The Obligation Of Niqab

The Obligation of Niqab

Undoubtedly, the complete Islamic hijab for a Muslim woman is that she remains in her home, not seeing non-mahram men, nor being seen by them Inon mahram: anyone whom marriage to the woman is permissible], as Allah Almighty says:

"And remain in your homes and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance.”(33:33)

Thus, the woman is commanded to stay in her home and not to go out except for necessity. If she needs to go out and appear before men, she is forbidden from tabarruj (wanton display). The forbidden tabarruj is revealing any part of the body, such as the face, hand, foot, or otherwise.

Therefore, the Muslim sister must cover her entire body with thick, loose, and concealing clothing. Every Muslim must know that covering a woman's face in front of non-mahram men is obligatory, and the evidences for this obligation are numerous, including:

First Evidence:

The explicit command in the verse: "And let them draw their headcovers over their chests." (24:31)

Aisha رضي الله عنها said: "May Allah have mercy on the early Muhajir women. When Allah revealed (And let them draw their headcovers over their chests), they tore their garments and covered themselves with them." (Al-Bukhari)

Ibn Hajar, in his explanation of this hadith, said: "Her statement (they covered themselves) means they covered their faces. The manner of doing so is that the woman places the khimar on her head and drapes it over the left shoulder, which is known as at-taqannu'." (Fath al-Bari)

Ash-Shanqiti, commenting on Aisha's hadith, stated: "This authentic hadith clearly proves that the female companions understood that Allah's command (And let them draw their headcovers over their chests) necessitated covering their faces. With this, the fair-minded person realizes that a woman's veiling from men and covering her face from them is established in the authentic Sunnah, which explains the Book of Allah Almighty." (Adwa' Al-Bayan)

Second Evidence:

The explicit command in the verse: "O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves their outer garments." (33:59)

Ibn Kathir said: "Regarding Ibn Abbas' statement: Allah commanded the believing women that when they go out of their homes for a need, they should cover their faces with their jilbabs from above their heads, revealing only one eye."

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Before the verse of hijab was revealed, women would go out without a jilbab, and men could see their faces and hands. At that time, it was permissible for a woman to show her face and hands, and it was permissible to look at her because she was allowed to reveal them. However, when Allah Almighty revealed the verse of hijab, women were veiled from men...

Thus, if they were commanded to wear the jilbab so that they would not be recognized, which means covering the face, or covering the face with a nigab, then the face and hands are part of the adornment that women were commanded not to display to non-mahram men. Therefore, nothing remains permissible for non-mahram men to look at except the apparent garments." (Majmu' al-Fatawa)

Third Evidence:

What Umm Al-Mu’minoon Aisha رضي الله عنها narrated regarding the Incident of Ifk, where she said:

"I went out with the Messenger of Allah ‎ﷺ after the command of hijab had been revealed." She then recounted how she was left behind when the army departed, until she said: "While I was sitting in my resting place, sleep overcame me, and I fell asleep. Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal was behind the army and traveled at night. In the morning, he reached my resting place and saw the shadow of a sleeping person. He approached me and recognized me when he saw me, as he had seen me before the command of hijab was revealed. I woke up to the sound of his invocation of inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun when he recognized me, so I covered my face with my jilbab." (Al-Bukhari)

Ibn Hajar commented in Fath al-Bari: "Her statement 'after the command of hijab was revealed' means after the obligation of hijab was established. This refers to the veiling of women to prevent men from seeing them."

Fourth Evidence:

What was narrated by Muslim regarding the incident when the Prophet ‎ﷺ left Aisha's house to go to Al-Baqi", and she followed him. Aisha رضي الله عنها said:

"He opened the door and went out, then closed it gently. So, I put my dress over my head, covered myself completely, and wrapped my izar tightly around me, then I set out following him until he reached Al-Baqi'."

This narration indicates that Aisha رضي الله عنها covered her face and body entirely before stepping out, which further supports the obligation of full hijab, including covering the face when in public.

Fifth Evidence:

The statement of the Prophet ‎ﷺ: "A woman in ihram should not wear a nigab or gloves."

This hadith, through mafhum al-mukhalafa (the inverse meaning), implies that a woman who is not in ihram does wear the nigab and gloves-meaning she covers her face and hands.

However, the majority of scholars clarify that this hadith does not explicitly command a woman in ihram to uncover her face but merely forbids her from wearing a tailored nigab or gloves. She may still cover her face with other garments.

Aisha رضي الله عنها said: “Caravans would pass by us while we were in ihram with the Messenger of Allah ‎ﷺ. When they came near, one of us would lower her jilbab from her head over her face. When they had passed, we would uncover our faces again." (Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and Ibn Majah)

This hadith demonstrates that even in ihram, the female companions covered their faces in the presence of non-mahram men, reinforcing the principle of face covering in normal circumstances.

Sixth Evidence:

The saying of Allah Almighty: "And women past childbearing who have no desire for marriage-there is no blame upon them if they put down their garments, provided they do not display adornment. But to modestly refrain (from doing so) is better for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (24:60)

It has been said that "Al-Qawaid" refers to those who have ceased menstruation and marriage, and it has also been said that it refers to those who are incapable and not desired by men. However, those who still possess some beauty and are a source of temptation for men are not included in this verse at all.

The indication from this verse is that Allah permitted elderly women who do not desire nor are desired for marriage to put down their garments, meaning they do not have to wear a jilbab or veil due to the absence of the harm that exists for others. However, if they choose to remain covered like younger women, it is better for them.

This verse serves as evidence that hijab is obligatory. What does "to put down their garments" mean? Did Allah allow elderly women to remove their outer clothing? The answer is: absolutely not.

Thus, the only thing that can be removed is the face covering, which proves that it is obligatory. There is no doubt that any fair-minded person who examines the texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah will recognize this.

Conclusion:

These are some of the evidences that prove the obligation of a woman covering her face in front of Non-Mahrams. This has been the consistent practice among Muslim women.

Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh (Mufti of Hijaz) referred to this matter, saying:

"All praise is due to Allah. It is well known that the practice of Muslims, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the women of the Companions during his time (peace and blessings be upon him), the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and the righteous predecessors (may Allah be pleased with them was that women did not go out unveiled. The textual evidences from the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the statements of the predecessors and those who followed them are numerous and well-known.

Allah commanded the believing women to draw their jilbabs over themselves' (33:59), and Ibn Abbas and other predecessors interpreted this as covering the face in front of non-mahram men.

The Prophet ‎ﷺ also said: The woman is awrah, and awrah must be completely covered, with nothing of it exposed.

Ibn Al-Mundhir reported unanimous agreement that a woman in ihram covers her head, conceals her hair, and lowers her garment lightly over her face to shield herself from the gaze of non-mahram men.

Ibn Raslan also reported the consensus of Muslims on the prohibition of women going out with uncovered faces. In conclusion, the evidence from the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the practices of the Prophet's wives and the righteous Salaf clearly establishes the obligation for a woman to cover her face in front of non-mahram men. With evidence this clear, no woman is allowed to claim that Niqab is not part of Islam, nor that it isnt mandatory. The Niqab is a means to ensure a woman's protection and conceal her beauty from public view.