necessity to see the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress like veil, gloves, headcover, apron, etc.) according to Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and a group of early scholars of Tafsir, means what the woman cannot hide, such as her cloak or clothes or what the Arab women used to spread over all her clothes or the bottom parts of their clothes or what may unintentionally appear. Thus, a Muslim woman is prohibited to expose anything of her adornment and is commanded to try her best to cover everything related to her adornment.
When Allah (may He be Praised) forbids a woman to disclose anything of her beauty except that which is apparent,
He instructs her on how she could surround the places of adornment by wrapping the veil that she wears on the head, saying: and to draw their veils i.e. from the head and forehead and to draw their veils all over Juyûbihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) i.e. down to her bosom. In doing so, she would preserve the head and its organs, the chest from below, the neck and the surrounding areas to make sure that she covered both the innate and the artificial adornment.
At the end of the Ayah, Allah (Exalted be He) says: And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. He prohibits the woman to avoid the causes of temptation even by movement or voice. This is the utmost point of encouraging and guiding the Muslim woman to preserve her honor and remove harm from her.
Prohibition of unveiling both the innate and artificial adornment of women is supported by the action of the Prophet Allah (peace be upon him) with his wife Safiyyah and the reaction of the Mothers of the Believers and the believing women at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when this Ayah and another Ayah in Surah Al'Ahzab were revealed. Both Ayahs enjoined full covering of women with veils and cloaks, particularly that women at that time used to unveil their faces and hands until the Ayah of Hijab was revealed. Therefore, unveiling the face of some women as mentioned in some Hadiths took place before the revelation of the Ayahs of Hijab, so it is not permissible to use them as evidence on making lawful what Allah prohibited, because the abrogating evidence prevails over the abrogated, as stated by the scholars.
Ayahs of enjoining Hijab include the Ayah stated above from Surah AlNur and the following Ayah in which Allah (Exalted be He) saysin Surah AlAhzab: O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allâh is Ever OftForgiving, Most Merciful. Scholars said that the word "cloak" includes every piece of clothes that a woman wears over
her hand and veil to cover the places of both innate and artificial adornment. Allah (Exalted be He) says: That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) and this indicates that the face is meant here because the face is the main place of recognition. Thus, the Ayah clearly states the obligation of covering the face. Allah's saying: so as not to be annoyed. assures that recognizing the beautiful parts of a woman has harmful effects, temptation, and evil for her and others. For that reason, Allah (Exalted be He) prohibited a Muslim woman to disclose anything that makes others realize her beauty. This Ayah is clear enough to work as Shar`y evidence on the prohibition of unveiling the face and obligation of Hijab and covering women's sources of beauty, which basically include the face through which she is recognized and that causes temptation.
Umm Salamah said, "When this Ayah: draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). was revealed, women of Ansar (Helpers, inhabitants of Madinah who supported the Prophet) went out of their homes as if they had crows on their heads out of calmness and they were covered with black clothes." Ibn `Abbas said: "Allah ordered women of the believers to cover their faces by drawing the cloak over their heads and expose only one eye when they go out." Muhammad Ibn Sirin said: "I asked `Ubaidah AlSalmany about the meaning of Allah's saying, draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). , he covered his face and head, and exposed his left eye." Scholars of Tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an) have many sayings in this topic, but it is not enough to list them all here.
Among the Ayahs that enjoin Hijab is what Allah (Exalted be He) says: And when you ask (his wives) for anything you want, ask them from behind a screen: that is purer for your hearts and for their hearts. affirms the obligation on women to wear Hijab and cover themselves in front of men. In this noble Ayah, Allah (may He be Praised) explained the wisdom behind this obligation that is, wearing the Hijab purifies the hearts of both men and women and keeps them away from indecency and its means.
This Ayah generally addresses both wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and all Muslim
women. AlQurtuby (may Allah be merciful with him) states that the meaning of the Ayah encompasses all women due to the fact that a woman is entirely `Awrah (private parts of the body that must be covered in public) including her body and voice, so she is not permitted to disclose them except when necessary, as in cases of carrying legal testimony or for medical treatment. There are many Ayahs that lend support to the obligation of wearing Hijab. Al Qurtuby's emphasis that a woman's voice is `Awrah means that it is `Awrah when accompanied by softness. However, her natural voice is not `Awrah, because Allah (may He be Praised) says:
O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allâh), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with desire, but speak in an honourable manner.
