An Analytical View at the Ruling of Face Covering (Part 12)
The Sayings Mufasireen on Covering the Face
4. Allama Abu Bakr Jazayeri states in his commentary (Isar al-Tafsir): “They hang the Jilbab over their faces so that none of the woman’s limbs are visible except one eye with which she looks at the road when she goes out to relieve herself.”
5. Allama Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, the author of al-Tabari’s Tafsir, said: “They should not resemble the maidservants in their dressing when they go out to relieve themselves, so that their hair and faces are visible; rather, they should lower their veils over their faces so that a wicked person does not attack them.”
6. Judge Muhammad Sanaullah Pani Patti, one of the scholars of the eleventh and twelfth centuries from the Indian subcontinent, said in his Tafsir on this verse: “The saying of Allah, the Exalted, which states: ‘O Prophet, tell your wives…’ indicates that it is not permissible for a woman to reveal her face.”
7. Allama Abu al-Saud Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mustafa Emadi (died 982) was a Turkish scholar and a companion of Sultan Suleiman Qanuni (the Ottoman Caliph). He stated in his weighty work (Tafsir Abu al-Saud): “That is, they cover their faces and bodies when they go out due to a need.”
8. Allama Abdul Rahman Saadi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in his commentary Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman, known as Tafsir Saadi: “That is, they cover their faces and chests with it.”
9. Allama Abu al-Fazl Rashid al-Din Maybodi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “They should hang their veils and scarves, wrapping themselves with them and covering their faces except for one eye.”
10. Allama Abu Huyyan Al-Andalusi said in his commentary on Al-Bahru Al-Muhiit: “The word ‘عَلَيهِنَّ’ refers to ‘upon their faces’, because only the face was visible of women during the time of ignorance.”
We conclude from the interpretations and understandings of the Mufasireen of the Ummah that covering the face is established in the Quran, and only those who lack a precise understanding of the Quran and Islamic rulings, or who are superficial and driven by desires, deny it.