To Wear Or Not To Wear Niqab

[Zaynab McCabe]

Niqab as haya

The word "haya" is often translated into English as "shyness", but this does not really give a very good idea of its meaning in Arabic. A better, if longer, translation of its meaning might be "keeping private what should be private".

Insh Allah i will one day wear Niqab, but whats your opionion on it? Should you wear it even in the western sociaty, Allah SWT does say that he wants to make it easy on us so would this be easy?

Do you think Bibi Zaynab (SA) wore it or any of the other woman? There is many sayings that say how no one wouldn't see Bibi Zaynab(SA) not even her figure (well until the Yazid's (curse be on them all) army un-vailed her.

[lotfilms]

(bismillah)

(salam)

From Ayatollah Sistani:

Question: If putting on the face veil (an-niqãb.) in a country [like England or America] sometimes arouses astonishment and inquiries, is it obligatory to take off such veil since it would become part of the libãsu ’sh-shuhra?

Answer: It is not obligatory [to do so]. However, if wearing it arouses disapproval by and dislike of the general public in a particular country, it would be classified as “libãsu ’sh-shuhra” in that country and it would not be permissible to wear it over there.

http://www.sistani.org/local.php?modules=nav&nid=2&bid=53&pid=2803

was salam

Edited July 2, 2010 by lotfilms

[Abbas.]

Salams

Our scholars confirm that the daughters/wives of the Prophet covered their face in front of non-mehram. However according to narrations regarding jurisprudence, it is not compulsory for muslim women to cover their face (i-e to wear niqab).

Ahlul-Bayt Assembly to me

show details 8/27/05

In the Name of Allah (S.W.T)

Dear Brother,

Assalaamu Alaikom

In reply to your following questions about Hijab (Islamic covering) in the Household of our Holy Prophet (s.a.), please note:

What we can find out from the records in the History of Islam is that: "the wives of our Holy Prophet and other women of the Ahlul-Bayt [i.e. Household of Holy Prophet (s.a.)] covered their faces in front of non-Mahrams".

However, the famous religious decree (Fatwa) among our grand Islamic scholars [based on the Holy Koran and Sunnah of our Holy Prophet) is that: "Covering faces and hands (from wrists to fingertips) is not mandatory for women".

Best Regards

The Ahlul-Bayt World Assembly

Fi-AManillah

[Zaynab McCabe]

can i get the nar. of the covering of the face for the women of the house???

[bi_ithnillaah]

(bismillah)

Let's not get too biased with our quotations.

I have this book at home: http://www.al-islam.org/a-code-of-ethics-for-muslim-men-and-women/

and decided to quote the page regarding niqaab here:

Covering for Women in the Presence of Non-Mahram Men

108 – Rule: It is wajib for women to cover their entire body from non-Mahram Men; with the exception of their face and hands, as long as the following conditions are met:

1. Their face and hands must not have any kind of beautification (zinat) on them.

1. One will not look at their face or hands with the intention of lust. AKM

Women must cover their body and hair from non-Mahram men, even if there is no harm of falling into sin and even if there is no intention of deriving pleasure. B

A woman must cover her entire body except her face and hands from non-Mahram men, with the condition that there is no zinat on these parts and that her intention is not that she wants non-Mahram men to look at these parts. However, if non-Mahram men look at her face and hands with the intention of deriving pleasure, then it is not necessary for the woman to cover her face and hands. L

According to Ihtiyat Wajib, women must also cover their face and hands from non-Mahram men. GULPAYGANI

Women must cover the hair (on their head) and their body from non-Mahram men, with the exception of their face and hands; and if they fear that by not covering these parts they will fall into sin, or if their intention of not covering these parts is to make men look at them with a haram look, then in either of these two scenarios, it is not permitted to keep these two parts uncovered. SISTANI

A Woman must cover her entire body, with the exception of her face and hands from non-Mahram men; and in the event that there is any zinat on her face or hands, such as a ring or if she has shaped her eyebrows, or she has applied Surma to her eyes, even if these things are common among old women, it is not wajib to cover them. In other than these scenarios, a woman must cover her zinat from non-Mahram men. However, according to Ihtiyat Mustahab, a woman should cover her face and hands from a non-Mahram, even if there is no zinat on them. TABRIZI

109 – Rule: According to Ihtiyat Wajib, women must cover a bit more of their face and hands than that which is normally covered. (The face is said to be that part which is wajib to wash in Wuzhu, and it is stated that the hands are the part from the wrist to the fingertips.) AKLM

According to Ihtiyat Wajib, the entire face and hands must be covered from non-Mahram men. G

According to Ihtiyat Mustahab, it is better for a woman to cover her face from non-Mahram men. T

As you can see from the quotes above, niqaab is clearly mustahab, if not obligatory (according to even some of our modern scholars, not quoted above is also Khoe'i who agrees with the wajib ruling).

Sister, I highly encourage you to wear niqaab. May Allaah make it easy on you if you choose to do so and reward you for being an example to our shi'a women.

[Nader Zaveri]

(salam)

(bismillah)

This is one of the debates Al-Albaani has had with his other salafee peers ('Uthaymeen and Bin Baaz). 'Uthaymeen and Bin Baaz said wearing niqaab was waajib (mandatory), and Al-Albaani said wearing a niqaab is mustahab (recommeended), which is the Shee'ah position. He has written a whole paper proving that niqaab is indeed mustahab and it is not waajib, I have this paper, good stuff.

