The Ruling on Hijab and Its Description
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Question:
A letter whose subject is of the utmost importance—may the Shaykh be respected—was written in pure colloquial dialect. The author of the letter says: “Your sister in Allah, who has symbolized her name with the letters (M. A. S.) from the southern region, I will try to read the letter as it was written.”
She says about herself: “I am a girl who is twenty-six years old. I cannot read or write, and I asked someone who had knowledge of writing to write this letter: We inform you that we are Bedouin from the southern oases, and we are people with many sheep. We must go out in front of men and serve them food and drink and talk to them. But, praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, we are bound by Islam, our hearts are pure, and we have been commanded to observe hijab, and we are covered. The sermons about the command to observe hijab have become widespread, but we have only been able to manage the face veil—the intended meaning is: the covering of the face—and we have not been able to manage the rest of the hijab, such as the jilbab and the like. And we have heard tapes containing hadiths that say:
“If a woman covers herself, meaning: covers her eyes, and does not wear the complete hijab, and goes out in front of men and talks to them; then it is never valid for her to observe hijab; because she goes out in front of men and talks to them. So we ask Allah, then you—may Allah reward you with the best reward—to inform us: should we forbid the face veil, or leave it? Because she has not completed the full hijab with the jilbab; because there are many people who have abandoned the face veil; because it is not part of the complete hijab. May Allah reward you with good.”
Answer:
The hijab for a woman in the presence of non-mahrams is obligatory; because she is a trial, and looking at her is a trial, so it is obligatory for her to observe the hijab to avoid the trial for herself and for others. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said regarding the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and others, a fortiori: [Al-Ahzab:53].
And hijab is achieved with the jilbab, and with other clothing that covers the body, and conceals the body, including the face. The face is the greatest of adornment, so concealing it is the most important of matters. It is the greatest of adornment. She covers her head, or her face, and the rest of her body. There is no objection if she reveals one eye, or two eyes, for looking, or for looking at the road, or for the things she wants to take and carry.
So the result is: that hijab is necessary for a woman in relation to non-mahram men. And He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Ahzab: 59]. The jilbab is a garment that a woman throws over her head and body as an addition to hijab and covering. So if her clothes are loose, and she covers her face and head; that is sufficient. But the jilbab is from the extra covering. And so is His saying (Exalted and Majestic is He) in Surat al-Nur: [Al-Nur: 31], the verse. So if she conceals the adornment, which is the face, and the rest of the body with the jilbab or otherwise, the objective is achieved.
The objective is not the jilbab alone. The objective is what conceals her, and removes the danger and fitnah. If the jilbab, which is the loose garment, is available, and she puts it on her body, and conceals her face and body with it; praise be to Allah. And if it is not available, then hijab with what is called the shayla, or other than the shayla that is placed on the head and face, and conceals that, is sufficient. And if she covers her head and puts a burqa on her face through which she can see her needs, revealing one eye, or two eyes, and the rest is covered, there is no harm in that. And if the covering for everyone is available, that is more complete in relation to avoiding danger; because people differ, some are affected by the eye as well. But his (peace and blessings be upon him) guidance and his Sunnah indicated that the niqab is permissible. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the woman in ihram: So this indicates that the woman not in ihram wears the niqab, and there is no harm. The woman not in ihram wears the niqab, but the woman in ihram does not wear the niqab. The niqab is what is placed on the face, and it has an opening for the eye or the two eyes, and it is called: the burqa. So if .... she puts it on her face ..... or opens an opening in it, or two openings for the two eyes only, with the whole face covered, the forehead and the cheeks; there is no harm in that. Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Al-Baqarah: 185], and He says, Exalted is He: [Al-Hajj: 78].
Some women, if they make the hijab cover their eyes, cannot find the way, and do not know how to walk. So there must be something that helps her to fulfill her needs, and that helps her to walk in the markets and in her house, and around her sheep, and around her farm, and so on. May Allah guide everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. Yes, so that understanding which says: that the face covering, either it is complete for the whole body, or it has no effect, is a wrong understanding?
The Shaykh: Wrong, yes. The important thing is the covering, whether with a jilbab or otherwise. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
A letter whose subject is of the utmost importance—may the Shaykh be respected—was written in pure colloquial dialect. The author of the letter says: “Your sister in Allah, who has symbolized her name with the letters (M. A. S.) from the southern region, I will try to read the letter as it was written.”
She says about herself: “I am a girl who is twenty-six years old. I cannot read or write, and I asked someone who had knowledge of writing to write this letter: We inform you that we are Bedouin from the southern oases, and we are people with many sheep. We must go out in front of men and serve them food and drink and talk to them. But, praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, we are bound by Islam, our hearts are pure, and we have been commanded to observe hijab, and we are covered. The sermons about the command to observe hijab have become widespread, but we have only been able to manage the face veil—the intended meaning is: the covering of the face—and we have not been able to manage the rest of the hijab, such as the jilbab and the like. And we have heard tapes containing hadiths that say:
“If a woman covers herself, meaning: covers her eyes, and does not wear the complete hijab, and goes out in front of men and talks to them; then it is never valid for her to observe hijab; because she goes out in front of men and talks to them. So we ask Allah, then you—may Allah reward you with the best reward—to inform us: should we forbid the face veil, or leave it? Because she has not completed the full hijab with the jilbab; because there are many people who have abandoned the face veil; because it is not part of the complete hijab. May Allah reward you with good.”
Answer:
The hijab for a woman in the presence of non-mahrams is obligatory; because she is a trial, and looking at her is a trial, so it is obligatory for her to observe the hijab to avoid the trial for herself and for others. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said regarding the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and others, a fortiori:
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition. That is purer for your hearts and their hearts.
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّAnd hijab is achieved with the jilbab, and with other clothing that covers the body, and conceals the body, including the face. The face is the greatest of adornment, so concealing it is the most important of matters. It is the greatest of adornment. She covers her head, or her face, and the rest of her body. There is no objection if she reveals one eye, or two eyes, for looking, or for looking at the road, or for the things she wants to take and carry.
So the result is: that hijab is necessary for a woman in relation to non-mahram men. And He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لِأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَنْ يُعْرَفْنَ فَلا يُؤْذَيْنَexcept to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers
وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّThe objective is not the jilbab alone. The objective is what conceals her, and removes the danger and fitnah. If the jilbab, which is the loose garment, is available, and she puts it on her body, and conceals her face and body with it; praise be to Allah. And if it is not available, then hijab with what is called the shayla, or other than the shayla that is placed on the head and face, and conceals that, is sufficient. And if she covers her head and puts a burqa on her face through which she can see her needs, revealing one eye, or two eyes, and the rest is covered, there is no harm in that. And if the covering for everyone is available, that is more complete in relation to avoiding danger; because people differ, some are affected by the eye as well. But his (peace and blessings be upon him) guidance and his Sunnah indicated that the niqab is permissible. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding the woman in ihram:
And the woman does not wear the niqab, and does not wear the gloves
ولا تنتقب المرأة، ولا تلبس القفازينAllah intends for you ease
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَand has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍSome women, if they make the hijab cover their eyes, cannot find the way, and do not know how to walk. So there must be something that helps her to fulfill her needs, and that helps her to walk in the markets and in her house, and around her sheep, and around her farm, and so on. May Allah guide everyone. Yes.
The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good. Yes, so that understanding which says: that the face covering, either it is complete for the whole body, or it has no effect, is a wrong understanding?
The Shaykh: Wrong, yes. The important thing is the covering, whether with a jilbab or otherwise. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.