Hijab Or Naqab

Hijab or Naqab? Em a il : Th e Re a lI s la m 20 0 5 @y a h o o. co m

Prologue This is a joint effort by my wife and I and this part is very important because a lot of people may get wrong ideas and impressions about this article/booklet before they even start reading it. However, what we have been trying to establish is middle ground. Obviously, neither of us can go against the Quran, the Sunnah and the Ijma-e-Sahaba. So this is why we started with examining all the evidence on this controversial matter. This is our own analysis or how we see the matter and we may be wrong about this. So our viewpoint is not binding on anyone and any disagreements would be welcome. We feel that the first and foremost thing is the aim or focus of this topic that needs correction as only then we can analyse things in their correct perspective. This is because in our society the 'Hijab or Naqab' debates always revolve around declaring each other wrong. The debate is always inclined more towards calling the other person wrong rather than finding what's right. So because the focus is on negative points, the outcome of such debates/discussions is also always negative or fruitless. It’s because of this incorrectly applied emphasis is why we end up seeing only the two extremes of the situation where one side is labelled as fashion-models and the other is declared ninjas. But if only we can shift the focus of discussion from 'declaring wrong' to 'finding right', the perspective will automatically change.

PA RT I In our view we do not find a specific injunction in the Quran or the Sahih hadith about the face veil being obligatory (Farz). Quranic rulings are applied either vaguely or incorrectly (the typical Khimar, Jilbab debate) about the issue, and the ahadith are particular incidents in bits and pieces that are usually applied out of context. In reality, just like we find many ahadith that mention the face veil, we also find many in which we find women without a face veil addressing a question to the Prophet (PBUH) and there is a mention of a physical attribute of the woman’s face, for instance, a mole on her cheek etc. So, this is the reason why people who are pro-face veil interpret all the ahadith to mean that it is an obligation (Farz), while people who are anti-face veil say that it is optional. The fact remains that Ayesha (RA) did observe a face veil but in our view face-covering was indeed obligation (Farz) upon Ummahat. Similarly, we also get references of some other Sahabiyaat covering their faces but certainly not all of them as again we get other riwayaat where Sahabiyaat didn’t cover their faces so, in our view, today a personal choice of certain ladies doesn’t make it obligatory for all Muslim women unless Nabi (SAW) clearly ordered it. The act of Ayesha (RA) could well be one of the laws binding solely on Ummahat-ul-Momineen like prohibition of second marriage etc. Again, in that case, it remains a matter of choice for other Muslim women and not an obligation (Farz). We are going to make a little assumption here, just for the sake of discussion, about Imam Abu Hanifa’s statement that the face veil is Mustahib, and not Farz. We all know that he is one of the earliest Imams. His time was around 100AH, and it is said that he also met some Sahabis and Tabaeen, which makes him a Taabi as well. He was, of course, well aware of the prevailing culture of that time. It does make one wonder why he thought the issue of purdah was still open to interpretation. Because if all Muslim women of that time observed a face veil, and understood it to be Farz, then Imam Abu Hanifa would never have commented upon it and would never have stated an opinion. In fact, he would have stated as a FACT that a face veil is mandatory. The reason why we do not believe in the face veil being obligatory (Farz) is based on our many observations. (Please assume that we are familiar with the Quranic verses on the subject, which will also be discussed later on in this article). Islam, always, is a very practical religion, what we call deen-e-fitrat, and it is difficult for us to swallow that it would put such a hard injunction on women, considering that it goes against human nature. We all have an identity, which is our face. In social interaction, we are judged not just for what we are saying, but also for the nuances of our expressions. By veiling women’s faces, (and there are some people who only allow women to

