Click here for pdf
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 ﷺ 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 ﷺ!
What clothes may be worn in the state of Ihram?" The Prophet (ﷺ) 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 (ﷺ) 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.
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
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).