Allah (may He be Praised) forbade them to speak softly lest the one in whose heart is a disease should be moved with sexual desire and allowed them to speak in an honorable manner. Women in the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to talk to and ask him without condemning them, and so did women in the era of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Companions did not condemn them either. This certainly took place beyond any shadow of doubt.
As for the legal foundations for this ruling from the Sunnah:
It is authentically reportedin the Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. AlBukhari and Muslim) that:
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered that women should go out to the place of performing `Eid Prayer, one of them said: "What about a woman that has no veil?" He (peace be upon him) said: "Let her share the veil of her sister companion."
(Agreed upon by AlBukhari and Muslim)This Hadith indicates that the wives of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) used to not go out without a Jilbab (loose outer garment with no front opening). This order to wear Jilbab signifies that a woman must cover herself and wear Hijab. Also, itis authentically reported in the Two Sahih Books of Hadiththat `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
Some believing women used to attend the Fajr Prayer with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) while covered with their Muruts (wool clothes). After finishing the prayer, they would return to their homes without being recognized by anyone because of the darkness.
Scholars from among the righteous predecessors unanimously agreed that a Muslim woman must cover her face and that
her face is `Awrah that she must cover in front of men except a Mahram (spouse or unmarriageable relative). Ibn Qudamah stated in AlMughny: "Ihram (ritual state for Hajj and `Umrah) of the woman is in her face, but she is permitted to cover her face when needed. In fact, it is prohibited for a Muslim woman to cover her face in the state of Ihram as a man is prohibited to cover his head. There is an exceptional case reported from Asma' who used to cover her face in the state of Ihram.AlBukhari and others narrated thatthe Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
A woman (in the state of Ihram) should not wear Niqab (face veil) or gloves.
However, if she needs to cover her face when passing by men, she is permitted to draw her veil all over her face. It is narrated that `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
Riders would pass by us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while we were in the state of Ihram. When they came by us, one of us would let down her outer garment from her head over her face, and when they had passed on, we would uncover our faces.
A woman in the state of Ihram is forbidden to wear Niqab, Burqu` (a face veil) or any piece of cloth made specifically for covering the face; yet, she is not prohibited to wear Hijab entirely. Ahmad said: "A woman is permitted to draw the veil over her face, but she is not allowed to roll up her clothes."
Ibn Rushd said in AlBidayah [i.e. Bidayat AlMujtahid wa Nihayat AlMuqtasid, a fiqh book]: "Scholars unanimously agreed that a woman's Ihram is to unveil her face and that she is permitted to cover her head and screen her hair. She is allowed to draw her clothes all over her face lightly to screen herself from men's sight."
These quotations affirm that Muslim scholars unanimously agree that a woman should uncover her face in the state of Ihram and that she must cover it in the presence of nonMahram men. Uncovering the face is obligatory on women in the state of Ihram; thus, it is with greater reason obligatory to cover it elsewhere.
Actually, Asma' (may Allah be pleased with her) used to cover her face all the time, wearing Niqab while a woman in the state of Ihram is not permissible as the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade it in the Hadith mentioned above, which is considered one of the greatest proofs that women used to cover their faces in the normal conditions. As for the meaning of his saying,
A woman (in the state of Ihram) should not wear Niqab
or gloves, it means that she should not wear whatever is tailored or made specifically for the purpose of covering the face like Niqab or the hands like gloves. It does not mean that she should not cover her face or palms at all, as some people falsely understood. The face and the palms must be covered, but with something other than Niqab and gloves. This is how the jurists and scholars explained the Hadith, such as the prominent scholar AlSan`any (may Allah be merciful with him). Thus, it is clear that a woman must wear Hijab and cover her face, and that she is forbidden to disclose any part of her body or adornment except what unintentionally appears. This ban blocks the means of temptation. Thus, any person who calls for anything else commits a mistake and contradicts the Shar`y (Islamically lawful) proofs. Nobody is permitted to follow whims and traditions that oppose the Shari`ah of Allah (may He be Praised),
because Islam is the religion of truth, guidance, and fairness in every matter. Islam calls to the noble morals and good deeds and forbids the bad morals and evil deeds. Allah is the One Whom we invoke to guide us and all Muslims to do what pleases Him, and the One Whom we ask to protect us from the evil of our selves and misdeeds He is the Most Generous. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions!