Should she wear niqab?

[saffanah]

Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters
There is a muslim girl asking, that she has read many references about NIQAB (face veil) and she quite understands the evidences/hujjah from both the ulamaa' (scholars) who oblige the niqab, and those who see it as sunnah (or sunnah mustahab/recomended sunnah). Now she is confuse what step will she take, to wear niqab or no??
So brothers and Sisters could you help her? what is your suggestion?

 

[alkathiri]

:salam2:

Its a personal decision. I would wear if i were her. But she does not need to force herself onto it

 

[Hassan Khalid]

In the Name of God, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

sis

Hijab is an obligation from Allah on Muslim women. The obligation is referred to in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Muslim woman must wear it and the Muslim parents should encourage their daughters to wear it.(Part of fatwa of Dr. Muhammad Abu Laylah, professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Religions at Al-Azhar University)

I would like to tell the sister that Hijab is the proper Islamic dress code, which is primarily intended to safeguard the modesty, dignity and honor of men and women.

From the fatwas, research, Hadith, Qur'an, and the Sunnah, we can conlude that Muslim woman is required to cover all her body except her face and hands, according to the majority of scholars belonging to all schools. Covering the head, however, is not at all a disputed issue among them - they all agree that this is a necessary part of Hijab.

So, the answerers must provide answer with correct sources. My source is IslamOnline.Net.
I would request the sister to read an answer from there:
Hijab: Religious Symbol or Obligation?
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...h-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503547808

However, I agree with akhi alkathri; "But she does not need to force herself onto it".

As Sheikh `Abdul-Majeed Subh, a prominent Azhar scholar, says:

"What those thinkers say about forcing hijab on women is a false allegation. Many Europeans know well that hijab is an obligation from Allah and they are all aware of the fact that when a non-Muslim woman embraces Islam, she must wear hijab."

And Allah(swt) knows the best.

 

[Salem9022]

Majority of the Scholars have said that the women should wear Hijab and cover everything except for the eyes so they can see through, only a Minority say they can show the face and hands but they all agree that you women have to cover.

 

[ShyHijabi]

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Asma bint Abu Bakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah while she was wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of Allah turned his attention from her. He said: O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands.[4] Sunnan Abu Dawud 32:4092

Salaam,

This hadith is very clear so I've never understood why the scholars have felt the nikaab is fard. There is a hadith where the wives of the Prophet (saw) covered their faces when strangers came around. But it never mentions the rest of the Ummah were expected to wear nikaab as well. I've seen the verses in the Quran used to state the nikaab is fard but the parts of the body to be covered are in parenthesis (in other words, someone's interpretation of the verse but not the actual command of the verse).

Wasalaam

~Sarah

 

[saffanah]

Jazakumullah sister sand brothers for your posting.
I just want to know, are there any sisters here who wear niqab? please share your story in facing the problem you may have with people around you.

 

[junaid hasan]

well i would say those who are able keep going out less as possible they should wear niqab. but those who has to go a lot outside it is probabely hard for them.

 

[Salem9022]

Refutation For those who claim niqaab is not wajib and the face and hands of a woman can be seen by (ghairMahrrum) strange men.


Refutation from Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen

This is taken from the book "Hijaab" by Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen from Saudi Arabia. Printed by Madrasah Arabia Islamia Azaadville- South Africa.

Translated by Hafedh Zaheer Essack, Rajab 1416 (December 1995)


The Ulamah who are of the opinion that it is permissible to look at the face and hands of a strange woman (who is not mahrrum) say so mainly for the following reasons.

The hadeeth of Ayeshah (Radhiallaahu Ánha) when Asmaa (Radhiallaahu Ánha) the daughter of Abu Bakr came to the Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asmaa! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands. But this hadeeth is WEAK because of 2 main weaknesses.

1.There is no link between Ayeshah (Radhiallaahu Ánha) and Khalid bin Dareek, who narrated the hadith from her. And in every chain of narrators Khalid bin Dareek is mentioned.

2.In the chain of narrators Sa'eed bin Basheer appears, who is known by most of the Muhaditheen as being a weak narrator.

This has been mentioned by Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal (Rahimahullah), An-Nasai (Rahimahullah), Ibn Madeeni (Rahimahullah) and Ibn Ma'een (Rahimahullah). This is also why Imaam Bukhari (Rahimahullah) and Muslim (Rahimahullah) did not except this hadeeth to be in their books. (From Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen in the book "Hijaab" pages # 17 and 18.)

We also have to see that the Muhadith Abu Dawood when he quoted this hadeeth put with it that it is Mursal (with a broken chain that does not lead up to the Sahabah).

