From whom is it obligatory for a woman to cover her face?

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Q: From whom is it obligatory to cover the face?

A: It is obligatory to cover the face from a non-mahram man, which is one who is not a mahram to the woman, according to the most correct of the scholars' opinions. This applies whether the non-mahram is a paternal or maternal cousin, a neighbor, or anyone else. This is based on the statement of Allah the Exalted, addressing the Muslims in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and those who come after them:

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 وَقُلُوبِهِنَّ

[Al-Ahzab: 53].
This includes the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and other believing women, as He, the Exalted, 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 يُؤْذَيْنَ

[Al-Ahzab: 59]. The jilbab is what is placed over the head and body above the clothes; it is what women use to cover their heads, faces, and entire bodies. What is placed on the head is called a khimar.
The woman covers her head, face, and entire body with the jilbab over her clothes, as mentioned previously. Allah the Exalted said:

And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts 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, their husbands' fathers

وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَاءِ بُعُولَتِهِنَّ

[Surat al-Nur: 31]. Regarding His statement:

except that which [necessarily] appears thereof

إِلا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا

[An-Nur 24:31]

, Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and a group of scholars interpreted it as the outer garments, while others interpreted it as the face and hands. The first interpretation is more correct because it aligns with the scriptural evidence and the two preceding verses. Some held that the interpretation of the face and hands applied before the obligation of hijab, because women in the early days of Islam would show their faces and hands to men, until the verse of hijab was revealed, which prohibited that and made it obligatory for them to cover their faces and hands in all circumstances. Then He, the Exalted, said:

to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests

وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ

[An-Nur 24:31]

. Al-khumr is the plural of khamar, which is what covers the head and its surroundings. It is called khamar because it covers what is beneath it, just as khamr (intoxicants) is called khamr because it covers the minds and alters them.
Al-jayb is the opening from which the head emerges. If she throws the khamar over her face and head, she has covered the jayb. If there is any part of the chest exposed, she covers that as well. Then He, the Exalted, said:

not expose their adornment except to their husbands

وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ

[An-Nur 24:31]

to the end of the verse. Adornment includes the face, the head, and the rest of the body. It is obligatory for the woman to cover this adornment so that she does not cause fitnah and is not caused fitnah. This is indicated by what is established in the two Sahihs from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: When I heard the voice of Safwan ibn Mu'attal, I covered my face with my khamar. He had seen me before the hijab; thus, it is known that women, after the revelation of the verse of hijab, are commanded to cover their faces, and that this is part of the hijab intended in the noble verse, which is His statement (peace and blessings be upon him) :

And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition

وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ

[Al-Ahzab 33:53]

the verse.
As for what Abu Dawud narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding Asma:

When a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not permissible for anyone to see of her except this and this.

إن المرأة إذا بلغت المحيض لم يصلح أن يرى منها إلا هذا وهذا

Sunan al-Bayhaqi 10:890

and he pointed to her face and hands, this is a weak hadith that is not permissible to use as evidence. Its defects include: its disconnection between Aisha and the narrator from her; the weakness of some of its narrators, specifically Sa'id ibn Bashir; the tadlis of Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him), who used the formula of abbreviation; its contradiction of the scriptural evidence from verses and hadiths indicating the obligation of a woman covering her face, hands, and the rest of her body; and the fact that if it were authentic, it would have to be interpreted as referring to the time before the revelation of the verse of hijab, in order to reconcile the evidence. May Allah grant success and guide to the straight path.

Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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