leave ONE eye exposed), we are taking their identity away from them. Such a strict purdah will actually have negative social implications. Let us point out a few: 1. In a general social gathering (a wedding or a funeral), assuming that it is segregated, all women (with face veils) will be clustered together in one room. Suppose a husband wants to tell his wife that they should now head home. Now which woman is which? Two things can be done. The husband can ask a lady passing by to find his wife and convey his message to her. Or he can give a discrete little shout and say: “Mrs. XYZ, wherever you are, I am ready to go home”. This implication of the social gathering is adequately covered in the Hajj injunction. Islam, ever the religion of common sense, instructs Muslimahs NOT to wear a face veil during the Hajj. Many pro-naqab people actually take the Hajj argument in their favour. Our contention is: why would Islam allow something during Hajj that is otherwise Haram in daily life? 2. The reason for the Hajj ruling is simple. Since Islam is brilliant enough to keep the demands of changing times in mind, it recognises the fact that women can get lost in a crowd of 1.3 million. In fact, women can get lost in a crowd of 13 in a shop. Let’s assume 13 burqah-clad or oneeyed women in a shop. A woman’s husband walks into a shop a few minutes after his wife does. (How would the poor man know which is which?) Of course, by looking at the woman, her abaya, the colour of her abaya etc. (Then, why not have the women’s faces open and make this social interaction less comfortable). 3. How many of us personally find it disconcerting talking to women who only have their eyes showing? It takes a lot out of a conversation. And like many people have wondered about this, many of us also think about what she really looks like under that veil. Children find it difficult to interact with strangers (women) who are burqah-clad as children are hesitant with unknowns. For example, in a school nursery where there are men and women teachers and some female teachers observe a face veil, children wouldn’t know who the woman is that meets him daily. He has no recognition for his teacher. He can walk out of school with any burqah-clad woman! This is why some countries ban the use of face veil in schools and universities. Similarly, women with no identity can kidnap children, give them a bad drug or do anything indecent. Does such a woman have recognition? Can a criminal woman be caught, who cannot be recognized by anyone at all? Therefore in our view an identity crisis WILL be created if ALL Muslim women in a society were told to observe the face veil. There will be a massive problem especially in a contained environment. One excellent example is that of the recent (terrible) massacre of Lal Masjid, Islamabad. Kon thi, kahan gayein? Do we know, till this day, WHO those women were who perpetrated violence on the streets? What if their fleeing leader had NOT been caught in the Burqah? Do we know if the women who died inside the mosque were the SAME women who beat up people on streets? How many of them innocent and how many actual offenders? 4. Continuing on the identity issue, how many of us know of certain college girls, who go out on dates with men clad in their burqahs? How many burqah-clad do we see arriving with their brothers and when their brothers are gone, they take off their naqabs and laughingly greet their boyfriends? Of course we are not saying that all girls are like that. It’s just that we have all seen awful abuse of this lack of identity in our individual life experiences. 5. This brings us to our next argument. Whether a woman is going to entice a man or not depends on the woman herself, and not her face veil. Again we all know of many women who do face veils in the morning before going to university. Then they put coloured contact lenses in their eyes and a thick stroke of eye-liner. They have just the right expression in their eyes to make men drool after them. The face veil, in such circumstances, does NOT give an aura of decency to the women wearing it, but gives them an aura of mystery instead (which, needless to say, is even more tempting to men). The fact is that the aura of decency does not depend on the face veil, but on the woman herself. Men judge women on the dignity with which they carry themselves, not on whether their faces are hidden or not. 6. We also want to briefly highlight the issue of choosing a life partner. Islam gives the right of choice to all young men and women to choose their partners. How many men will choose women without seeing them once? And remember, the Prophet (PBUH) did say that women are married for four reasons, including beauty. So the phenomenon of liking the other person’s looks, (without any indecency), does exist. Choosing a woman in a face veil is a bit of a problem, unless men trust their mothers enough to make this choice for them. How many men have chosen their wives without seeing their faces beforehand?

