The Limits of a Woman's 'Awrah in Prayer
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One of the female listeners says: Umm al-Hasan sent a message containing a set of questions, and in this episode she asks and says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A woman is entirely 'awrah except her hands and face in prayer,” or as it was reported from him (peace and blessings be upon him). Does this mean that it is obligatory for a woman to cover even her feet if her clothing is covering and only her feet are visible? Is it obligatory for her to cover them with socks, or is that not required?
Answer: This statement is not a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is from the words of some jurists. They say: A woman is 'awrah except her face in prayer. And others said: Except her face and her hands. This is a well-known opinion among the scholars of knowledge.
And others said: Except her face, her hands, and her feet as well. The majority of the scholars of knowledge hold that her feet are 'awrah in prayer, and that it is obligatory to cover the feet, and this is the opinion of the majority of the scholars of knowledge.
As for the hands: It is better to cover them, and if she does not cover them, there is no blame on her, if Allah wills.
As for the face: The Sunnah is to uncover it in prayer, unless there is a non-mahram man present, in which case she covers it, even in prayer; because it is a fitnah (trial/temptation) and because the face is the greatest of her adornment, acting in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Ahzab:53]. The verse is general for the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and for others among the believers, male and female. The verse is general, encompassing the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and encompassing all the women of the believers, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: : [Al-Ahzab:59].
Yes, a hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud in this meaning from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): Some who hold the permissibility of unveiling and deem it lawful for a woman to uncover her face before men have cited this hadith as evidence. However, it is a weak hadith and is not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Some people have erred and thought it was authentic, but the truth is that it is weak due to several defects indicating its weakness.
One of them is that the one who narrated it from Aisha did not hear from Aisha; he is Khalid ibn Daryak, and he did not meet Aisha nor did he live to see her. Thus, it is a munqati' (broken chain) hadith, and a munqati' hadith is weak in the view of the scholars of knowledge and cannot be cited as evidence.
And one of them is that there is a narrator in its chain named Sa'id ibn Bashir, and he is weak in the view of the scholars of knowledge, and his narration cannot be cited as evidence.
And one of them is that it is from the narration of Qatadah ibn Da'amah al-Sadusi from Khalid ibn Daryak, and he used the formula of indeterminate attribution (an'anah), and he is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in chains), and a mudallis cannot be cited as evidence if he does not explicitly state that he heard it.
And even if we assume its authenticity, it is possible that this was before the revelation of the verse of the hijab, for the women used to uncover and sit with the men in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until Allah revealed the verse of the hijab. So if we assume the hadith is authentic, it is possible that it was before the revelation of the verse of the hijab; because there is no mention of the verse of the hijab in the hadith.
But it is sufficient for us that it is weak, weak in its chain, and not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so it is not permissible to cling to it. What is prescribed for women, indeed what is obligatory for women, is the hijab and covering from men in all circumstances, including the face, for it is the adornment of the woman, indeed it is the greatest of her adornment.
So it is obligatory to observe the hijab and cover in all areas where there is a man who is not a mahram.
As for in prayer: The Sunnah is to uncover the face, if there is no non-mahram man present. She prays with her face uncovered; this is the Sunnah. And if she uncovers her hands, there is no harm, but covering them is better.
As for the feet, the position of the majority of the scholars of knowledge is to cover them, either with socks or with loose garments that cover the feet. Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) that she was asked:, and this was narrated both as marfu' (traced to the Prophet) and mawquf (stopping at a Companion). But al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: The imams preferred its being mawquf (stopping at) Umm Salama. In any case, it is evidence for what the majority of the scholars of knowledge said regarding the obligation of covering the feet in prayer, either with loose garments or with socks. May Allah guide them all.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. If this does not happen, Your Eminence, if a woman does not cover her feet or prays in her room alone, is it also required to apply this?
The Shaykh: Yes, she must cover her feet absolutely, even if there are no men present with her; because they are 'awrah in prayer. Yes, this is the position of the majority of the scholars of knowledge. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. And if this does not happen, what is the ruling on her prayer?
The Shaykh: She must repeat it.
