The Ruling on the Hijab of the Muslim Woman in Front of Her Mahrams

Question:
A young woman says: I am twenty-two years old, and I live with my mother’s family at my grandparents’ house. Three of my maternal aunt’s sons also live in the grandparents’ house. She asks about the hijab, saying: I started wearing the hijab because they are not mahrams, so I covered up. After a while, I heard about the face covering, and I heard that it is obligatory, while others say it is not obligatory. When the people of our house are bothered by it, saying: “They are orphans, where would they go?” or “You did this,” what is the ruling in that?

Answer:
The Shaykh: Yes, it is obligatory for a woman to observe hijab in front of her paternal uncles, maternal uncles, paternal aunts’ sons, and maternal aunts’ sons. They are not mahrams, so she must cover herself from them: her hair, her face, and her body; because they are not mahrams, and she is a fitnah (trial) and an awrah (nakedness). But if they are mahrams—like a maternal uncle or a paternal uncle—there is no harm. As for the son of a maternal uncle, the son of a paternal uncle, the son of a paternal aunt, the son of a maternal aunt, and neighbors, they are not mahrams, so it is obligatory to observe hijab from them by covering the face and concealing the body.