Misconceptions Among Muslims

Is Niqab ( Face Veil) Mandatory? Part I

There are many beliefs among Muslims on Islam which are wrongly understood and practiced today. It has steeped so much to an extent that many Muslim brothers and sisters have made it hard upon themselves which is actually been given as an ease and mercy by Allah (swt). One such erroneous belief is the belief that the face veil (Niqab) is an obligation for the women in Islam and it is haram to uncover the face in front of non mahram men. Some heretics try to bring in wrong fatwa's given by the ulama us Sunnah namely sheikh bin baz, uthaymin and such. Let me refute each point in detail so as it would be helpful for the one who is seeking the true ilm.

POINT 1-WRONGLY MISQUOATED EVIDENCE FROM THE QURAN.

Some try to prove the point of the face veil being obligatory by quoting the below verses.

Allaah says:
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[al-Ahzaab 33:59]

The above verse is wrongly interpreted as "Al idna" to mean covering the face. This meaning is totally wrong because the real meaning is not covering the face. It is "to come close"

Ar-Raaghib al-Asbahaanee mentions in his authoritative dictionary 'Al-Mufradaat'.Some people claim that jilbaab is "a garment which covers the face". This too is a misinterpretation as it is contrary to the interpretation of the leading scholars of past and present as well, who define jilbaab as a garment which women drape over their head scarves (khimaar). The Khimaar is not the face veil as wrongly interpreted by some. According to all the available authentic narrations and the authentic arabic dictionary"Lisan-Al-Arab" it is clear that the "Khimar" is only the head scarf.

The above verse is also intrepreted with the below hadith to prove that the face veil is wajib. The hadith is as follows;

"It was narrated from Safiyyah bint Shaybah that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to say: When these words were revealed "and to draw their veils all over faces" they took their izaars (a kind of garment) and tore them from the edges and covered their faces with them".

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Abu Dawud).

Firstly, the above verse as to be understood according to how the prophet (sal) understood it. There is no authentic evidence from the prophet (sal) making it an obligation for the women to cover their face. On the contrary, there is ample evidence to prove that covering the face is not an obligation. Sheikh Nasir ud deen Al Albani in his masterpiece"RAAD UL MUFHIM" clearly refutes this wrong notion by quoting an authentic hadith from Ibn 'Abbaas that he said in explanation of it:

"She draws the jilbaab towards her face, but she does not pull it upon it."

This was reported by Aboo Daawood in his Masaa.il and whatever contradicts it is either 'Shaadhdh' [contrary to the authentic reports], or unauthentic [da'eef].
So, from the understanding of the Quran scholar among the sahaba Ibn Abbas (rali), it is evident that covering the face from the understanding of the sahabah was not wajib.

The above narration of women covering their faces when the verse was revealed.

"And to draw their veils all over faces"they took their izaars (a kind of garment) and tore them from the edges and
Covered their faces with them"

only a hadith talking about some women covering their faces and was not based on the prophet (sal)'s explanation. The above hadith cannot be taken as evidence to prove that
Covering the face is obligatory because we must only take the evidence from the Quran and the sahih hadith and there is no authentic evidence to prove that we must follow the sahabah. We must only stick to the Understanding of the sahabah and not follow them. It is evident from the understanding of Ibn abbas (rali), who is a scholar among the companions that it is not an obligation to cover the face.
All the evidence that tell about women covering their faces is only narrated by the companions. One such hadith is the

Narrated by Aisha (RA) who said, "The riders would pass us while we were with the Messenger of Allah). When they got close to us, we would draw our outer cloakfrom our heads over our faces. When theypassed by, we would uncover our faces." (Sahih Abu Dawud)

The above hadith talks only what Aisha (rali) did personally by covering her faced when a group of riders passed them. Trying to base this hadith of Aisha (rali) is a weak argument because as mentioned above, what is legislated for a Muslim is only to follow the Quran and the sahih hadith and not the opinions or actions of the companions of the prophet (sal) who are secondary and what is legislated is only to be in the understanding of the sahabah and not blindly following them. There is no single Quran verse or authentic hadith of the prophet (sal) stating that the face veil is wajib.
The second evidence that is put forward is also a very weak argument. They bring in the following verse to prove that the face veil being an obligation.

Allah (swt) says:

And when you ask for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen (33:53)

The above verse is wrongly interpreted to say that women should conceal themselves completely to mean that the face veil is an obligation. The above verse was revealed only to the wives of the prophet (sal). The verses above this verse and the verses preceding it as well as the authentic tafsirs like Qurtubi, ibn kathir bear clear evidence for this. This verse as nothing to do with the face veil. This verse only speaks about speaking behind a screen when asking from something from the wives of the prophet (sal) and within the house.