The Ruling on the Niqab for Women
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Question:
We return in this episode to the letter from the listener (Z. A. A. J.) from the Arab Republic of Egypt. Our brother sent good questions to this program. We have presented a large part of them, and he has a considerable number of questions remaining in this episode. He asks and says: Is the niqab obligatory or a virtue?
Answer:
The niqab is obligatory for women other than during Hajj and 'Umrah; because it is a covering for them from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation); for this reason He says -Blessed and Exalted is He-: [Al-Ahzab:53], so the hijab is purer for the hearts of men and the hearts of women, and the greatest of what a woman has of adornment is her face, so what is obligatory is to cover it, and wearing the niqab with a covering hijab so that she does not cause fitnah and is not caused fitnah.
And the women before the revelation of the verse of the hijab used to uncover their faces and their hands in front of men, then Allah ﷺ commanded them to the hijab, and He revealed His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:53], the verse from Surat al-Ahzab, and He revealed regarding this, the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:59], and likewise His saying -Exalted and Majestic is He-: [An-Nur:31].
The khimar is what is thrown over the exit of the head, which is the opening (jayb), and what comes out of the opening is the head and the face, so she throws her khimar over her hair and over her face so that she covers that from the men, and the opening (jayb) is the slit; to "jayb" a country means to slit it, to "jayb" the rock means to slit the rock, so the intended meaning of the opening (jayb) is what is slit to take out the head with it when wearing the shirt, so this is the place of covering, meaning: she throws her jilbab over her head and her face which is the place of the opening (jayb),[An-Nur:31] the verse, and the adornment includes the face and includes other than that of her adornment from her hair and from her chest and her feet and her hand and her jewelry and the like of that which causes fitnah, until he said at the end of the verse: [An-Nur:31] until he prohibited the striking of the foot for the purpose of making the anklet that is in the foot be heard because it also causes fitnah.
So the thing that causes fitnah for men by sight or by hearing, the woman is prevented from it so that she does not cause fitnah and is not caused fitnah; for this reason it is forbidden for her to be submissive in speech; because it causes fitnah for men; for this reason He said, the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:32] meaning: the disease of desire, and likewise other than them is even more so, if the wives of the Prophet ﷺ with their mindfulness of Allah, and their being among the most perfect of women, then other than them are in greater need of this, and the danger upon them is greater.
And in the two Sahihs from Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- that she said: When I heard the voice of Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal in the expedition of the slander (al-Ifk) lamenting when he saw that she had lagged behind the expedition, she said: "When I heard his voice, I covered my face with my khimar, and he had seen me before the hijab," so it is known by that that the women before the hijab did not cover their faces with the khimar, and after the hijab they began to cover their faces with the khimar, and likewise the Companions, the female Companions in the Farewell Pilgrimage with the Prophet ﷺ covered their faces from the men.
As for what is in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar: the intended meaning is the prohibition of the niqab which is sewn for the face, do not wear it, but cover your face with other than that like the jilbab and the khimar.
The presenter: In Hajj specifically.
The Shaykh: In Hajj in the state of ihram; because Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- reported that they were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the Farewell Pilgrimage, and they were when the riders approached them, one of them would let down her khimar from her head over her face, and when they went far, she would uncover it, and likewise it came in the hadith of Umm Salama and it came in the hadith of Fatimah bint al-Mundhir, the wife of Hisham ibn 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, all of this indicates that they were accustomed to covering and hijab in ihram and other than it, and what is prohibited is the niqab which is sewn to the measure of the face, so this is left during the state of ihram in Hajj and 'Umrah, and she is content with the khimar which is let down when needed, and removed when not needed.
And it was named niqab because it has openings (inqab) for the eyes, this is left during the state of ihram and she covers her face with other than that, and likewise the hands, what is worn in them are not gloves, but they are covered with other than that from the jilbab and the like, and she does not wear gloves in the state of ihram; because the glove covers her constantly, perhaps it would be difficult for her, so she covers them with other than the gloves like the khimar and the jilbab and the abaya, and the like of that.
And as for the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas in the story of the Khath'amian woman when she asked the Prophet ﷺ on his way to Mina returning from Muzdalifah, so al-Fadl was looking at her, and she was looking at him, this does not indicate that she was uncovering, and it is not necessary from looking at him and her that there is uncovering, rather what is obligatory is to hold that to be that she was covered with other than the niqab, as in the hadith of Aisha and Umm Salama, yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
So: on this basis, is the niqab obligatory and not just a virtue?
The Shaykh: Yes, it is an obligatory duty for women, the niqab, or what takes its place from the khimar, so the intended meaning is covering the face, yes.
The presenter: Yes, what takes the place of the hijab?
The Shaykh: Yes, what is called hijab, yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He benefit us with your knowledge.
We return in this episode to the letter from the listener (Z. A. A. J.) from the Arab Republic of Egypt. Our brother sent good questions to this program. We have presented a large part of them, and he has a considerable number of questions remaining in this episode. He asks and says: Is the niqab obligatory or a virtue?
Answer:
The niqab is obligatory for women other than during Hajj and 'Umrah; because it is a covering for them from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation); for this reason He says -Blessed and Exalted is He-:
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 the women before the revelation of the verse of the hijab used to uncover their faces and their hands in front of men, then Allah ﷺ commanded them to the hijab, and He revealed His saying, 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 وَقُلُوبِهِنَّO 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 يُؤْذَيْنَAnd 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
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّThe khimar is what is thrown over the exit of the head, which is the opening (jayb), and what comes out of the opening is the head and the face, so she throws her khimar over her hair and over her face so that she covers that from the men, and the opening (jayb) is the slit; to "jayb" a country means to slit it, to "jayb" the rock means to slit the rock, so the intended meaning of the opening (jayb) is what is slit to take out the head with it when wearing the shirt, so this is the place of covering, meaning: she throws her jilbab over her head and her face which is the place of the opening (jayb),
not expose their adornment except to their husbands
وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّAnd let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment
وَلا يَضْرِبْنَ بِأَرْجُلِهِنَّ لِيُعْلَمَ مَا يُخْفِينَ مِنْ زِينَتِهِنَّSo the thing that causes fitnah for men by sight or by hearing, the woman is prevented from it so that she does not cause fitnah and is not caused fitnah; for this reason it is forbidden for her to be submissive in speech; because it causes fitnah for men; for this reason He said, the Exalted:
O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet
يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌAnd in the two Sahihs from Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- that she said: When I heard the voice of Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal in the expedition of the slander (al-Ifk) lamenting when he saw that she had lagged behind the expedition, she said: "When I heard his voice, I covered my face with my khimar, and he had seen me before the hijab," so it is known by that that the women before the hijab did not cover their faces with the khimar, and after the hijab they began to cover their faces with the khimar, and likewise the Companions, the female Companions in the Farewell Pilgrimage with the Prophet ﷺ covered their faces from the men.
As for what is in the hadith of Ibn 'Umar:
And the woman does not wear the niqab, nor does she wear gloves
ولا تنتقب المرأة ولا تلبس القفازينThe presenter: In Hajj specifically.
The Shaykh: In Hajj in the state of ihram; because Aisha -may Allah be pleased with her- reported that they were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in the Farewell Pilgrimage, and they were when the riders approached them, one of them would let down her khimar from her head over her face, and when they went far, she would uncover it, and likewise it came in the hadith of Umm Salama and it came in the hadith of Fatimah bint al-Mundhir, the wife of Hisham ibn 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, all of this indicates that they were accustomed to covering and hijab in ihram and other than it, and what is prohibited is the niqab which is sewn to the measure of the face, so this is left during the state of ihram in Hajj and 'Umrah, and she is content with the khimar which is let down when needed, and removed when not needed.
And it was named niqab because it has openings (inqab) for the eyes, this is left during the state of ihram and she covers her face with other than that, and likewise the hands, what is worn in them are not gloves, but they are covered with other than that from the jilbab and the like, and she does not wear gloves in the state of ihram; because the glove covers her constantly, perhaps it would be difficult for her, so she covers them with other than the gloves like the khimar and the jilbab and the abaya, and the like of that.
And as for the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas in the story of the Khath'amian woman when she asked the Prophet ﷺ on his way to Mina returning from Muzdalifah, so al-Fadl was looking at her, and she was looking at him, this does not indicate that she was uncovering, and it is not necessary from looking at him and her that there is uncovering, rather what is obligatory is to hold that to be that she was covered with other than the niqab, as in the hadith of Aisha and Umm Salama, yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
So: on this basis, is the niqab obligatory and not just a virtue?
The Shaykh: Yes, it is an obligatory duty for women, the niqab, or what takes its place from the khimar, so the intended meaning is covering the face, yes.
The presenter: Yes, what takes the place of the hijab?
The Shaykh: Yes, what is called hijab, yes.
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.