بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

I was asked, in various occasions to elaborate on the matter of wearing Hijab as opposed to Niqab for Muslim Women. This is how I see this matter, and how I interpret the evidence for both arguments. Finally, I stated my conclusion.

The main Verses that talk about Hijab in Quran are:

1. Surat Al-Nour: 24-31

“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils (Khimar) over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.”

1. Surat Al-Ahzab 33-59:

“O Prophet! tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

In the first Surat, it was commanded that women are not to show their “Zinat”, means beautifying objects or “Whatever make them beautiful” naturally or not naturally (Jewelry…etc.).

In the second surat, women are instructed to lower their veil “Jalabib” so as not to be known and therefore get molested or badly treated (as the slaves at that time used to go out without covering the hair, so, if a woman is covering herself then she will be known as a free woman and hence no one will talk to her badly.

Now, the words that are used in the verses are under different understanding from both people of Fiqh and people of Language.

The “Khimar خمار  in the first surat, some people said it is the head cover, and others say it is the cover over the whole head including the face and neck. In “Lisan Al-Arab” (the Arab Tongue) by Ibn Manthour, which is most well known Arabic dictionary, it says: Khimar: means what women covers their heads with, and it is also used for men for their hat.” Vol.2P314.

In Al-Tabari Tafseer, which is the most comprehensive and reliable tafseer of Ahlul Sunnah, he explained that there are two opinions about the Ayat of “except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof” as follows (I will quote the Arabic and translate to English):

ما ظهر منها, وذلك مختلف فـي الـمعنىّ منه بهذه الآية, فكان بعضهم يقول: زينة الثـياب الظاهرة".”

“What appears from it: There is a difference of opion about that; some said: it the cloth of the woman” such as Ibn Masoud, Ibrahim and Al-hasan. Those who said so, they see Khimar as the one that covers all the head and face and that what is permissible to show of a woman is her cloth only when she goes out.

وقال آخرون: الظاهر من الزينة التـي أبـيح لها أن تبديه: الكحل, والـخاتـم, والسواران, والوجه"”

“Others say: the Zinat that women are allowed to show is the face, Eye liner, rings and the hands”. Al-Tabari, Tafseer Al-Nour. Among those, Ibn A’abas, Qatadah, Saed Ibn Jubair and Al-Musaour Ibn Makhramah.

Also, in the second surat of Al-Ahzab, there was different opinions about the meaning of Jilbab, whether it is that what covers the whole head including the face or not. 

"ثم اختلف أهل التأويـل فـي صفة الإدناء الذي أمرهنّ الله به, فقال بعضهم: هو أن يغطين وجوههنّ ورؤوسهنّ, فلا يبدين منهنّ إلا عينا واحدة"

“The scholars of Tafseer have different opinions about this verse; some of them said: that is to cover their heads and faces and only leave one eye uncovered to see”. Al-Tabari, Tafseer Al-Ahzab

 "وقال آخرون: بل أمرن أن يشددن جلابـيبهنّ علـى جبـاههنّ"

“Others say: that is to fasten her Jilbab around her forehead” so, it does not fall and to be different from the slave females.

In Sunnah, there are hadith that supports the first group of people’s opinion, and there some the supports the second interpretation.

1. Hadiths that support the first Interpretation (Niqab and covering the face):

1.  
   1. Al-Boukhari reported: Ibn Omar said: “The Prophet PBUH said: The woman in Ihram (for Hajj) should not put up her Niqab (for face) or her gloves”. They said: this means that in normal times it is the command to put the Niqab and the gloves. The Other group replied: Not necessarily; as it only means that in Ihram, women cannot put Niqab and gloves if they used to put it in normal times”. I (Tariq) say: to draw such interpretation you have to use what is known in Usoul Al-fiqh as the “Mafhoum Al-Mukhalafah” Divergent meaning proof. It is one of the weakest daleel “proofs” in Shariat and does not stand any other proof in conflict.

1.  
   1. Al-Termizie: Abdulah Ibn Masoud said: “Women is A’awrah (not to be seen”, if she goes out “of her door” Istashrafaha the Shaytan  “means: walks between her hands (she calls for temptation, even not intentionally). Al-Termizie said: This hadith is Hasas Gharib, and Al-Soyouti ruled that is is correct (Shahih). They said: this means that All the woman should be covered. Again, the other group replied that this hadith is only to worn women against warring over make up or Zinat and to stay home as much as they can except in case of real need, not to draw Fiqh of it for cloth.

1. Hadiths that support the Hijab interpretation (to show the face and hands):

A.    Muslim: Jaber Ibn Aldullah: “….in the Eid prayer…the prophet went to the women and preached them and reminded them of Allah, and said: Oh women make a lot of Sadaqah, as I have seen you as the majority of Ahlul Nar (hell fire). A woman from the crowd with a Safa’a” cheek (that is black and has marks on it) and she said: why is that oh Prophet of Allah?...). The point is that if women used to cover their faces, how come the companion described the woman and her cheeks? [1]

B.     Al-Boukari and Muslim: Ibn A’abas said: Al-Fadl Ibn Ababas was riding behind the Prophet PBUH in the Farewell Hajj (at the day of slaughter; the first day pf Eid after Arafat), and Al-Fadl was a very good looking man, there was a beautiful woman passing by and Al-fadl looked at her constantly. “and she looks at him”, the Prophet PBUH kept pushing Al-Fadl’s chin to the other direction (in one report of the hadith he did that three times). This was also reported by Ali Ibn Abi taleb. The hadith means that after the days of Hajj and Ihram is over, women were walking around with their face uncovered.

There are other Hadith that were used by both interpretations’ scholars. But, however, these are the most well known of them.

In contemporary writings, Al-Albani الألباني has supported the second interpretation of Hijab in his book (The Hijab of the Muslim woman), and Al-Maoududi المودودي supported the other interpretation of Niqab in his book (Tafseer of Surat Al-Nour).

It is important to state that there is no explicit direct uncontested Muhkam verse or Hadith that supports either interpretation over the other.

That is why both interpretations are considered acceptable in Islamic practices and neither followers of either interpretation should attack or question other group’s faith or loyalty to Sunnah.

والله تعالى أعلم وأحكم