Q709 :May I request you to clarify in detail the
question of women’s veil. I am studying to be a doctor, and I find that
having to cover my face all the time is extremely impractical. I know
that you have mentioned that a woman need not cover her face and her
hands up to the wrist when she goes out in public but I have seen many
people in my home country, Pakistan, insist on the requirement that a
woman must cover her face. The late Abul Ala Maudoodi has discussed
this issue at length with a decisive conclusion that a woman must cover
her face in public. So do many scholars in my home country and also
people who are members of various Islamic groups. I would be grateful
for a full discussion on this question.
A709 : Before I discuss this question, I would like
to make the following quotations from leading scholars of different
schools of thought. Imam Al Shaf’ie included the whole basis of his
school of thought in his scholarly work entitled, Al-Umm. In this book
he says: “All [of] a woman’s body is awrah with the exception of the
lower part of her hands and her face. The top of her feet is also
awrah.” It is well known that awrah is an Islamic term which refers to
the parts of the body which must be covered at all times. Ibn Rushd, a
leading Maliki scholar says: “The great majority of scholars agree that
all of a woman’s body is awrah, with the exception of her face and the
lower part of her hands. However, Imam Abu Haneefah considers that her
feet are not part of her awrah.” The main book which records the view
of the Hanbali school of thought is that known as Al-Mughni, written by
Ibn Qudamah. It is indeed the book to which reference is made generally
when we want to know the Hanbali view. In this book, Ibn Qudamah
writes: “All [of] a woman’s body is awrah, with the exception of her
face. As for the lower part of her hands, we have two different views.”
This means that the Hanbali school of thought includes scholars who
consider that the hands, and we are here talking about the lower part
of the hands up to the wrist – must be covered, and other scholars
belonging to the same school of thought who are of the view that a
woman may leave that part of her hands uncovered. Imam Ibn Hazam who
was the one to put the Thahiri school of thought on solid foundation
netments on an authentic Hadith as follows: “We see in this Hadith that
Ibn Abbas saw women’s hands in the presence of God’s Messenger (peace
be upon him). This means that it is correct to say that the hands and
face of a woman are not awrah. The rest of her body is obligatory for
her to cover.” Imam Al Tabari, a leading scholar and netmentator on
the Qur’an of the second century of the Islamic era says: “The
strongest and most accurate view is that which says that the exclusion
(i.e. from what needs to be covered) refers to the face and the lower
part of the hands up to the wrist. Also included are kohl, rings,
bracelets and make-up (i.e. on the face and hands). We say that this is
the strongest and most accurate view because all scholars are unanimous
that everyone who needs to pray must cover the awrah in his or her
prayer. A woman may reveal her face and the lower part of her hands in
her prayer while she must cover the rest of her body. What is not part
of awrah is not forbidden to reveal.” I have made these quotations to
show that what I have repeatedly said about the proper dress of a
Muslim woman is not a personal view which I have invented. This is the
view to which leading scholars in all four schools of thought, as well
as leading netmentators on the Qur’an, subscribe. Indeed, the evidence
supporting this view is overwhelming. This report to which Ibn Hazm
refers mentions that a woman with red cheeks put a question to the
Prophet and he explained her query. How could the Prophet’s netpanion
reporting this Hadith know that she had red cheeks if her face was
covered. The reporter says “I saw the women with their hands putting
jewelry (which was given in charity) in Bilal’s robe.” This means that
the reporter saw the women’s faces and their hands. The Prophet did not
tell them anything about the way they appeared. Another Hadith
reported by Sahl ibn Sa’ad, a netpanion of the Prophet, mentions that a
woman came to the Prophet and said: “Messenger of God, I have nete to
make of myself a gift to you.” The Prophet gazed at her, looking her up
and down, before lowering his head. He made no answer. When she saw
that he did not make any netment on her offer, she sat down. Another
version mentions that a netpanion of the Prophet asked him to marry
her to him. He had nothing to offer in dower. The Prophet said to him:
“Seek some dower, even though it may be an iron ring.” The man
eventually married her. The question here is: Had the woman been
wearing a veil, why would the Prophet gaze at her, looking her up and
down? Those who claim that covering a woman’s face is obligatory quote
a Hadith which mentions that a woman called Umm Khalad came to the
Prophet wearing a veil and inquiring about her son who was killed in an
expedition with the Prophet. Some of the Prophet’s netpanions asked
her: “You have nete to inquire about your son wearing a veil?” The good
woman said: “If I have lost my son, I certainly have not lost my
modesty.” But what does this report signify? If the veil was required
as an obligation of worship, would the Prophet’s netpanions have
wondered at this woman who came wearing a veil? Certainly not. Their
surprise indicates that there was no requirement which encouraged women
to wear a veil when they want to go out in public. That was simply a
God-fearing woman with a keen sense of modesty. If a modest woman wants
to wear a veil, no one would stop her. But to say that it is obligatory
for all women has no solid basis. Perhaps the clearest report which
tells us how women used to go out in public at the time of the Prophet
is one related by Muslim – which makes it highly authentic – of an
event that took place after the Prophet’s farewell pilgrimage. In other
words, it gives a final verdict. This report runs as follows: “Sabee’ah
bint Al Harith (a netpanion of the Prophet) was pregnant when her
husband died and she became a widow. A few days later, she gave birth
to her child. Soon afterward she made herself up in case a proposal of
marriage would nete her way. A man named Abu As-Sanabel came to visit
her. Wondering at her condition, he said: How nete that you are wearing
make-up? It seems as if you are keen to get married. By God, you are
not allowed to marry before the lapse of four months and ten days.”
Sabeeh reports : “When he said that to me, I changed my clothes when
the evening approached and went to see God’s Messenger (peace be upon
him). I asked him about that and he told me that my waiting period was
over when I gave birth to my child. He said that I could marry if I
wanted.” Here we find a woman wearing make-up on her face and hands,
and visited by Abu As-Sanabel, who was not closely related to her. He
may have been a man of her clan, but certainly was not a brother or an
uncle of hers. He objected to her behavior, but she made certain by
putting the matter to the Prophet who did not object to anything she
did. The sum-up of the views of the great scholars we have quoted
and these reports and Hadiths which we have mentioned is that the
Islamic society is one which does not confine women in their homes in
the way the advocates of the veil imagine. Indeed, it appears to us
that it was a society where women went about their business freely, and
they could meet men and talk to them, recognized by their faces which
were not covered. I say this and I have the greatest respect for
Maulana Maudoodi. He was certainly entitled to his views, but his view
on this subject does not have the support of the better evidence. He
relies on his interpretation of Verse 59 of Surah 33, which my reader
has quoted at length. I do not think that the verse is concerned with
covering women’s faces at all. These days some people make a great
issue of covering women’s faces. What I would like to say concerning
this is that those people are entitled to their view, but they should
not make it the central issue of Islamic society, because it is not.
They should at least respect the view of the majority of scholars who
are in agreement, as we have shown, that a Muslim woman need not cover
her face or the lower part of her hands up to the wrist when she goes
out in public.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )