بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

This ayah specifically refers to the People of the Book as is understood from the context of the verse. But it can be used by us to derive some important points.

Points of Benefit:

1)We learn from this ayah that the first and foremost thing Allah سبحانه و تعالى commanded His slaves was sincerity in worshiping Him.

2)The first part of the ayah is similar to the third ayah in Surat ul-Baqarah,

In the first verse, Allah سبحانه و تعالى says that He did not command the people anything except to worship Him sincerely. And in the second one, Allah سبحانه و تعالى describes the people of Taqwa with the same characteristics in the very same order. Because having the correct belief in the Unseen is devoting worship to Allah alone. It is as if Allah سبحانه و تعالى commanded the people to become Muttaqin.

3) We also learn that sincerity is the first of the worship and it is a prerequisite for doing other acts of worship. This verse is also similar to the last verse in Surat ul-Kahf:

The ayah mentioned on the top contains the righteous acts and also contains the command to not commit shirk.

4)The root word of hunafaa’ is haa’-noon-faa’ which linguistically means an inclination towards right religion. A haneef is the one who is inclined towards God and inclined away from [false deities] so considered upright.[2] In tafsir, this word has been given six meanings:

a)Followers (of the true religion)

b)The steadfast people said Muhammad Ibnu Ka’b رحمه الله

c)Sincere people said Khusif رحمه الله

d)The Muslims said adh-Dhahhaak رحمه الله

e)The Hujjaaj (i.e. the ones who have performed al-Hajj) said Ibnu ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهم And al-‘Atiyah al-‘Awfi رحمه الله said, “If al-Hanif and al-Muslim are used together, then al-Hanif means the one who has performed al-Hajj. But if al-Hanif is singled out then its meaning is al-Muslim.” And Sa’id Ibnu Jubayr رحمه الله said, “The Arabs would not name al-Hanif to except the one who did al-Hajj and was circumcised.”

f)They are the believers in all the Messengers said Abu Qulaabah رحمه الله3]

5)In the end, we also understand that for a religion to be correct, it needs to have these characteristics: a) Commandment of abstinence from polytheism b) Commandment of establishment of as-Salaah c) Commandment of giving Zakaah or charity.

And indeed Allah سبحانه و تعالى knows best

[1] Surat ul-Bayyinah:5

[2] HdO Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage

[3] An-Nakat wal-‘Uyun by al-Imam al-Mawardi

BismiLlah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala tells us,

The word Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has used to mention about the Harut and Marut is Malakayn. The root of this word is Malak which means an Angel. But, Imam al-Baghawi rahimahuLlah mentions in his tafsir that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma, Al-Hasan rahimahuLlah and Imam Fakhrud-Din ar-Razi rahimahuLlah mentions that adh-Dhahhak rahimahuLlah used to recite the word as Malikayn [2]whose root is Malik with a kasrah on lam rather than fathah. This fact is also mentioned in Tafsir al-Kashshaf by Imam az-Zamakhshari rahimahuLlah

One might wonder, the Qur’an is in different recitations? The answer to this question is yes, it has reached to us in ten different but authentic Qira’ah. Before we study the variant recitation of the verse, lets give a brief introduction to the different Qira’ah of the Qur’an.

A Qira’ah is, for the most part, a method of pronunciation used in the recitations of the Qur’an. These methods are different from the seven forms or modes (huruf) in which the Qur’an was revealed. The seven modes were reduced to one, that of Quraysh, during the era of Caliph ‘Uthman radhi Allahu ‘anhu when he ordered that the Qur’an be copied in the Qurayshi dialect and distributed among the Islamic centers of the time. Hence, only the Qurayshi mode remains today and all of the methods of recitation are based on this mode. The various methods have all been traced back to the Prophet salAllahu ‘alayhi wassalam through a number of the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum who were most noted for their Qur’anic recitations. That is, these Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum recited the Qur’an to the Prophet salAllahu ‘alayhi wassalam or in his presence and received his approval. Among them were the following: Ubayy ibn Ka’b, ‘Ali ibn Abi ?alib, Zayd ibn Thabit, Ibn Mas’ud, Abu ad-Darda’, and Abu Musa al-Ash’ari radhi Allahu ‘anhum Many of the other Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum learned from these masters. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma, the master commentator of the Qur’an among the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum, learned from both Ubayy and Zayd radhi Allahu ‘anhma. [3]

