The Ruling on a Woman Uncovering Her Face and Hands Before a Blind Man

Question:
The sisters from the class of Khulud and 'Ahd, daughters of Ahmad 'Abd al-Rahman, we presented part of their questions in a previous session, and one question remains in this session. It says: We are students in the middle school stage, and a blind shaykh teaches us the Qur'an. We observe hijab from him, and nothing of us is visible except the face and hands. What is the ruling on that?
Even though we have heard that wearing hijab while reciting the Qur'an is a religious innovation, is this correct? And is there sin on the students for uncovering their heads before the shaykh if observing hijab is obligatory?
We ask for clarification. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Hijab from a blind man is not obligatory, it is not required, and it is not prescribed. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said to Fatimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) when her husband divorced her: .
As for what is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said regarding some of the incidents that occurred during his time (peace and blessings be upon him), that Ibn Umm Maktum entered upon him while two of his wives were with him, so he ordered them to observe hijab, and they said: He does not see us, so he said: . This is a hadith that is not authentic; rather, it is anomalous and contradicts the authentic hadiths. Even though al-Tirmidhi graded it as good and deemed it authentic, in this specific instance, the correct view is that it is neither good nor authentic; rather, it contradicts the authentic hadiths indicating that uncovering before a blind man is permissible and that hijab from him is not obligatory.
And among what indicates this is what we have explained from the hadith of Fatimah bint Qays, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her to observe her waiting period at the house of Ibn Umm Maktum. He said to her: . Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. And among what is established in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is that he said: .
So for the one who does not look, seeking permission is not obligatory because he does not see what is in front of him. As for the hadith mentioned earlier, it is from the path of a person whose reliability and integrity are not established. He is Nubhan, the freed slave of Umm Salimah, and he is not among those known for integrity and reliability. Then, even if we assume he is among those known for reliability and integrity, his report is anomalous, contradicting the authentic hadiths. The rule is: if a hadith with a correct chain contradicts one that is more correct, it is judged as anomalous. As al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, and he is also among the masters of hadith in the terminology of hadith: if it is contradicted by a stronger one, meaning: the hadith is contradicted by one stronger than it, and both are established, then the stronger one is the preserved one, and its opposite is the anomalous one. So the weaker one is called anomalous, and it is not acted upon, and the stronger one is called preserved, and it is the one relied upon.
Uncovering the head during recitation is not a problem, and we do not know a basis for worshipping Allah by covering the head during recitation. So the reciter, if she wishes, may cover her head, and if she wishes, may uncover it during recitation. There is no harm in that if there is no non-mahram with her in her house alone, or if she is with her husband, or with some women; there is no harm in that. Likewise, before a blind man, she is not required to cover her face, nor cover her head; because he does not see this or that. Rather, that is only required if there is a non-mahram with her who is not a mahram to her and who can see. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.