Ruling on a woman uncovering her face in front of her husband's relatives
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Question:
He asks and says: Is it permissible for my wife to uncover her face in front of my brothers?
Knowing that some of them have reached the age of maturity, and some have not.
Answer:
The face is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars, and it is obligatory to cover it from non-mahram men. The husband's brothers are non-mahram to the woman; they are not mahram (relatives one may not marry) for her. Therefore, her husband's brothers, his paternal uncles, and his maternal uncles are all non-mahram, and she has no right to uncover her face for them, nor to be alone with any one of them, because they are non-mahram.
Likewise, the sister's husband, the maternal aunt's husband, and the paternal aunt's husband are non-mahram; the woman has no right to uncover her face for any one of them, nor to be alone with any one of them. This is based on the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) : [Al-Ahzab:53]. He did not say "except the face," but rather He generalized and made it absolute. Then He said: [Al-Ahzab:53]. Thus, the Exalted clarified that the hijab of the woman from the non-mahram is purer for the hearts of all, both males and females.
And the Exalted said in Surat al-Nur: [Al-Nur:31], the verse. So He prohibited displaying adornment, and the face is among the greatest of adornments. Therefore, she has no right to display it except to mahram: her husband, her father-in-law, her husband's father, her husband's sons, and likewise her sons, her sons' sons, and her daughters' sons. Her brothers, her maternal uncles, and her paternal uncles are all mahram, and her brother's sons and her sister's sons are mahram. As for the husband's brothers, they are not mahram. Likewise, his paternal uncles and maternal uncles are not mahram. And likewise, the sisters' husbands, the paternal aunts' husbands, and the maternal aunts' husbands are not mahram.
It is established in the two Sahihs from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the story of the slander (al-Ifk) that when she heard the voice of Safwan al-Mu'attal lamenting when he saw her, and there was no one with her, she said: "When I heard his voice, I covered my face with my khimar (head covering), and he had seen me before the hijab." This indicates that after the hijab, they were prohibited from uncovering their faces. As for before the hijab, the woman would uncover her face and her hands among men. Then Allah revealed the verse of the hijab, commanding women to cover their faces. The saying of the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:53].
As for what Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Asma bint Abi Bakr, Aisha's sister (may Allah be pleased with them all), entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one day wearing thin clothes, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from her and said:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 10:890 This is a weak hadith, not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) due to many defects, among which are:
That it is munqati' (a report with a broken chain) between Aisha and the narrator from her, who is Khalid ibn Daryak, as Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) pointed out.
And among them: That it is from the narration of Sa'id ibn Bashir, who is weak in narration, and he is not relied upon as evidence.
And among them: That it is from the narration of Qatadah from Khalid ibn Daryak, and Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) is a tadlis (concealment of a defect in a chain) narrator, and he used the formula of indeterminate attribution (an'anah), and did not explicitly state that he heard it.
And among them: That the text is munkar (a denounced narration) and does not befit the action of Asma, a righteous woman, a noble woman, and the wife of al-Zubayr. She is the wife of al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), so it is not thought that she would enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in thin clothes after the hijab.
If that were authentic, it would have been before the hijab. If this were authentic from her, it would have been before the hijab. And after the hijab, this was abrogated. In any case, the hadith is weak due to these defects. And even if we assumed it were authentic, it would have been before the hijab, not after the revelation of the verse of the hijab. And success is from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
He asks and says: Is it permissible for my wife to uncover her face in front of my brothers?
Knowing that some of them have reached the age of maturity, and some have not.
Answer:
The face is an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) according to the most correct opinion of the scholars, and it is obligatory to cover it from non-mahram men. The husband's brothers are non-mahram to the woman; they are not mahram (relatives one may not marry) for her. Therefore, her husband's brothers, his paternal uncles, and his maternal uncles are all non-mahram, and she has no right to uncover her face for them, nor to be alone with any one of them, because they are non-mahram.
Likewise, the sister's husband, the maternal aunt's husband, and the paternal aunt's husband are non-mahram; the woman has no right to uncover her face for any one of them, nor to be alone with any one of them. This is based on the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) :
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍThat is purer for your hearts and their hearts
ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّAnd the Exalted said in Surat al-Nur:
and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers
وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّIt is established in the two Sahihs from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the story of the slander (al-Ifk) that when she heard the voice of Safwan al-Mu'attal lamenting when he saw her, and there was no one with her, she said: "When I heard his voice, I covered my face with my khimar (head covering), and he had seen me before the hijab." This indicates that after the hijab, they were prohibited from uncovering their faces. As for before the hijab, the woman would uncover her face and her hands among men. Then Allah revealed the verse of the hijab, commanding women to cover their faces. The saying of the Exalted:
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 وَقُلُوبِهِنَّAs for what Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Asma bint Abi Bakr, Aisha's sister (may Allah be pleased with them all), entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) one day wearing thin clothes, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from her and said:
O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not fitting that anyone should see of her except this and this, and he pointed to his face and his two hands
يا أسماء، إن المرأة إذا بلغت المحيض لم يصلح أن يرى منها إلا هذا وهذا، وأشار إلى وجهه وكفيهThat it is munqati' (a report with a broken chain) between Aisha and the narrator from her, who is Khalid ibn Daryak, as Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) pointed out.
And among them: That it is from the narration of Sa'id ibn Bashir, who is weak in narration, and he is not relied upon as evidence.
And among them: That it is from the narration of Qatadah from Khalid ibn Daryak, and Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) is a tadlis (concealment of a defect in a chain) narrator, and he used the formula of indeterminate attribution (an'anah), and did not explicitly state that he heard it.
And among them: That the text is munkar (a denounced narration) and does not befit the action of Asma, a righteous woman, a noble woman, and the wife of al-Zubayr. She is the wife of al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), so it is not thought that she would enter upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in thin clothes after the hijab.
If that were authentic, it would have been before the hijab. If this were authentic from her, it would have been before the hijab. And after the hijab, this was abrogated. In any case, the hadith is weak due to these defects. And even if we assumed it were authentic, it would have been before the hijab, not after the revelation of the verse of the hijab. And success is from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.