Among the next generation of Muslims, referred to as the Tabi’un there arose many scholars who learned the various methods of recitation from the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhu??and taught them to others. Centers of Qur’anic recitation developed in Madinah, Makkah, Kufah, Basrah, and ash-Sham (Greater Syria), leading to the evolution of Qur’anic recitation into an independent science.[4] By the mid eighth century CE, there existed a large number of outstanding scholars, all of whom were considered specialists in the field of recitation. Most of their methods of recitation were authenticated by chains of reliable narrators, ending with the Prophet salAllahu ‘alayhi wassalam. Those methods on each level of their chain were called Mutawatir and were considered to be the most accurate. Those methods in which the number of narrators were few or one on any level of the chain were referred to as Shadh.

However, some of the scholars of the following period began the practice of designating a set number of individual scholars from the previous period as being the most noteworthy and accurate reciters. By the middle of the tenth century CE (6th century AH), it became a popular convention to limit the number of best reciters to seven, since this number coincided with the number of huruf in which the Qur’an was revealed.

Similarly, during this period the number of schools of Islamic law (Madhhab) were reduced to the famous four after a period in which there were many. The first to limit the number of authentic reciters to seven was the ‘Iraqi scholar, Abu Bakr ibn Mujahid rahimahuLlah (d. 936 CE), and those who wrote books on Qira’ah after him followed suit.[5] This limitation is not an accurate representation of the classical scholars of Qur’anic recitation. There were many others who were as good as the seven and a number who were greater than them. In fact, the classification of scholars was really a classification of how well their methods of recitation were preserved. Hence, the famous seven were those early scholars from different generations whose methods of recitation had the most chains of narrators with many narrations on each level of the chain. However, there were other classical scholars whose methods of recitation were just as authentically (Mutawatir) recorded as the famous seven. A list of the ten scholars of Qur’anic recitation whose methods were best preserved is as follows:

1. Abu ‘Amr ibn al-’Ala (d. 771 CE/154 AH) of Basrah

2. Ibn Kathir (d. 738 CE/119 AH) was among the students of the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum of Makkah.

3. Nafi’ (d. 786 CE/169 AH) was originally from Isfahan, and his recitation, as transmitted by Warsh (d. 812 CE/196 AH), was of Madinah.

4. Ibn ‘Amir (d. 737 CE/118 AH) was the chief judge (Qadhi) of Damascus during the reign of al-Walid ibn ‘Abdul Malik, who, along with the other Umayyad caliphs, made that city his capital.

5. ‘Asim (d. 746 CE/128 AH) of Kufah was the narrator of the dominant recitation in current use. His narration, as transmitted by Hafs, is the most common method of narration used in the Muslim world today with the exception of Africa.

6. Hamzah (d. 773 CE/156 AH) of Kufah.

7. Al-Kisa’i (d. 805 CE/189 AH) of Kufah was one of the foremost grammarians. He played a major role in the formulation of Arabic grammar rules.

8. Abu Ja’far (d. 750 CE/132 AH) of Madinah.

9. Ya’qub (d. 820 CE/204 AH) of Basrah.

10. Khalaf (d. 844 CE/229 AH) of Baghdad rahimahum Allah

At the same time that scholars of hadith laid down conditions to determine the authenticity of statements or actions attributed to the Prophet salAllahu ‘alayhi wassalam, scholars of Qur’anic recitation also formulated conditions to facilitate critical analysis of the existing recitations. For any given recitation to be accepted as authentic (Sahih), it had to fulfill three conditions. If any of the conditions were missing, such a recitation was classified as Shadh (unusual). The first condition was that the recitation have an authentic chain of narration; that is, that the chain of narrators had to be unbroken, that the narrators were known to be righteous, and that they were known to possess good memories. It was also required that the recitation be conveyed by a large number of narrators on each level of the chain of narration below the level of the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhm (the condition of Tawatur). Narrations which had authentic chains but lacked the condition of Tawatur were accepted as explanations (Tafsir) of Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhu??, but were not considered as methods of reciting the Qur’an. As for narrations which did not even have an authentic chain of narration, they were classified “batil” (false) and rejected totally.

The second condition was that the recitations’ variations match known Arabic grammatical constructions. Unusual constructions were verified by their existence in passages of pre-Islamic prose or poetry.