Now, interestingly, we have never seen a lengthy or heated debate on “men lowering their gazes” where as this unending naqab or hijab debates are present on every public forum or website. In all the Quranic ayaat where women are asked to behave decently, men are also asked to behave decently. So then, why do they ogle women on the street, regardless of what they are wearing? Moreover, we have seen men to be more interested in a woman’s bodily proportions rather than her facial features. Islamic dress code specifies that women should wear opaque and loose fitting clothes that hide a woman’s figure. So that injunction adequately takes care of that problem. Moreover, because Muslim women are to wear a Khimar, they keep their hair (an attraction to men) and their necks covered. This also means that women cannot wear jewels outside their house. Fair enough, as that takes care of all the attention seeking and exhibition of the husband/father’s wealth. So why is it that most men are so keen to hide their women? Maybe because then their wives do not have an identity as a person, an individual, but are associated forever with their husband’s names. So Mrs. Zaid sounds better to Zaid. Well, jokes aside, it is simply their possessive nature that makes them do that. But have these men ever tried to live within a veil for a few days? Is Zaid or Bakar not recognizable to people? Can these men think of spending even a day when they are NOT recognised for who they are? It will be unthinkable to them. Similarly, it is unthinkable to most women not to have an identity. The next extreme will be to put women in a house and never let them see the light of day. Hijab in Islam is simple: opaque and loose clothes, not in garish colours, head covering (or scarf) done in a way to cover hair and neck. (We need the face for our identity, and we need the hands to do work). No jewels, make-up, anklets or loud perfumes, and a lowered gaze. That, to us, is perfect Hijab, and we do not find anything in Quran and Sahih Hadith that says otherwise. Now of course if a woman wants to cover her face she’s more than welcome to do it but making it obligatory is the prerogative of Allah only. Dressing up decently for women is common in all monotheistic religions that are an offshoot of Islam like Christianity and Judaism. From decency point of view, all their religious or orthodox women wear the sort of clothes that we do with the exception of few changes, and still there’s no practice of face-covering. This shows that the basic dress code requirement for a Muslim woman, during all times and eras, has been the same overtime with minor social, cultural or religious changes. A dress comparison among religious/modest Jews, Christian and Muslim women can be found easily on the Internet. Most importantly, where does the ruling of men have to lower their gaze stand when it is compared with women can show only one eye? Doesn’t the latter kill all the logic behind the former when we know that even if the man looks up or even stares then all he’d be able to see is just ONE EYE?? So why is he required to lower his gaze?? So that he doesn’t see the eye and get all lustful? (smile) Islam puts an emphasis again and again on a lowered gaze, which means that our protective men are just as responsible for keeping social interactions decent as we are. Perhaps the real reason why these men are such champions of the face veil is because it absolves them of their responsibility to lower their gazes. (smile) When there is nothing to see, except a single eye, they won’t be charged for the sin of leering at women. Very convenient for such men, isn’t it? And by hiding women in their houses, they won’t be tempted by women on the streets. Again, it makes it easy for men to control themselves. To conclude, Muslim men and women are to dress decently. Decency depends on your upbringing, your moral values and the way you carry yourself in public. An indecent woman in a face veil can act as the biggest temptation. Instead of hiding our women, or taking their identity away from them, we should create decent mindsets for BOTH men and women.

PA RT II In our initial quite lengthy discussion, we refrained from posting the ayaat and/or ahadith that are usually quoted to convince people that a naqab is Farz as we wanted to focus more on the fact that enforcing a face veil leads to more problems. We had tried to prove the ‘naqab’ interpretation to be Farz as incorrect, since we believe that the face veil is never mentioned in the Quran as obligatory for all Muslim women. Let us now see the relevant Quranic verses and also put this whole issue in a historical perspective. However, first we must all understand the following terms before we proceed: 1. Jilbab: what is called an ‘abaya’ in Pakistan. It is a full-sleeved long gown that is worn like a long coat over a dress. See Pictures: h t t p ://w w w .a lj ilb a b . c o m and h t t p ://w w w . de se rt s t o re .c o m /F o r -S a le -D irec to ry/J i lb a b -I s la m ic -C lo t h in g . ht m l

2. Naqab: this refers to the face veil, that only leaves one or two eyes showing and covers the rest of the face. A classical burqah also includes a naqab.

