
The student : So that they are not harmed.

The Shaykh : Is this an argument for you or against you?
The student : And the hadith of al-...

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, may Allah guide you. This Abu Zuhair needs to do us the favor of another trip so that we have Abu Faris.
The student : If Allah wills.

The Shaykh : But not just once for Albania, but for al-Albani.
The student : May Allah preserve you, O Shaykh. May Allah preserve you all and bless you.

The Shaykh : Amen, amen, amen. Okay, we are done with the verse.
The student : By Allah, I mean, I do not remember the verse in fact.

The Shaykh : I will recite it for you.
The student : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : That is better so that they may be known and not be harmed, not so that they may not be known.
The student : .

The Shaykh : Many people from the general Muslims, when they hear the enthusiasm of some of your shaykhs regarding the obligation of a woman covering her face, this poor man's enthusiasm is thrown into... seventy of... because when it is said "expose your face"... they have been taught that the verse means the woman covers her face, why? So that she is not known. So the verse the distortion of the meaning led them to instill in people the distortion of the structure, the distortion of the text. It is known about the Jews, described in the Noble Qur'an by the saying of the Lord of the Worlds: that in this distortion there are two sayings: the first saying distorts the meaning, and the other saying distorts the wording, and the truth is that they distort both, wording and meaning. And so it is with the Christians. So the point is: the preserved verse, and praise be to Allah, with the wording: there is no indication in this verse that the woman is commanded to cover her face and hands. Now we ask you: Is there a niqab in the verse?
The student : No, there is a jilbab.

The Shaykh : Jilbab. What is the jilbab? And you are Arabs who... Arabic, what is the jilbab?
The student : The jilbab is the cloak that the woman uses, which she puts on her head until it covers the bottom of her feet.

The Shaykh : Beautiful... When she puts it on her head, it is assumed... this khimar on your head, assume it is a jilbab, cover your face with it, can you see the road?
The student : From this, yes, I can see it because it is light.

The Shaykh : And this is permissible; it is permissible for the jilbab to be light. It should be thick. So I repeat the question so you can repeat the answer correctly: Can you see the road through this jilbab?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So how do you say that the jilbab... and you say that the verse indicates covering the face? How can you see the road if you say that she must cover her face with her jilbab?
The student : No, she cannot see the road.

The Shaykh : So how do you obligate upon her what she cannot do?
The student : But, Shaykh, how...

The Shaykh : Do not say "but," may Allah guide you. The word "but" is a word of resumption; where is the resumed sentence?! Now... you preempt me by saying "but," there is no sentence to resume from.
The student : Yes, I answered, I mean, she cannot see.

The Shaykh : So how do you obligate her to cover her face... .
The student : Like this.

The Shaykh : Okay, like this, did she cover her face?
The student : She covered her face.

The Shaykh : Except, except.
The student : ... Because if she did not cover it, she would be known.

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not give the reason; establish the ruling first, then give the reason.
The student : ... I cannot.

The Shaykh : And no one else will be able to...
The student : But if not, I mean, in this verse, Allah - Glorified and Exalted is He - I mean, He explained to them the content of the jilbabs so that they are not known... .

The Shaykh : O Shaykh, may Allah guide you, do not say "not known."
The student : That they may be known and not be harmed.

The Shaykh : Do you see that ta'wil (figurative interpretation) has corrupted your understanding of the Qur'anic text?
The student : I am not memorizing this verse.

The Shaykh : O my brother, you are not memorizing it, but we alerted you, but you returned to your old habit.
The student : May Allah reward you with good. And the hadith of the Mother of the Believers, A'ishah - may Allah be pleased with her - when the riders, I mean, and she was on the howdah, and the riders when they passed by them.

The Shaykh : We say with it, may Allah guide you, this is the best.
The student : She was, I mean... .

The Shaykh : This is the excellence, may Allah guide you.
The student : Yes, the best, I mean, but if she did not do it, I mean, would she sin?

The Shaykh : No, unless you sinned because you do not cover your beautiful face in front of women, especially if we are less beautiful than you, would you be sinful?
The student : No, if Allah wills, no.

The Shaykh : And they, if Allah wills, no.
The student : Regarding covering the face, for the first time, by Allah, I know, O Shaykh, I.

The Shaykh : Yes, because you did not read the answer...

The questioner : Okay, is it permissible for her to put on makeup?

The Shaykh: No.

The questioner : It is not permissible.