(From The Book "Hijaab wa Safur" under the fatwaa of Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Bazz on Page #61. Also stated as being weak by Shaikh Nasiruddeen Al-Albaani in his Daeef Sunan Abu Dawud in Kitab-ul-Libas under hadeeth number 4092 (which is the original hadeeth number.)

An other thing that shows the weakness of this hadith is that after the ayah for hijab (Surah Al-Ahzaab – Verse #59) was revealed then the women of Sahaba wore a complete veil and covered the faces and hands. This includes Asmaa (Radhiallaahu Ánha) the daughter of Abu Bakr, who is supposed to have narrated this hadeeth. Asmaa (Radhiallaahu Ánha) covered herself completely including the face, this has been narrated in authentic hadeeth in Imaam Malik's "MUWATTA Book 20 Hadeeth # 20.5.16."

-----So that Hadith which Posted from Islamonline to back up the claim that Niqab is not Fard is a weak Hadith, and you shouldn't take from Islamonline because many of them have problems in their aqeedah insha'Allah since many of them belong to the Ikwanul Muslimeen Group. Stick to the Information available here on TurntoIslam

 

[Hassan Khalid]

In the Name of God, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

-----So that Hadith which Posted from Islamonline to back up the claim that Niqab is not Fard is a weak Hadith, and you shouldn't take from Islamonline because many of them have problems in their aqeedah insha'Allah since many of them belong to the Ikwanul Muslimeen Group. Stick to the Information available here on TurntoIslam

Okay brother, sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't agree with you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This religion of ours is easy and simple; whoever makes it hard will only be defeating themselves."

So, basically, niqab is not an integral part of woman's attire. Let us see a Qur'anic verse:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and God is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their zeenah (charms, or beauty and ornaments) except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar (veils) over their bosoms and not display their zeenah except to their husbands, their fathers ... and that they should not strike their feet so as to draw attention to their hidden zeenah (ornaments)" (An-Nur 24:31-32).

And from IslamOnline.Net, I found out that there is no mention of face veil(niqab) in the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him) would have mentioned clearly if face veil had been a requirement.

So, concluding, women in Islam are required to wear loose-fitting clothes and wear a scarf.

Let me once again mention the Hadith,
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This religion of ours is easy and simple; whoever makes it hard will only be defeating themselves."

I use IslamOnline.Net for my everyday questions and answers about Islam. And Wallah, it has been very beneficial, at least for me. I do not say that TurntoIslam.com is not an authentic website or I would not have joined this website at all. But I am just trying to say that scholars in Islam are more knowledgeable and they know more about Islam than we do. So, of course, we cannot issue fatwas or give answers merely in our opinions.

Once again, sorry if this sounds rude. I am just a young Muslim and I hope that you would forgive me for what I have said that many have caused any inconvenience.

Your brother in Islam, Hassan.

 

[Salem9022]

lol akhi this is what shiekh Uthaymeen Raheema'Allah said, The hadith which you qouted is weak. this is not about your opinion and my opinion, your right we go by what scholars say and the scholar Shiekh Utaymeen made it clear that hadith which you posted is weak.

And I agree that Islam is a easy religion for those who want submit their will to Him. but we shouldnt water down the religion like the christians and jews just because we live in a different time

Hijab does not mean scarf and it does not mean headscarf either, many ignorant people in the world Like Yusuf Al-Qaradawi have given the impression to the Muslims that if a women wear a piece of cloth over her head then that is Hijab which is not the correct understand which we Muslims have. All of the Prophets wore Niqab which we all know and so it was made also for the beleiving women.

wa 3laikum as-Salaam

 

[saffanah]

To brother Saleem and Hassan Khalid,may peace be with you both. It's allowed to have different opinion in furu' (sharia's branch-since niqab is a kind of furu' under the hijab shariah), but what is not allowed is to blame one another. I know that our scholars have different opinion about this, and it doesn't make them fight each other.

What I know (this is my own conclusion from both references which oblige niqab and not) is HIJAB IS OBLIGATORY while NIQAB is mustahab (recommended sunnah) it means that to wear NIQAB you will be given reward from Allah and to not wear it you'll not be punished, means it is not sin if you're not wear niqab.

Well, It doesn't mean I questioned something that I have already known the answer, but I just want to know what someone else's opinion about it, so I have some evidences that I must tell this girl, so then she can decide what she would choose.

But, again, thankyou for your post brothers and sisters.

 

[Hassan Khalid]

Oh did I posted any hadith? Sorry if I did, but umm, after looking back at my previous post, I saw that I only mentioned this one akhi;
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "This religion of ours is easy and simple; whoever makes it hard will only be defeating themselves."

Anyways, I haven't met those scholars(includes Yusuf Al-Qaradawi) but one thing I know is that many scholars, including Sheikh Yusuf Estes answer questions on Islam on IslamOnline.Net. Every scholar has a different way of answering but if we see carefully, they all focus on one, main point.

many ignorant people in the world Like Yusuf Al-Qaradawi have given the impression to the Muslims that if a women wear a piece of cloth over her head then that is Hijab which is not the correct understand which we Muslims have.

I don't know bro, because I have never seen Sheikh Yusuf al-Quradawi giving an answer on this topic but I respect him as much as I respect other scholars. Yes, Hijab has a meaning behind it. As IslamOnline.Net says, "Hence, the wisdom behind prescribing hijab as a duty for women is to safeguard and protect the whole society from temptation and secure the stability of marital lives."

Thank you for your reply and I am pleased to see that you didn't got offended. bro

 

[Hassan Khalid]

To brother Saleem and Hassan Khalid,may peace be with you both. It's allowed to have different opinion in furu' (sharia's branch-since niqab is a kind of furu' under the hijab shariah), but what is not allowed is to blame one another. I know that our scholars have different opinion about this, and it doesn't make them fight each other..............

But, again, thankyou for your post brothers and sisters.

&

 

[Salem9022]

yes Hijab is Obligatory no one is against that, but what is Hijab? Hijab is not covering your head with a piece of cloth, that is not called Hijab, we have to understand how the prophet and his companion understood the term Hijab not what some modern day people say

 

[palestine]

i do not wear niqab. i wear umbrella hijabs. but i'm strongly wanting to wear niqab. but the place i live in can put me at risk. but anyways i'm willing to wear it and i think i will. i just gotta wait till i'm on my own so my parents won't freak out and such and so i'll be able to take care of myself in everyway inshallah. or maybe i'll convince them to let me do it and to not be afraid. i'm trying to get them especially my mom to become more religious so that she may see the beauty in niqab. she loves it but she's afraid. afraid of big usa. salam.
ps: my mom is a very good lady and practices the deen, just the things that put me at risk that are not obligatory upon me. salam.

 

[jamilabdulmalik]

Assalamualaikum,
Salem, who are YOU to say that Sheikh Yusuf AlQardhawi is ignorant? And that ppl at islamonline have 'weak aqeedah'. It irks me to hear ppl say things about our scholars which dont conform to their belief.

Let me share with you a hadith:
Two people were fighting over their interpretations of the Quran, and the phophet happened to hear it. He went to them with an angry face and said, "God has destroyed a people before you just because they debate over their God's verses". - Ibn Hazm, al Ihkaam, 5/66.

I regard Dr. Yusuf in very high esteem. He has done enormous good in fiqh and da'wah and is one of the most respected and prominent scholar we have. He has done a lot for Islam. And you discredit him just like that? I hope no one thinks any less about Dr. Yusuf by salem's comment.

Now about the topic at hand; I'm assuming the sister lives in a non-muslim country. Its already hard for a muslimah to be brave enough to wear hijab. She should be commended for that. May Allah bless her even more for her bravery in upholding her religion. Niqab or hijab? She should understand the difference in opinion, and feel comfortable wearing the hijab only. I respect those who chose niqab but I also fear for their safety and their iman in non-muslim countries. If she wants to wear niqab, wear it. But dont denounce other scholar's opinion on it for this is furu'.

 

[warda A]

:salam2:

I wear niqaab, it has a nice feeling but, i live in Yemen where almost all women wear niqaab so, there will not be any problems but, i know it isn't obligatory.
I think the questioner was asking for advice and here we start getting into arguments.
I think the sister should decide what is better for her or, what she feels comfortable wearing, good thing she knows HIJAB is obligatory.

 

[Oem Soufiane]

Assalamualaikum,
Salem, who are YOU to say that Sheikh Yusuf AlQardhawi is ignorant? And that ppl at islamonline have 'weak aqeedah'. It irks me to hear ppl say things about our scholars which dont conform to their belief.

Let me share with you a hadith:
Two people were fighting over their interpretations of the Quran, and the phophet happened to hear it. He went to them with an angry face and said, "God has destroyed a people before you just because they debate over their God's verses". - Ibn Hazm, al Ihkaam, 5/66.

I regard Dr. Yusuf in very high esteem. He has done enormous good in fiqh and da'wah and is one of the most respected and prominent scholar we have. He has done a lot for Islam. And you discredit him just like that? I hope no one thinks any less about Dr. Yusuf by salem's comment.

