Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Niqab and Hajj

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 Understanding the Face Veil (Niqaab) and Hajj

Compiled by Umm ‘AbdirRahmaan Tara Hashim 1445/2024

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 Allaah commanded women to wear hijab in the Qur’aan.


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 Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[Surah al-Ahzaab 33:59]

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils all over their bodies, faces, necks and chest and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husband's sons, their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim) women, or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of shame. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful”.

[Sura an-Noor 24:31]

 

Some scholars say that covering the face is obligatory (outside of ihram Hajj) and others say it is recommended.

During Hajj a Muslim enters the sacred state of ‘ihram’ for a certain time period and there are specific rules to follow. The man wears two pieces of cloth only and is not allowed to wear clothes sewn specifically for the body or cover his head.

A woman’s ihram clothing is different to the man’s. She can wear her ordinary clothes except for the niqab and gloves. One of the wisdoms in this is to resemble the people on the Day of Judgement who will be resurrected and stand naked waiting for Judgement.

If a woman holds the opinion that niqab is obligatory, then she removes the item of clothing that is the ‘niqab’ sewn specifically for the face with holes in but when men are around, she ‘covers’ her face in a different way (using her khimar scarf or jilbab). 

The face veil can take different forms. Not wearing the ‘niqab’ does not mean that you cannot ‘cover your face’ in other ways.

The English word ‘face veil’ that is commonly used, is general with the meaning of ‘hiding/covering’ the face with another piece of material. This is where the confusion lies. How can you be told not to cover your face (with a niqab) and then to cover your face (with a jilbaab or khimaar)?

Unfortunately in all of the translated ahadith I read, they translated لاَ تَتَنَقَّبِ  as “Do not cover your face.” Instead of “Do not use a ‘niqab’ to cover your face” specifically.

In many fiqh and hadith books translated into English, regarding Hajj and Umrah, they call the niqab ‘face veil’ which gives the false impression that you cannot cover your face at all in ihraam. This is clearly not the case as there are narrations that mention the wives of the Prophet and those of the Companions ‘covering their faces by allowing their jilbaab to fall over their faces’ when the men came near them. So what is not allowed is the specific piece of clothing sewn for the face with holes for the eyes, which is the ’niqab’ and the ‘burqa’ (see number 10 and 11 below).

 

In Arabic there are specific names for different ways of covering the face, head and body.

The Arabic roots of some of these words are:

خ م ر     To cover, conceal. (Khimaar) This root is also the root for khamr which is alcohol:           something that covers the intellect.

ن ق ب   To have holes in (the niqaab).

ح ج ب   To screen, cover. (Hijaab).

 

1.     Khimaar خمار A piece of cloth used to cover the head, neck and chest and can be used to cover the face too.

(Modern usages add ‘Khimaar Misri’ Egyptian Circle scarf which is sewn from neck downwards to waist or longer (thicker material), with niqab added on top outside of ihraam; ‘Khimaar Kuwaiti’ (thinner material) Kuwaiti head abayah that is 2/3 the length of a Saudi head abayah and is open at the neck with a rectangular scarf needed underneath and the niqab going underneath the khimar outside of ihram. ‘Malaysian khimaar’ etc).

2.     Tarhah طرحة A piece of cloth used to cover the head, neck and chest and can be used to cover the face too. (Same as khimar).

3.     Shaylah شيلة  A piece of cloth used to cover the head, neck and chest and can be used to cover the face too. (Same as khimar).

4.     Mindeel منديل A piece of cloth used to cover the head, neck and chest and can be used to cover the face too. (Same as khimar). (The word ‘mindeel’ is used in Jordan and Syria). In other countries mindeel refers to a ‘tissue/kleenex’.

5.     Jilbaab جلباب A wide, long piece of cloth that goes over the khimar scarf on the head and covers the whole body from head to toe. It can have wide sleeves nowadays. In Saudi, Yemen and the Gulf, the jilbaab is head to toe. However, in other Muslim countries the word jilbaab refers to a ‘coat’ that starts from the shoulders to the ground.

6.     Tasdeel/sadl تسديل سدل The verb ‘to hang down’ ‘fall down’ ‘pull down’ over the face.

7.     Rida  رداء  wide cloth starts from the head and covers the whole body.

8.     Abayah عباية   عباءة is similar to the jilbaab but it can start from the head or from the shoulders.

9.     Niqaab نقاب A piece of cloth, specifically sewn to fit the face, with one or two holes for the eyes to see through. Today they have two ties, velcro or fasteners to hold it in place. It has a band above the eyes and it can come with one or two extra pieces of cloth attached. It can also come with a flap to partly cover the eyes. Women usually pull up the niqab when they do not need to cover their faces.

10.  Burqa’  برقع It is like the jilbaab mentioned above that starts from the head to the toes with a ‘built in’ niqaab that covers the face completely but it has a mesh over the eye space. Today it is mostly seen in Afghanistan and it comes in pastel colours, although there is an Egyptian lyrca version that has a built-in piece under the chin which can be pulled up to cover the face.

11.  Ghitaa غطاء  A covering made from any piece of material or cloth.

12.  Ghutwa غُطْوة A covering made from any piece of material or cloth.

13.  Lithaam لِثام  A square or rectangular piece of material that is used to cover the face from under the eyes downwards. It can have ties or elastic. It is usually pulled down to reveal the face when not needed. (There is no band above the eyes like the niqab).

 

Ahadeeth mentioning Women not wearing Niqab but covering her face in Ihraam

 

`Abdullah bin `Umar رضي الله عنه narrated that a person stood up and asked,

"O Allah's Messenger ! What clothes may be worn in the state of Ihram?" The Prophet () replied, "Do not wear a shirt or trousers, or any headgear (e.g. a turban), or a hooded cloak; but if somebody has no shoes he can wear leather socks provided they are cut short off the ankles, and also, do not wear anything perfumed with wars or saffron, and a woman in the state of Ihram should not wear a niqab (face cloth sewn with holes for the eyes), or wear gloves."

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَاذَا تَأْمُرُنَا أَنْ نَلْبَسَ مِنَ الثِّيَابِ فِي الإِحْرَامِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ تَلْبَسُوا الْقَمِيصَ وَلاَ السَّرَاوِيلاَتِ وَلاَ الْعَمَائِمَ، وَلاَ الْبَرَانِسَ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَحَدٌ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ نَعْلاَنِ، فَلْيَلْبَسِ الْخُفَّيْنِ، وَلْيَقْطَعْ أَسْفَلَ مِنَ الْكَعْبَيْنِ، وَلاَ تَلْبَسُوا شَيْئًا مَسَّهُ زَعْفَرَانٌ، وَلاَ الْوَرْسُ، وَلاَ تَنْتَقِبِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْمُحْرِمَةُ وَلاَ تَلْبَسِ الْقُفَّازَيْنِ ‏"‏‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ وَجُوَيْرِيَةُ وَابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ فِي النِّقَابِ وَالْقُفَّازَيْنِ‏.‏ وَقَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ وَلاَ وَرْسٌ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ لاَ تَتَنَقَّبِ الْمُحْرِمَةُ، وَلاَ تَلْبَسِ الْقُفَّازَيْنِ‏.‏

 

لاَ تَتَنَقَّبِ الْمُحْرِمَةُ، وَلاَ تَلْبَسِ الْقُفَّازَيْنِ‏.‏

Sahih al-Bukhari 1838.

 

Aisha رضي الله عنها narrated that riders would pass by us when we accompanied the Messenger of Allah () while we were in the sacred 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.

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ كَانَ الرُّكْبَانُ يَمُرُّونَ بِنَا وَنَحْنُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مُحْرِمَاتٌ فَإِذَا حَاذَوْا بِنَا سَدَلَتْ إِحْدَانَا جِلْبَابَهَا مِنْ رَأْسِهَا إِلَى وَجْهِهَا فَإِذَا جَاوَزُونَا كَشَفْنَاهُ ‏.

Abu Dawood 1833. There is weakness in the hadith but Shaykh al-Albani raised it to hasan due to similar hadith.[1]

 

Important Points:

 

1.     All scholars hold that the ‘niqab’ is one of the prohibitions of Ihraam for a woman as is mentioned in an authentic hadith. So a Muslim woman should not wear this type of face veil with the holes in it sewn specifically for the face.

2.     All scholars hold that a woman can cover her face with something other than a niqaab if there are men around and some scholars hold it to be compulsory to do so (See the hadith mentioning the wives covering when riders came near them). Others say it is recommended.

