An Analytical View at the Ruling on Face Covering (Part 10)
Covering the Face in the Holy Quran
The Almighty Allah says in another verse: «وَلَا يُبدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنهَاۖ» (And don’t reveal your adornment except what is obvious.) In this exception, there is a type of generalization; therefore, various interpretations of this exception have led to different jurisprudential conclusions, which are discussed below:
What is meant by «إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنهَاۖ»? Scholars are divided into two categories regarding this:
1. Some have interpreted «إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنهَاۖ» as referring to the face and palms. From their perspective, the face and palms are exceptions to hijab, and leaving them bare is permissible. Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, stated that this refers to the face and the palms of the hands; when a woman is compelled to go out for something necessary, it would be difficult for her to cover her face and hands while moving and conducting business. This interpretation is similarly attributed to Ibn Umar, Atta, Ikramah, Saeed bin Jubair, Abi al-Shahtha, Zahhak, and Ibrahim Nakhai, may Allah have mercy on them.
2. Conversely, some scholars interpret it to include the appearance of clothing (such as jilbab and chador), rings, anklets, and other ornaments, and they do not consider it permissible to leave the face and palms bare. Hazrat Abdullah bin Masoud, may Allah be pleased with him, stated that what is excluded in «إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنهَاۖ» is outer clothing, such as a jilbab and large veil used instead of a burqa. These garments are used to cover adornments; therefore, the meaning of the verse is that it is not permissible for anything of adornment to be revealed, except outer clothing that cannot be covered when going out, such as the burqa. Hence, according to Abdullah bin Masoud’s interpretation, it is not permissible for a woman to reveal her face and palms before a non-mahram, and only outer garments like the burqa may be exposed out of necessity.
Qazi Beizawi and Khazen, in interpreting the verse, stated: The meaning of the verse suggests that the main ruling for a woman is that she should not let any adornment be revealed, except for what is usually visible during work and movement; this includes burqas and chadors. The face and palms may also be revealed if a woman leaves the house out of necessity, as the burqa and veil often uncover them during trade. This is regarded as a case of forgiveness, meaning there is no sin in it. However, the verse does not explicitly permit men to look at the face and palms of a foreign woman without necessity. The ruling is to lower their gaze, and if a woman must uncover her face and palms, men are required to avoid looking at her without a legitimate religious reason.
Allama Muhammad Shafi Osmani, may Allah have mercy on him, explains that both narrations and interpretations come together in this matter.
The great Mufasir Allamah ibn Kasir may Allah have mercy on him, states in his interpretation of this verse: It is not permissible for a woman to reveal any piece of adornment before men, except for what is customarily visible during work and movement. Habitually covering what is normally visible poses difficulty, thus creating an exception to this ruling, and no sin exists in this statement.
Consequently, the jurists of the Ummah have differing opinions regarding whether the face and palms are exempted from hijab and whether it is permissible to expose them before non-mahrams. However, they all agree that if there is a fear of temptation resulting from viewing a woman’s face and palms, it is forbidden to look at them, and it is also forbidden for a woman to reveal them. Furthermore, it is unanimously agreed that the face and palms are exempt from the obligation of covering the private parts of the body during prayer. According to consensus, outside prayer, if a woman reveals her face and palms, her prayer remains valid. This matter will be discussed in detail in the section titled “Viewpoints of Four Sects and Jurists.”
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