Ruling on a woman uncovering her face and hands

The second message in this episode came from the questioner (S. A. M.) from Egypt, residing in the Kingdom. He says in his message: I ask you, may Allah reward you, to clarify the hadiths and verses that state the covering of the face and hands, with an explanation and a detailed presentation of the evidence. I have heard from many scholars that the majority of scholars hold that the face and hands should be uncovered, and they cited the hadith of Asma' when she entered upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and he said to her: , and secondly, by the interpretation of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Nur: 31], where he said: . They said that this is evidence for uncovering the face and hands. Please inform us, may Allah reward you?
Answer: This issue has been a subject of disagreement among the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them. The correct view is that the face and hands are part of the 'awrah (nakedness), and the face is more so; because it is the adornment of the woman and the majority of what attracts desire or repulsion in her. It falls under the saying of the Exalted and Majestic: [al-Nur: 31], the verse. The evidence for this is abundant: among it is the saying of the Exalted and Majestic: [al-Ahzab: 53]. This is general, and by Allah, nothing has been excluded from it, neither hand nor face nor anything else, so it indicates generality. Then He, the Exalted, attributed it to what is in the interest of everyone, saying: [al-Ahzab: 53]. This indicates that hijab is purer for the hearts of everyone and further from lewd acts. Thus, uncovering leads to lewdness, and hijab keeps one away from it. Among the evidence is the saying of the Exalted and Majestic: [al-Nur: 31]... the verse. And adornment is what appears from the woman, such as her face, hair, and the like. It is obligatory to cover that, for it is innate adornment that must be covered so that it does not cause temptation for others.
As for His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) : , the scholars interpreted it as clothing, meaning: ordinary outer clothing. There is no basis for obligating the concealment and covering of this, for it must be visible. Rather, the intended meaning of adornment is the face and what is desired in a woman for marriage, such as hair, hand, foot, and the like.
In this chapter, there is also the hadith of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in the two Sahihs. She said: When I heard the voice of Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal, and that was during the expedition of the slander, when I heard his voice, I covered my face. She said: He had seen me before the hijab, so he recognized me. When I heard his voice, I covered my face. This indicates that after the hijab, they were commanded to cover their faces and conceal them.
As for the athar (report) of Asma' bint Abi Bakr, it is a weak hadith, narrated by Abu Dawud with a weak chain; because it is through Sa'id ibn Bashir, from Qatadah, from Khalid ibn Daryk, from 'A'ishah. And this Sa'id ibn Bashir is weak according to the scholars, and his narration is not used as evidence. And Qatadah ibn Da'amah is a tadlis (concealer of defects) and he used the abbreviation (ta'annun) regarding Khalid. And a tadlis (concealer) is not accepted as a narrator if he does not explicitly state hearing. And Khalid ibn Daryk did not hear from 'A'ishah. So this hadith has three defects, all of which cause its weakness, each one causing its weakness, so how much more so when the three are combined! Its wording is: . This hadith is explicit but it is not authentic. Even if it were authentic, it would be understood as referring to what was the case before the hijab, because the woman before the hijab used to show her hands and face. So when Allah legislated the hijab, she was commanded to cover. So if this report were authentic, it would be understood as referring to the state of the woman before the hijab. Then Allah commanded the hijab to preserve them and protect them from the causes of fitnah (trial). And Allah is the Helper. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.