3.     Any other cloth can be used, whether it is her jilbaab, khimaar, or a separate piece of cloth.

4.     The best way to do this, is ‘sadl’ allowing the material to fall from above, down over her face as is mentioned in the hadith.

5.     Other ways of using this material to cover has also been mentioned by scholars as being permissible. However, there are differences of opinion on what is allowed and what is not.

6.     Some say this cloth cannot be tied, pinned or fixed (Shaykh al-Albaani, Shaykh Fawzaan and others). Shaykh al-Albaani did not allow the cloth to be tied or fixed.

https://www.al-albany.com/audios/content/8389/%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%BA%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A3%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A9

7.     Shaykh Fawzaan said there was no need to pin the face cloth.

https://youtu.be/M2STzVnrY50?si=GAAVSJl4TNF0G03w

8.     Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Uthaymeen allows the woman to pin or tie it so that it protects her face from being seen which he sees as awrah. Just like the man is allowed to fix the lower izar in case it falls.

هل يجوز للمحرمة ربط غطاء الوجه من الخلف؟ الكافي في فقه الإمام أحمد ...

https://youtu.be/Y1V_WX3Tv4s?si=ppMvrAxKaM0MDzI_

9.     It is mentioned that Imaam Ahmad did not allow the cloth to come from bottom up, only top down.

10.  Scholars allow the cloth to touch the face. They say it is not allowed to use a baseball cap brim to prevent the cloth from touching the face.

11.  She can cover her face with a blanket when she sleeps.

12.  A face mask instead of niqab is not allowed as it is sewn specifically for the face.

13.  A burqa is a jilbaab with a built in niqab. It is also prohibited to wear it as a woman in ihraam. Any of the long, round scarves that have a built-in chin piece which serves as a niqaab could also come under this category if it is sewn specifically to cover the face. It is usually made from stretchy material to accommodate the face. Allah knows best.

14.  Scholars of fiqh have said that the ihram for a woman is in the face (the niqab) and resembles the prohibition of the man covering his head (turban or other than that).

15.  Some women think that if they cover the holes of their niqaab with another layer that it is permissible to still wear that niqaab in ihram. This is incorrect. It is still a niqaab and must be removed.

16.  Shaykh Uthaymeen was asked about a woman with poor eyesight (the niqaab with holes is easier to see through, than a piece of cloth that covers the eyes completely). He told her not to use the niqaab and to hold the hand of her sister, daughter etc.

 

There are differences of opinion due to fiqh jurisprudence issues, taking matters literally versus analogy, what leads to haram is also haram and closing the doors to evil.

 

Allaah knows best.

 

@utrujjahpress

https://hajj-umra-resources.blogspot.com/



Sources used:

·       تبصير المناسك بأحكام المناسك عبد المحسن بن حمد العباد البدر

·       قبس من الأفنان الندية لايضاح مناسك الحج المروية زيد بن محمد بن هادي المدخلي

·       ‏مناسك الحج والعمرة محمد ناصر الدين الألباني

·       الأفضلية لستر المرأة وجهها وكفيها لا لكشفهما - حسانة الألباني

·       الشرح الممتع على زاد المستقنع شيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين vol. 7

·       العدة شرح العمدة بهاء الدين عبد الرحمن ابن إبراهيم المقدسي

·       نيل الأوتار نيل الأوطار شرح منتقى الأخبار من احاديث سيد الأخيار للإمام محمد ابن علي ابن محمد الشوكاني vol. 3

·       إجابة السائل على أهم المسائل ابن عبد الرحمن مقبل بن هادي الوادعي

·       المقنع

·       الشرح الكبير

·       الإنصاف

·       مجموع فتاوى ابن تيمية رحمه الله

·       عون المعبود

·       لسان العرب



[1] Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah p107. حسن في الشواهد وسنده

اسناده ضعيف لضعف يزيد بن أبي زياد - وهو الهاشمي القرشي -.

هشيم: هو ابن بشير السلمي، ومجاهد: هو ابن جبر المخزومي مولاهم.

وأخرجه ابن ماجه (2935) و (2935 م) من طريقين عن يزيد بن أبي زياد، بهذا الإسناد.

وهو في "مسند أحمد" (24021).

 



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