The Ruling on a Woman Exposing Her Face and Hands to Non-Mahrams
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Question:
Your Eminence! Our sisters in their questions refer to a fatwa that stated that the face and hands are not 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). What is your opinion on this, and your guidance, if you would be so kind?
Answer:
There is no doubt that this is 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). I have spoken on this many times, and we have written a treatise on it titled "Al-Safur wa al-Hijab" (Uncovering and Veiling). The face and hands are 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered), and this is the truth upon which the meticulous scholars of knowledge are in agreement. This is indicated by the saying of the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:53]. The Lord did not say: "Except her face and her hands," but then He said: [Al-Ahzab:53], mentioning that it is purer for the hearts of both men and women, and purity is required of everyone.
And Allah the Exalted said in His great Book: [Al-Nur:31]. Ibn Mas'ud said: , and Ibn Abbas said: . Some scholars said: The meaning is: before the hijab. As for after the hijab, there is no face or hands [to be exposed]. The narration of Ibn Abbas is... before the hijab.
And even if he meant after the hijab, his statement is the weaker position, and the statement of Ibn Mas'ud is the correct one. The apparent meaning of the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicates this, as does the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when the incident of the slander occurred and some of the hypocrites and some of those who were deceived by the hypocrites spoke about it. They accused her of [adultery with] Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal when Safwan found her lagging behind the army and carried her until he caught up with the army. The people of the slander accused her of what they accused her of, and she is the chaste, protected woman whom Allah protected and defended, and He refuted those who accused her of immorality. She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "When I heard the voice of Safwan al-Mu'attal, he exclaimed [upon seeing her]. She said: 'So I covered my face, and he had seen me before the hijab.'" This is how the two Shaykhs narrated it in the two Sahihs, and this indicates that they used to expose their faces before the hijab, and after the hijab they covered their faces. This is the correct view. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Your Eminence! Our sisters in their questions refer to a fatwa that stated that the face and hands are not 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). What is your opinion on this, and your guidance, if you would be so kind?
Answer:
There is no doubt that this is 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). I have spoken on this many times, and we have written a treatise on it titled "Al-Safur wa al-Hijab" (Uncovering and Veiling). The face and hands are 'awrah (parts of the body that must be covered), and this is the truth upon which the meticulous scholars of knowledge are in agreement. This is indicated by the saying of the Exalted:
And when you ask [his wives] for something, ask them from behind a partition
وَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُنَّ مَتَاعًا فَاسْأَلُوهُنَّ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍThat is purer for your hearts and their hearts
ذَلِكُمْ أَطْهَرُ لِقُلُوبِكُمْ وَقُلُوبِهِنَّAnd Allah the Exalted said in His great Book:
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
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَاThe garments
الملابسThe face and hands
الوجه والكفينAnd even if he meant after the hijab, his statement is the weaker position, and the statement of Ibn Mas'ud is the correct one. The apparent meaning of the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicates this, as does the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when the incident of the slander occurred and some of the hypocrites and some of those who were deceived by the hypocrites spoke about it. They accused her of [adultery with] Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal when Safwan found her lagging behind the army and carried her until he caught up with the army. The people of the slander accused her of what they accused her of, and she is the chaste, protected woman whom Allah protected and defended, and He refuted those who accused her of immorality. She said (may Allah be pleased with her): "When I heard the voice of Safwan al-Mu'attal, he exclaimed [upon seeing her]. She said: 'So I covered my face, and he had seen me before the hijab.'" This is how the two Shaykhs narrated it in the two Sahihs, and this indicates that they used to expose their faces before the hijab, and after the hijab they covered their faces. This is the correct view. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.