3. Khimar: refers to the head scarf, or piece of cloth women use to cover their heads. (We will prove that Khimar means head-covering, and not face covering, later on.) See Pictures: h t t p ://w w w .b a ra ka lla h . c om /kh im a rs . h t m We are now copying the transliteration as well as the translations of the famous Hijab/Naqab verses:

Quran - 24:31

Transliteration Waqul lilmuminati yaghdudna min absarihinna wayahfathna furoojahunna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna illa ma thahara minha walyadribna bikhumurihinna AAala juyoobihinna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna… English Translation - Yousuf Ali And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty… English Translation – Shakir And say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof, and let them wear their headcoverings over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments

Quran - 33:59 Arabic:

Transliteration: Ya ayyuha alnnabiyyu qul liazwajika wabanatika wanisai almumineena yudneena AAalayhinna min jalabeebihinna thalika adna an yuAArafna fala yuthayna wakana Allahu ghafooran raheeman

English Translation - Yousuf Ali: O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful. English Translation - Shakir O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Quran 33:59 mentions the word Jalabeeb, which means an outer covering. There are no doubts there and we’ve already explained what it is. Also read h t tp ://w w w . en . w ikip e d ia . o rg /w iki/J i lb a b Now let’s come to the word Khimar in Quran 24:31, which seems to be at the root of this controversy. Historians record that at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Khimar was a headscarf worn by the pagan Meccan women. (Coincidentally, the Khimar was also worn by orthodox Jewish women and they used to observe the Khimar in the proper way, so we can assume that some Jewish women still followed the correct Shariah of the Jewish prophets). Now these Meccan women tied the Khimar behind their necks, so that their necks, ears and the bosom remained uncovered. Moreover, they wore garments that were revealing at the chest/bosom area. It is very important to recognize that the Quran was revealed 1427 years ago. Because it had to be practically implemented, it used a language understandable to the people of that time. So the word Khimar has to conform to the words usage 1427 years ago for the verse to be properly understood by those people. (We generally fall prey to 21st century translations, which are mostly done in a way to arrive at a pre-decided conclusion: that Khimar has to be naqab). What we actually learn is that despite the modern-day strange translations, the actual definitions of Khimar and Jilbab remain the same as they were 14 centuries ago. The Quran instructed Muslimahs in 24:31 to extend their Khimar to cover their bosoms. When worn in this way, it covers the ears, the neck and the bosom, leaving ‘what is apparent thereof’, which is the face. Moreover, there are 10 credible Arabic lughaat that translate the word Khimar as a head covering, and NOT a face covering. 1. Lisaan-al-Arab by Ibn-e-Manzoor 2. Taaj-el-uroos 3. Lataif-ul-Lughat 4. Lughat-ul-Quran by Parvez 5. Dictionary of the holy Quran by Omar 6. A dictionary and glossary of the Quran by John Penrice 7. Almufradat by Raghib 8. Hans Wehrs dictionary of Modern written Arabic 9. Lane’s Lexicon 10. Al-Qamoos-ul muheet (while describing the meanings of ghifara) (Source: h t tp ://w w w . q u ra n ic t e ac h in g s .c o . u k/kh im a r. h t m ) Also See: h t tp ://w w w . t he fre e d ic t io n a ry. c om /kh im a r

Similarly, we find that Prophet (PBUH) stressed on the use of the same Khimar during Salat (See: Abu Dawud – Book 2, Hadith 641). So are we saying that the word Khimar in this hadith was used entirely differently than the word Khimar in Quran 24:31? That’s because we know that women are required not to cover their faces during Salat. Interestingly, those Western historians that comment on the use of the face veil in the Muslim society state that the custom was actually borrowed when Arabic culture mingled with other cultures. When Muslims conquered Byzantine and Persia, they came across women who covered their faces with a veil. The custom was prevalent either in harems (yes, here comes the aura of mystery again), and by the elite women. Among the elite, it was a status symbol. A veiled women made the statement that she did not need to wear more practical clothes as her husband was a very rich man, so she could stay at home and did not need to go out for work.

In the same historical perspective, we see orthodox Jewish and Christian women observing a proper head covering. It will be safe to assume that the Torah and the Bible also referred to the same Khimar. So in our view Quran is very clear and specific. Quran literally tells the words of articles (pieces of clothing) to explain exactly what it requires from Muslim women. For instance if Quran was revealed in the sub-continent and the word ‘Turban (Pugree)’ was used as a piece of obligatory clothing for men then it would remain turban and nothing more. Then the people of Arabia, who don't know what Turban actually is and how its worn, would look for the sub-continental translation of this word as well as the exact way to wear it. So in our view, this should be the exact way for us when understanding the meanings of the words Jilbab and Khimar as used in the Quran. Both are mentioned in Quran in the above verses and when we look at the traditional Arab ways of dressing up we learn that none of these are used to cover faces. We can surely translate them as a piece of clothing that covers face but that won't be a correct translation. Finally, people who reject Abu Hanifa's understanding blame it to the absence of hadith compilation at the time of Abu Hanifa. We agree that the treasure of ahadith had not been compiled at that time but they did exist in the heads of people. Moreover, that does not mean that Imam Abu Hanifa, or any other scholar of the time, could not form an informed opinion just because hadith compilations were non-existent. Also, if Imam Abu Hanifa (or any other Imam) of that time had met the Taba’een and Taba Taba’een, had seen their culture as well as their day to day lives or the fact how Muslim women dressed in those times, then his opinion has more weight as he had observed the firsthand way of the Salaf.

PA RT III In this part we will try to discuss all the relevant ahadith on the topic of Hijab. As mentioned above, when we summarize Ahadith then we learn that some Muslim women covered their faces and some didn't. Probably the strongest hadith in favour of covering faces is the following collected in Bukhari:

Hadith 1 Sahih Bukhari - Volume 6, Book 60, Hadith #282: Narrated Safiya bint Shaiba: 'Aisha used to say: "When (the Verse): "They should draw their veils cover their necks and bosoms," was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces." First of all, the words of hadith clearly mention that the verse of Quran is asking women to cover their necks and bosom and face is not mention no where. The Quran mentioned these body parts because Jew and Christian women didn't cover them properly. So if Quran can specifically mention the words "necks" and "bosoms" then mentioning the face wasn't difficult as Allah isn't short of words.

Secondly, the Arabic text in this hadith is "ikhtamarna bi ha" , which means "made Khimars from it" but still the English translator of hadith (above) translates it as "covered their faces with the cut pieces", Why?

Hadith 2 Sahih Bukhari - Volume 1, Book 8, Hadith #368 Narrated Aisha (RA), Rasulullah (SAW) used to offer the Fajr prayer and some believing women covered with their veiling sheets used to attend the Fajr prayer with him and then they would return to their homes unrecognized. This story of women going out for Fajr Salat has been collected in many other riwayaat in both Bukhari and Muslim. Once again, the situation highlighted in this hadith shows clearly that they were "unrecognized due to the darkness". It does not say that they were unrecognized due to their face-covering. The time of Salat (Fajr) is more important here as its darkness time and that’s why the women were unrecognized. In fact we can't even tell just from this hadith whether or not the “veiling sheets” covered their faces as well because once again, according to 24:31 and 33:59, Muslim women weren’t obligated to cover their faces. On the other hand they were “sheets”, which mean they definitely covered the rest of the bodies as commanded by Allah. So we do get an evidence of women covering themselves properly while going to pray the morning Salat in mosque but we don’t see any evidence of that they covered their faces as well.

Hadith 3 Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Hadith #148 Narrated Aisha (RA): The wives of Rasulullaah (SAW) used to go to Al-Manasi, a vast open place (near Baqia at Medina) to answer the call of nature at night. 'Umar used to say to the Prophet "Let your wives be veiled," but Rasulullah (SAW) did not do so. One night Sauda bint Zam'a the wife of the Prophet went out at 'Isha' time and she was a tall lady. 'Umar addressed her and said, "I have recognized you, O Sauda." He said so, as he desired eagerly that the verses of Al-Hijab (the observing of veils by the Muslim women) may be revealed. So Allah revealed the verses of "Al-Hijab". Firstly, the incident is related to the wives of Nabi (SAW) and cannot be applied to all Muslim women as covering face was a special obligation upon them just like second marriage or accepting Zakat were forbidden to them but not to all Muslim women. Secondly, the text in brackets, (the observing of veils by Muslim women) is translator's view and not mentioned in the original Arabic text of Hadith. Again it’s the individual understanding of Hijab that make people translate these words. Thirdly, yet again the words of Umer (RA) have been translated as "let your wives be veiled". Now did Umer (RA) really mention covering of face or just advised Nabi (SAW) that his wives should cover themselves properly? That's because we learn from this hadith that the exact Islamic dress