The presenter: She must repeat the prayer?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Answer: This statement is not a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but it is from the words of some jurists. They say: A woman is 'awrah except her face in prayer. And others said: Except her face and her hands. This is a well-known opinion among the scholars of knowledge.
And others said: Except her face, her hands, and her feet as well. The majority of the scholars of knowledge hold that her feet are 'awrah in prayer, and that it is obligatory to cover the feet, and this is the opinion of the majority of the scholars of knowledge.
As for the hands: It is better to cover them, and if she does not cover them, there is no blame on her, if Allah wills.
As for the face: The Sunnah is to uncover it in prayer, unless there is a non-mahram man present, in which case she covers it, even in prayer; because it is a fitnah (trial/temptation) and because the face is the greatest of her adornment, acting in accordance with the saying of Allah 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 يُؤْذَيْنَYes, a hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud in this meaning from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
That Asma bint Abi Bakr -meaning: the sister of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them all)- entered upon Aisha and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was with her. She said: And she was wearing thin garments, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from her and said: O Asma, when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it is not fitting that any part of her be seen except this and this, and he pointed to his face and his hands (peace and blessings be upon him).
أن أسماء بنت أبي بكر -يعني: أخت عائشة رضي الله عن الجميع- دخلت على عائشة وعندها الرسول ﷺ قالت: وعليها ثياب رقاق، فأعرض عنها النبي ﷺ وقال: يا أسماء إن المرأة إذا بلغت المحيض لم يصلح أن يرى منها غير هذا وهذا، وأشار إلى وجهه وكفيه عليه الصلاة والسلامOne of them is that the one who narrated it from Aisha did not hear from Aisha; he is Khalid ibn Daryak, and he did not meet Aisha nor did he live to see her. Thus, it is a munqati' (broken chain) hadith, and a munqati' hadith is weak in the view of the scholars of knowledge and cannot be cited as evidence.
And one of them is that there is a narrator in its chain named Sa'id ibn Bashir, and he is weak in the view of the scholars of knowledge, and his narration cannot be cited as evidence.
And one of them is that it is from the narration of Qatadah ibn Da'amah al-Sadusi from Khalid ibn Daryak, and he used the formula of indeterminate attribution (an'anah), and he is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in chains), and a mudallis cannot be cited as evidence if he does not explicitly state that he heard it.
And even if we assume its authenticity, it is possible that this was before the revelation of the verse of the hijab, for the women used to uncover and sit with the men in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until Allah revealed the verse of the hijab. So if we assume the hadith is authentic, it is possible that it was before the revelation of the verse of the hijab; because there is no mention of the verse of the hijab in the hadith.
But it is sufficient for us that it is weak, weak in its chain, and not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so it is not permissible to cling to it. What is prescribed for women, indeed what is obligatory for women, is the hijab and covering from men in all circumstances, including the face, for it is the adornment of the woman, indeed it is the greatest of her adornment.
So it is obligatory to observe the hijab and cover in all areas where there is a man who is not a mahram.
As for in prayer: The Sunnah is to uncover the face, if there is no non-mahram man present. She prays with her face uncovered; this is the Sunnah. And if she uncovers her hands, there is no harm, but covering them is better.
As for the feet, the position of the majority of the scholars of knowledge is to cover them, either with socks or with loose garments that cover the feet. Abu Dawud (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) that she was asked:
Does a woman pray in a thobe (long robe) and a khimar (head covering)? She said: If the thobe is long enough to cover the backs of her feet.
هل تصلي المرأة في درع وخمار؟ فقالت: إذا كان الدرع سابغاً يغطي ظهور قدميهاThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good. If this does not happen, Your Eminence, if a woman does not cover her feet or prays in her room alone, is it also required to apply this?
The Shaykh: Yes, she must cover her feet absolutely, even if there are no men present with her; because they are 'awrah in prayer. Yes, this is the position of the majority of the scholars of knowledge. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. And if this does not happen, what is the ruling on her prayer?
The Shaykh: She must repeat it.
The presenter: She must repeat the prayer?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.