Refuting the Claim That Uncovering a Woman's Face Is the Majority View
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Question:
In a statement by the Shaykh of Al-Azhar in one of the Egyptian newspapers, it was said, to the effect that the face is not an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) according to the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars. Is it true that the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars dictates uncovering the face?
Also, if an official at the airport requires a traveling woman to uncover her face under the pretext of verifying her identity, is he to be obeyed in this? Please give us a ruling, may Allah bless you.
Answer:
The claim that it is the majority view is a matter that requires scrutiny and careful attention. It is often claimed that something is the majority view, but such claims are often subject to scrutiny. Many people claim that a certain matter is the majority view, but that is not the case. It is not only the Shaykh of Al-Azhar who has said this; many other people among the scholars have said it as well, and they were mistaken in this.
Therefore, a person of sound mind should not be deceived by the statement of so-and-so or so-and-so, as you have heard. Rather, matters of scholarly disagreement are to be presented to what Allah and His Messenger said, and to the evidence from the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). You have heard what the evidence from the Shari'ah indicates regarding the obligation of hijab (the covering prescribed for women), the obligation for a woman to cover her body, and her keeping away from the causes of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), and that this is purer for the hearts of men and the hearts of women.
What was reported from the Shaykh of Al-Azhar and from others, and what our brother, the scholar Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, wrote in his book al-Hijab, and what others wrote, just as other people have written, is to be presented to the Book and the Sunnah. We have presented this to the Book and the Sunnah, and we found that whoever said that uncovering the hijab is permissible was mistaken, and whoever said that hijab is required was correct.
If the one who said that uncovering the hijab and exposing oneself is permissible was sincere to Allah and intended the truth, but his ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) led him to that without negligence or following of desire, then he has the reward of ijtihad, and Allah will forgive him, though he misses out on the reward of being correct. But if he intended to follow his desire and do evil, then he obtains neither of these; rather, he commits a sin thereby. We ask Allah for safety from that.
In a statement by the Shaykh of Al-Azhar in one of the Egyptian newspapers, it was said, to the effect that the face is not an awrah (part of the body that must be covered) according to the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars. Is it true that the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars dictates uncovering the face?
Also, if an official at the airport requires a traveling woman to uncover her face under the pretext of verifying her identity, is he to be obeyed in this? Please give us a ruling, may Allah bless you.
Answer:
The claim that it is the majority view is a matter that requires scrutiny and careful attention. It is often claimed that something is the majority view, but such claims are often subject to scrutiny. Many people claim that a certain matter is the majority view, but that is not the case. It is not only the Shaykh of Al-Azhar who has said this; many other people among the scholars have said it as well, and they were mistaken in this.
Therefore, a person of sound mind should not be deceived by the statement of so-and-so or so-and-so, as you have heard. Rather, matters of scholarly disagreement are to be presented to what Allah and His Messenger said, and to the evidence from the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). You have heard what the evidence from the Shari'ah indicates regarding the obligation of hijab (the covering prescribed for women), the obligation for a woman to cover her body, and her keeping away from the causes of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), and that this is purer for the hearts of men and the hearts of women.
What was reported from the Shaykh of Al-Azhar and from others, and what our brother, the scholar Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, wrote in his book al-Hijab, and what others wrote, just as other people have written, is to be presented to the Book and the Sunnah. We have presented this to the Book and the Sunnah, and we found that whoever said that uncovering the hijab is permissible was mistaken, and whoever said that hijab is required was correct.
If the one who said that uncovering the hijab and exposing oneself is permissible was sincere to Allah and intended the truth, but his ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) led him to that without negligence or following of desire, then he has the reward of ijtihad, and Allah will forgive him, though he misses out on the reward of being correct. But if he intended to follow his desire and do evil, then he obtains neither of these; rather, he commits a sin thereby. We ask Allah for safety from that.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.