Now about the topic at hand; I'm assuming the sister lives in a non-muslim country. Its already hard for a muslimah to be brave enough to wear hijab. She should be commended for that. May Allah bless her even more for her bravery in upholding her religion. Niqab or hijab? She should understand the difference in opinion, and feel comfortable wearing the hijab only. I respect those who chose niqab but I also fear for their safety and their iman in non-muslim countries. If she wants to wear niqab, wear it. But dont denounce other scholar's opinion on it for this is furu'.

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh,

I have been in a discussion like this with someone else and there are a lot of things (articles from his hand) wich indicate that yusuf al qardawi is indeed on a very 'moderate' (ugh i hate that word) aqeedah, now it is not necessary for us to judge about scholars, unless they damaging us and our deen. There is a huuuuuugggeeeee difference between a mashallah sheikh like Uthaimin and an imam with a western influenced vision like Qardawi, so I am not judging the people themselves but I do definately judge the aqeedah and 'fatwas' pronounced bu yusuf al qardawi. Wa allahu alim.

About the niqaab I won't make a judgement, I admire my sisters who wear it FOR THE RIGHT REASONS and not just to show off, and inshallah I'll get to the point were I can wear it too allahuma amin. I wasn't convinced about the 'wajibness' of it, but I do love the niqaab.

 

[um_mustafa]

Salaam,

This hadith is very clear so I've never understood why the scholars have felt the nikaab is fard. There is a hadith where the wives of the Prophet (saw) covered their faces when strangers came around. But it never mentions the rest of the Ummah were expected to wear nikaab as well. I've seen the verses in the Quran used to state the nikaab is fard but the parts of the body to be covered are in parenthesis (in other words, someone's interpretation of the verse but not the actual command of the verse).

Wasalaam

~Sarah

Salams Sister yes you are right this is a very well known hadith but also I am afraid it is a "weak " hadith and it is the only one people quote , we should go into further studies to find out the more right veiw, inshallah

 

[AAminAA]

:salam2:

Allah says in the most Holy Quran "And Say to the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (see the explanation below), and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna" (Surah An-Nur, Verses #30 and #31)

Ibn Abbas (ra) is one of the most learned men of the Sahaba (Companions). Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s., even prayed for him saying "O Allah, make him acquire a deep understanding of the religion of Islam and instruct him in the meaning and interpretation of things." He with reference to Surah An-Nur “except only that which is apparent” as Ibn Kathir narrated with a Sahih (authentic) chain of narrators, said it’s "The hand, the ring, and the face." Abdullah Ibn Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (ra) said “the face and the two hands”. Anas Ibn Malik (ra) said “the hand and the ring”. Ibn Hazm said: “all of this (statements) are in the highest of accuracy. And so are statements by Ali (ra), Aisha (ra), and other Tabi’een”.

Now you have to think who would understand these verses better than Aisha (ra) the MOST knowledgeable woman in the matters of Islam and the wife of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s. ?


Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Asma, daughter of AbuBakr, entered upon the Apostle of Allah s.a.w.s., wearing thin clothes. The Apostle of Allah () turned his attention from her. He said: O Asma', when a woman reaches the age of menstruation, it does not suit her that she displays her parts of body except this and this, and he pointed to her face and hands. (Narrated by Abu Dawood # 4092).

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Abbas: Al-Fadl (his brother) was riding behind Allah's Apostle and a woman from the tribe of Khath'am came and Al-Fadl started looking at her and she started looking at him. The Prophet turned Al-Fadl's face to the other side. The woman said, "O Allah's Apostle! The obligation of Hajj enjoined by Allah on His devotees has become due on my father and he is old and weak, and he cannot sit firm on the Mount; may I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet replied, "Yes, you may." That happened during the Hajj-al-Wida (of the Prophet). (Narrated by Bukhari # 589, Muslim, and others).

The point is, the woman of Khath'am was in front of the Prophet (sAas) and Fadl ibn Abbas (rAa), neither of whom is mahram for her, AND HER FACE WAS UNCOVERED. How else could Fadl (rAa) have known that she was "beautiful"? What else was he staring at? That she was in ihram is no excuse because if niqab is fard it would still be obligatory for her to veil her face around the Prophet (sAas) and Fadl (rAa). But she did not do so. She was standing there in front of at least two non-mahram men, and her face was plainly visible to them. And the Prophet (sAas) did not tell her to veil her face. He didn't say to her anything like "don't you know that you're supposed to draw your jilbab over your face around men?". All he did was turn Fadl's head away to stop him from staring.