An Analytical View at the Ruling on Covering the Face (Part 13)
Covering the Face in the Light of Hadiths
The sayings and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are the second most reliable sources of Islam’s religion and law, after the Holy Quran. Islamic scholars and thinkers refer to the hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to establish or clarify any ruling. Therefore, in this section, we will explore the ruling and evidence regarding the act of covering the face as presented in the Prophetic hadiths. The question arises: do the hadiths explicitly discuss this, and can the obligation of covering women’s faces be substantiated through them?
In response, it should be noted that there are many authentic narrations that explicitly indicate the necessity of covering the face:
1. Narration of Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her:
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) states: “When the verse «يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ» was revealed, the women of the Ansar would cover themselves as if a black crow were sitting on their heads when leaving the house.”
– Interpretation of Imam al-Jassas (may Allah have mercy on him): “This verse indicates that a young woman is ordered to cover her face from strangers and should observe modesty when leaving the house to avoid temptation from lustful men.”
2. Narration of Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her:
Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “May Allah have mercy on the women of the Muhajireen. When the verse «وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ» was revealed, they cut their cloaks with their wool and covered their faces with them.”
– Explanation of Ibn Hajar Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him): “The phrase ‘بِخُمُرِهِنَّ’ means ‘to cover the face.’ During the Pre-Islamic period, women would throw their cloaks behind their heads, leaving their faces exposed. The verse in question ordered them to cover the front of their bodies.”
– Opinion of Allamah al-Shanqithi (may Allah have mercy on him): “This hadith clearly shows that the women of the Companions understood the verse correctly and interpreted it as covering their faces. Thus, arguments against the obligation of covering the face based on this verse are baseless.”
3. Another narration from Hazrat Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her:
Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “When the riders passed by us while we were in ihram with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), one of us would pull down her veil over her face and remove it when they passed.”
4. Narration of Safiya Bint Shaiba:
Safiya bint Shaiba states: “While we were with Ayesha, she mentioned the virtues of the women of Quraysh. She said: ‘The women of Quraysh have virtue. By Allah, I have never seen anyone better than the women of the Ansar.’ After the revelation of the verse «وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَىٰ جُيُوبِهِنَّ», the women of the Ansar would attend prayers with full veiling and modesty, including wrapping their headscarves around their heads and covering their faces.”
5. Narration of Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him):
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman in ihram should not wear a veil or gloves.”
– This narration indicates that women during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) covered their faces when not in ihram. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: “This hadith shows that the use of a niqab and gloves among women in a state other than ihram was a common practice, indicating the necessity of covering the face and hands of women.”
6. Narration of Safiyyah bint Abi Ubayd:
Safiyyah bint Abi Ubayd narrated, “A woman came out fully covered and veiled. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: ‘Who is this woman?’ When informed that she was a slave, he sent a message to Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) saying: ‘Why did you cover this slave girl with a veil, making her look like a free and chaste woman? I was about to fall in love with her, thinking she was a chaste woman. Do not make slave girls look like free women!’”
– Allama Zafar Ahmad Usmani (may Allah have mercy on him) commented: “This narration indicates that free women covered their faces. If this were not true, there would be no need to distinguish between slave girls and free women through veiling.”
7. Narration of Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him):
Mughirah bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “I proposed to a girl and mentioned this to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He asked, ‘Have you seen her?’ When I replied no, he said: ‘Go and see her, for this sighting will help to strengthen your relationship.’ I went to her house with her parents present. The girl was fully veiled. I said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has ordered me to see her.’ Her parents remained silent, and then she removed the corner of her headscarf from her face and said: ‘I adjure you by Allah! If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has permitted you to see me, do so; if not, do not look at me.’ I looked at her and married her, and no woman was more beloved to me than her.”
– Analysis of the narration: This narration illustrates that woman during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would cover their faces from non-mahram men, even in their homes and in the presence of their families. If covering the face had not been common, Mughirah (may Allah be pleased with him) would have faced no issue seeing the girl in public.
8. Narration of Asma bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her):
Asma bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) stated: “We [women] used to cover our faces from men while in a state of ihram, but before the hijab was prescribed during ihram, we would comb our heads.”
– Analysis of the narration: This narration indicates that covering the face, even during ihram, was an accepted and common practice.
A study of these narrations and an analysis of the views of the authentic narrators indicate that covering the face was considered a normative and common practice among chaste and free women during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Key Point: If women at that time were walking among the people without fully covering their faces, there would be no need for suitors to visit their homes or obtain permission to visit them in specific places. These documents clearly indicate the legitimacy and obligation of covering the face according to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Any fair-minded person who examines these reasons and hadiths will not doubt the necessity of covering the face.