code requirement for women weren't revealed at the time of this incident and only after this incident Allah revealed the verses of Al-Hijab. Moreover, if the verses of Al-Hijab mentioned in this hadith are 24:31 or 33:59 then both these verses don’t mention face-covering being an obligation. What they actually mention (Khimar and Jilbab) has been discussed more than once above and with proofs. Lastly, there’s absolutely no mention in this hadith as to how Muslim women or wives of Nabi (SAW) used to cover themselves before this incident.

Hadith 4 Tirmidhi with a SAHIH chain reports: “Rasulullaah (SAW) said “All of a woman is ‘awrah'.” Awrah means certain parts of the body that are not meant to be exposed in public but if all of a woman is ‘awrah' then all of her should be covered. Why the exception of eyes then? It would still be a sin, wouldn’t it? It is because of the wrong interpretation of this hadith is how we came up with the ‘sub continental solution’ to the problem which is called, ‘Shuttlecock Burqa’. But in reality, this Hadith is also to be understood in the light of 24:31 and 33:59 and not by isolating it from Quran.

Hadith 5 Abu Dawood Book 14, Hadith # 2482 Narrated Thabit ibn Qays (RA): A woman called Umm Khallad came to the Prophet (SAW) while she was veiled. She was searching for her son who had been killed (in the battle) Some of the Companions of the Prophet (SAW) said to her: You have come here asking for your son while veiling your face? She said: If I am afflicted with the loss of my son, I shall not suffer the loss of my modesty. Rasulullaah (SAW) said: You will get the reward of two martyrs for your son. She asked: Why is that so, oh Prophet of Allah? He replied: Because the people of the Book have killed him. The fact is that Sahaba marvelled Umm Khalid on this occasion. So they were amazed to see her like that. Now would they have been marvelling if she just did what was commanded for her by Allah? If face covering was farz, which means that all women covered their faces by that time then why did Sahaba have to even mention the face being covered? Why would you specifically point out an act of routine or something obligatory for all women? So what we actually learn from this hadith is that ALL women didn’t cover their faces however, Umm Khalid (RA) was one of those Sahabiyaat who covered her face out of her personal initiative and that’s why Sahaba were amazed on this occasion and couldn’t help but point out.

Hadith 6 & 6.1 Imaam Malik's Muwatta Book 20 Hadith # 20.5.16 Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that Fatima bint al-Mundhir (RA) said, "We used to veil our faces when we were in Ihram in the company of Asma bint Abi Bakr As-Siddiq (RA). and

Abu Dawood Book 10, Hadith # 1829 Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: (RA) who said, "The riders would pass us while we were with the Messenger of Allaah (SAW). When they got close to us, we would draw our outer cloak from our heads over our faces. When they passed by, we would uncover our faces. Both riwayaat mention the same incident however, if we derive a conclusion that face-covering was obligatory upon all women then we end up negating another hadith of the same Hajj occasion collected in Bukhari, which is copyied below: Sahih Bukhari Book 74 #247. Narrated Abdullah bin Abbas: Al-Fadl bin Abbas rode behind the Prophet as his companion rider on the back portion of his she-camel on the Day of Nahr (on the Farewell Hajj), and Al-Fadl was a handsome man. The Prophet stopped to give people verdicts. In the meantime, a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khath'am came, asking the verdict of

