From whom does a woman cover her face?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
A sister of ours from Morocco says Aisha is asking a group of questions, Your Eminence the Shaykh:
In her first question: From whom is it obligatory to cover the face?
Answer: It is obligatory to cover the face from non-mahram men in the most correct of the scholars' opinions, whether the non-mahram is a paternal uncle, a maternal uncle, a neighbor, or anyone else. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted, addressing the Muslims in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and those after them: [Al-Ahzab: 53]. This includes the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and other believing women, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Ahzab: 59]. (And the jilbabs): These are the garments placed on the head and body, the jilbab being a type of cloak that covers the head, face, and body. What is placed on the head is called the khimar. So she covers her face with the jilbab or the khimar, because it is the majority of her adornment and the most important part of it, and her beauty or ugliness is known by it. This is the correct view. And He the Glorious and Exalted said: [An-Nur: 31], the verse.
So His saying[An-Nur 24:31] was interpreted by Ibn Mas'ud and a group of scholars as the outer garments, and interpreted by others as the face and hands. However, the first interpretation is more correct because it agrees with the scriptural evidence.
Some scholars took the interpretation of the face and hands to mean that this was before the hijab, whereas after the hijab, it is obligatory to cover the face and hands in all circumstances from the non-mahram man.
Then He the Exalted said: [An-Nur: 31]. (And the khumur): This is the plural of khimar, which is what covers the head and what surrounds it. It is called a khimar because it covers what is behind it, just as khamr (intoxicants) is called khamr because it covers the minds and alters them. So the khimar covers the face; for this reason He said: [An-Nur: 31]. (And the juyub): The opening in the garment from which the head emerges. If she throws the khimar over her face and head, she has covered the jayb. If there is something of the chest, she covers that as well. Then He said: [An-Nur: 31]. And the adornment: It includes the face, it includes the head, it includes the rest of the body. So she must cover this adornment so that she does not cause fitnah and so that she is not caused fitnah. Yes.
In her first question: From whom is it obligatory to cover the face?
Answer: It is obligatory to cover the face from non-mahram men in the most correct of the scholars' opinions, whether the non-mahram is a paternal uncle, a maternal uncle, a neighbor, or anyone else. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted, addressing the Muslims in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and those after them:
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 أَطْهَرُُ 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 لِأَزْوَاجِكََ 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 and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنَّSo His saying
except that which [necessarily] appears thereof
إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَاSome scholars took the interpretation of the face and hands to mean that this was before the hijab, whereas after the hijab, it is obligatory to cover the face and hands in all circumstances from the non-mahram man.
Then He the Exalted said:
to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests
وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّto wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests
وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىى جُيُوبِهِنَّnot expose their adornment except to their husbands
وَلا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.