(salam)

[aladdin]

This is one of the debates Al-Albaani has had with his other salafee peers ('Uthaymeen and Bin Baaz). 'Uthaymeen and Bin Baaz said wearing niqaab was waajib (mandatory), and Al-Albaani said wearing a niqaab is mustahab (recommeended), which is the Shee'ah position. He has written a whole paper proving that niqaab is indeed mustahab and it is not waajib, I have this paper, good stuff.

We are not Wahhabis. As Usuli Shias we take our fatwas from the Marjas whose taqlid we do!

[avjar7]

Let's not get too biased with our quotations.

As you can see from the quotes above, niqaab is clearly mustahab, if not obligatory.

Al-Albaani said wearing a niqaab is mustahab (recommeended) which is the Shee'ah position

As far as I am aware, there is no narration in Shia books which states that covering one's face is "mustahhab." It is a personal choice, and mubah (permitted). Like other mubah actions, if done with the correct intention, it can become rewarding. However, as far as I know, there is no narration which states that covering one's face in and of itself is recommended.

This is because in the Qur'an it says:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty except what is apparent thereof 24:31

And the tafseer of this verse, which is saheeh:

‎في الصحيح المروى عن قرب الاسناد إنه قال: سمعت جعفرا عليه السلام وقد سئل عما تظهر المرأة من زينتها، قال: الوجه والكفين

I heard Ja'far عليه السلام and he was asked about that which a woman may make apparent from her beauty? He said, "Her face and two palms."

If you wear hijaab and only show your face and hands, you are fulfilling the legal requirement. If you go beyond this and wish to cover more, it is a personal choice. If you have proof of your statements, then provide it.

While there is this narration, it has not been seen by all scholars as proof of recommendation because the questioner says: من وراء الستر which contains contextualization which was factored into the answer.

مكاتبة الصفار الى ابي محمد (عليه السلام): في رجل أراد ان يشهد على امرأة ليس لها بمحرم هل يجوز له ان يشهد عليها وهو من وراء الستر يسمع كلامها، إذا شهد رجلان عدلان انها فلانة بنت فلان التي شهدك وهذا كلامها، أو لا يجوز له الشهادة حتى تبرز ويثبتها بعينها؟ فوقع (عليه السلام): تنتقب وتظهر للشهود. وفيه: ان الامر بالتنقب يحمل على الاستحباب

It is a contextual situation which does not have a bearing on the overall recommended nature of wearing the niqaab. It can be proven, from this and other narrations, that niqaab was known and allowed, but I do not know of anything which specifically states that it is recommended.

Edited July 3, 2010 by avjar7

[siti]

salam, sis zainab

previously i posted a discussion related to niqab and shared my view there :)

http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/234988038-i-see-women-wearing-niqab/page__hl__niqab__fromsearch__1

with the prayer of success,

[Gypsy]

As far as I am aware, there is no narration in Shia books which states that covering one's face is "mustahhab." It is a personal choice, and mubah (permitted). Like other mubah actions, if done with the correct intention, it can become rewarding. However, as far as I know, there is no narration which states that covering one's face in and of itself is recommended.

This is because in the Qur'an it says:

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty except what is apparent thereof 24:31

And the tafseer of this verse, which is saheeh:

‎في الصحيح المروى عن قرب الاسناد إنه قال: سمعت جعفرا عليه السلام وقد سئل عما تظهر المرأة من زينتها، قال: الوجه والكفين

I heard Ja'far عليه السلام and he was asked about that which a woman may make apparent from her beauty? He said, "Her face and two palms."

If you wear hijaab and only show your face and hands, you are fulfilling the legal requirement. If you go beyond this and wish to cover more, it is a personal choice. If you have proof of your statements, then provide it.

While there is this narration, it has not been seen by all scholars as proof of recommendation because the questioner says: من وراء الستر which contains contextualization which was factored into the answer.

مكاتبة الصفار الى ابي محمد (عليه السلام): في رجل أراد ان يشهد على امرأة ليس لها بمحرم هل يجوز له ان يشهد عليها وهو من وراء الستر يسمع كلامها، إذا شهد رجلان عدلان انها فلانة بنت فلان التي شهدك وهذا كلامها، أو لا يجوز له الشهادة حتى تبرز ويثبتها بعينها؟ فوقع (عليه السلام): تنتقب وتظهر للشهود. وفيه: ان الامر بالتنقب يحمل على الاستحباب

It is a contextual situation which does not have a bearing on the overall recommended nature of wearing the niqaab. It can be proven, from this and other narrations, that niqaab was known and allowed, but I do not know of anything which specifically states that it is recommended.

So why do we have some fatwas from Mujtahids that state wearing of the NIqab is mustahab when there are no such evidence from the Quran or Sunnah?

[JimJam]

From whats recorded of the battle of Karabla it seems pretty clear that the women of the prophet's family did not expose their face to na-mehrams.

Edited August 17, 2011 by JimJam

[baradar_jackson]

(bismillah)

Let's not get too biased with our quotations.

I have this book at home: http://www.al-islam....-men-and-women/

and decided to quote the page regarding niqaab here:

As you can see from the quotes above, niqaab is clearly mustahab, if not obligatory (according to even some of our modern scholars, not quoted above is also Khoe'i who agrees with the wajib ruling).

Sister, I highly encourage you to wear niqaab. May Allaah make it easy on you if you choose to do so and reward you for being an example to our shi'a women.

Some of those fatawa don't say anything about covering the face!

A lot of them mention it being recommended to cover a little more of the face and the hands than required. If I recall correctly, this is also the ruling of Imam Khomeini.