Allah's Apostle. Al-Fadl started looking at her as her beauty attracted him. The Prophet looked back while Al-Fadl was looking at her; so the Prophet held out his hand backwards and caught the chin of Al-Fadl and turned his face to the other side in order that he should not gaze at her. She said, "O Allah's Apostle! The obligation of performing hajj enjoined by Allah on His worshipers has become due (compulsory) on my father, who is an old man and who cannot sit firmly on the riding animal. Will it be sufficient that I perform hajj on his behalf?". He said, "Yes". What we actually learn in the light of all 3 ahadith is that apart from the Manasik of Haj (when women are required to leave their faces open), the wives of Nabi (SAW) and some other women practiced face-covering when in company of na-mahram men. That’s because they could not have kept their faces covered while performing Tawaf of Ka’ba because it is explicitly forbidden by Allah? However, there were some other women who didn’t cover their faces at all during Hajj and neither of these women could be blamed for a sin. That’s because the occasion is Hajj and Nabi (SAW) did only one Hajj during his lifetime. So the point is, the woman in was in (Sahih Bukhari Book 74 #247) was in front of Nabi (SAW) and Fadl ibn Abbas (RA), neither of whom was mahram for her, and still her face was uncovered. How else could Al-Fadl (RA) have known that she was "beautiful"? What else was he staring at? Wasn’t he supposed to lower his gaze? Yes she was in ihram but if naqab was Farz or had to be observed apart from the actual Manasik of Hajj then it would be obligatory for her to veil her face around Nabi (SAW) and Fadl (RA) like Ayesha (RA), Fatima bint al-Mundhir (RA) and Asma bint Abi Bakr (RA) did in the first two ahadith. However, this Sahabiyah did not do so. And the Prophet (SAW) did not tell her to veil her face. Why? Instead, Nabi (SAW) reminded Al-Fadl (RA) of Quran 24:30 and turned his face away. Another point to be noted here is that the things that are Mustahab can be made Haram on certain occasions like Hajj, for instance cutting of nails. Similarly, even the things that are Mubah (permissible) otherwise can be made Farz; i.e. wearing two pieces of white unsown cloth is made Farz for men during Hajj, while normally it is Mubah. But anything that is Haram (uncovering your face) in public or in the normal course of life can never be made Farz during a special occasion like Hajj. Hence, if exposing the face is Haram for women, then how can it be made Farz while in Ihraam?

Hadith 7 Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 76, Hadith #572 Anas (RA) relates from Rasulullaah (SAW) "....and if one of the women of Paradise looked at the earth, she would fill the whole space between them (the earth and the heaven) with light, and would fill whatever is in between them, with perfume, and the veil of her face is better than the whole world and whatever is in it." This hadith specifically refers to women of Jannah and not women of the earth. Maybe women would be required to cover faces in Jannah but that’s not what we’re discussing here because the incidents and/or rulings of Jannah are entirely different from rulings on earth. For instance we also know that there will be no concept of sin amongst humans living in Jannah so the reason for covering faces or bodies could be entirely different in Jannah, which we don’t understand right now. As far as earth is concerned, ‘a woman of the people of the paradise’ was not covering her face when she visited Nabi (SAW) nor was she covering it when Ibn Abbas (RA) discussed her with Ata bin Abi Rabah later: Sahih Bukhari – Book 70, Hadith 555 Narrated By 'Ata bin Abi Rabah: Ibn 'Abbas said to me, "Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?" I said, "Yes." He said, "This black lady came to the Prophet and said, 'I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.' The Prophet said (to her), 'If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.' She said, 'I will remain patient,' and added, 'but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.' So he invoked Allah for her." The argument could be brought that maybe her hands were showing and that’s why she was recognized as a “black woman” or a woman with dark complexion but she wasn’t the only black woman in Arab at that time and in order to recognize and identify her correctly (as a woman of Jannah) her face had to be open. That’s why we keep stressing on the point that face is the

recognition or identification of a human and Islam couldn’t just take away the identity of the 55% population of the earth.

Hadith 8 Abu Dawud - Book 33, Number 4154: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: A woman made a sign from behind a curtain to indicate that she had a letter for the Apostle of Allah (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) closed his hand, saying: I do not know this is a man's or a woman's hand. She said: No, a woman. He said: If you were a woman, you would make a difference to your nails, meaning with henna. The fact is that Nabi (SAW) not only saw her hand but also suggested the woman to wear henna on her hands in order to distinguish them from men's hands. So this hadith proves that women can show their hands in public or can expose them to na-mahram men, which goes against both the all-of-woman-being-Awrah theory as well as the face-covering being obligatory rulings, which suggest that only one or both eyes of the woman could be kept open and everything else must be covered. So once again, what it actually proves is that women are allowed screen themselves from men but it’s not Farz. This woman also just exercised her personal choice.

Hadith 9 Abu Dawood - Book 2, Hadith # 0641 Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin (RA) "Rasulullaah (SAW) said "Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a veil." Once again, it’s difficult to agree with the ‘usual’ interpretation of this hadith. First of all, we know that women are not supposed to cover their faces during prayers. Secondly, once again the word used in this Hadith is Khimar (which means a head covering or scarf) but it’s been translated as “veil” of naqab, which changes the whole meaning. This isn’t the first time its being done. The next hadith also has been translated the same.

Hadith 10 Sahih Bukhari - Book 72, Number 715: Narrated 'Ikrima: Rifa'a divorced his wife whereupon 'AbdurRahman bin Az-Zubair AlQurazi married her. 'Aisha said that the lady (came), wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha) of her husband and showed her a green spot on her skin caused by beating). It was the habit of ladies to support each other, so when Allah's Apostle came, 'Aisha said, "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!" When 'AbdurRahman heard that his wife had gone to the Prophet, he came with his two sons from another wife… Once again, what we learn is that the actual Islamic definition of veil or the actual minimum dress code for women is Khimar as the Arabic text in this hadith states and Khimar doesn’t cover the face and hands but its been continuously and needlessly translated as words like Naqab or Veil, which give the impression of face-covering. But all these interpretations go against the prescribed or minimum clothing for Muslim women as obligated by Quran in 24:31 and 33:59.

Conclusion So we will conclude on the fact that this isn’t entirely about logics and personal experiences. It’s clearly mentioned in the Quran. Anything done in addition to the Quranic ruling is a personal initiative but it doesn’t make the women who fulfil the minimum requirement as sinners or in any way inferior then others. That’s why we call Islam a Deen e fitrat, which means that it simply cannot go again nature and it also cannot favour one gender so much that life becomes unbearable for the other. As far as Hijab and Naqabi women are concerned none are at fault. It’s similar to the ruling of Tahajjud that was Farz for Nabi (SAW), which means that he would have been accountable to Allah if he didn't say it. But for us it is a Nafl Ibaadah, thus we will NOT earn a sin if we don't say it, but we will earn a sawaab if we did. Similarly, the Ummahat-ul-Momineen (RA) covered their faces because none of the men was ever to see them since the possibility of any indecent thoughts for them had to be ruled out completely. They were the Ummat's mothers and must never be looked upon as ordinary women. But because we come across evidence that some other Sahabiyat (RA) who did not observe the face veil, can either side be declared wrong or crazy? No. If a Muslim woman today resolves to follow in the footsteps of the Umm-ul-Momineen as closely as possible, she is indeed earning Sawab. (After all, it isn't a Biddah to observe the face veil but an established practice). Similarly, the Muslims women who are not observing the face veil are not earning any sins because we have not been able to establish the face veil as Farz. Thus, none of them are crazy fanatics and/or sinners. Both should be admired, and both groups of women should be able to respect each other's stance. Similarly, men should also give equal respect to both Hijabis and Naqabis as whatever the ruling it doesn’t give any excuse to them to treat any woman with derogation or disrespect. Simple as that! Lastly, it is not our intention to contradict the Quran and Hadith, and we just pray to Allah that our interpretation of the Hijaab verses is correct. We beg for Allah’s forgiveness.

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Note: This booklet is a quick compilation of our various writings on different forums so there may be unintentional mistakes or errors. In fact we would encourage the readers to point out such errors so they can be revised or corrected.