The third condition required the recitation to coincide with the script of one of the copies of Qur’an distributed during the era of Caliph ‘Uthman radhi Allahu ‘anhu. Hence, differences which result from dot placement (e.g. ta’lamun and ya’lamun) are considered acceptable, provided the other conditions are met. If no support for an unusual condition could be found, the recitation of that construction would be classified Shadh. [6]

This classification did not mean that all aspects of the recitation were considered Shadh; in fact, none of the accepted ten methods are totally free from some Shadh constructions. Shadh narrations of this type also serve as explanations for the authentic narrations, as they are obviously statements of the Sahabah radhi Allahu ‘anhum.

Now back to the issue of variant recitation. The answer to this question is that it is an odd recitation that has was rejected by Imam At-?abari rahimahuLlah although it was transmitted in authentic chain from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhma. This recitation is both Shadhah and Mashhurah at the same time as it is a recitation that that is according to Arabic language and match the writings of the ‘Uthmani script written words that comes in authentic chain but did not reach level of Tawatur. And, this is not from the famous ten recitations. This ayah’s tafsir been disputed by the scholars of the past so it is not possible to say which of the tafsirs is stronger. And indeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaknows best.

References:

[1] Surah al-Baqarah, 2:102

[2] Ma’alim at-Tanzil

[3] Al-Itqan

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

Forever we find the debate whether or not the ‘abayah and niqab is obligatory. Insha’Allah in this article we shall know the correct answer to these two questions.

Two verses explicitly concerning this issue:

We know that not lowering the gaze for men and women is equally haram as we learn from the hadith:

Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah radhi Allahu ‘anhuma “I asked Allah’s Messenger sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-Mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.”[3]

And also the following hadith:

The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamsaid,

“Beware! Avoid sitting on the roads. They (the people) said, “O Allah’s Messenger! We can’t help sitting (on the roads) as these are (our places) where we have talks.” The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamsaid, “If you refuse but to sit, then pay the road its right.” They said, “What is the right of the road, O Allah’s Apostle?” He said, “Lowering your gaze, refraining from harming others, returning greeting, and enjoining what is good, and forbidding what is evil.”[4]

And, we are also aware that illicit relationship with the opposite gender is also forbidden. But the part of the ayah that is to be used to answer the question is, “and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna”

Insha’Allah, we shall study the meaning of these verses in detail using the classical books of tafsir, ahadith, statements of scholars.

“…and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent…”

First Opinion:

It is fardh for a mature, Muslim lady to cover her whole body and face. Mention of those who said that:

Tafsir of the first ayah:

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud radhi Allahu ‘anhu said,

“Adornment (in this verse) is two types of adornment: the (externally) apparent from them are garments and the hidden ones are the two anklets and earrings.”[5]

‘Abdullah radhi Allahu ‘anhu said,

“It is the outer garment.”[6]

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud radhi Allahu ‘anhu said,

“It is the robe.”[7]

Tafsir of the second ayah:

‘Ali bin Abi Talhah rahimahuLlah reported that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma said,

“That Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commanded the believing women, when they went out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from above their heads with the Jilbab, leaving only one eye showing.”[8]

Muhammad bin Sirin rahimahuLlah said,

“I asked ‘Ubaydah As-Salmani about the ayah (to draw their Jalabib over their bodies.) He covered his face and head, with just his left eye showing.”[9]

Imam al-Qurtubi rahimahuLlah writes,

“It was said that it was a veil.”[10]

Al-Hasan rahimahuLlah said,

“Cover half of her face.”[11]

Some ahadith concerning the opinion of covering the face:

Hadith 1:

Narrated Safiyah bint Shaybah rahimahuLlah, ‘A’ishah radhi Allahu ‘anha used to say,

“‘When (the Verse): ‘They should draw their veils over their necks and bosoms,’ was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces.”[12]

Hadith 2:

Narrated ‘A’ishah radhi Allahu ‘anha,

“Allah’s Messenger used to offer the Fajr prayer and some believing women covered with their veiling sheets used to attend the Fajr prayer with him and then they would return to their homes unrecognized .” [13]

In his sharh of this hadith Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin rahimahuLlah said:

“This hadith makes it clear that the Islamic dress is concealing of the entire body as explained in this hadith. Only with the complete cover including the face and hands can a woman not be recognized. This was the understanding and practice of the Sahabah and they were the best of group, the noblest in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala with the most complete Iman and noblest of characters. So if the practice of the women of the Sahabah was to wear the complete veil then how can we deviate from their path?”[14]

Hadith 3:

Qatadah rahimahuLlah said,

“I was informed that the Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamsaid, ‘It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to that she should uncover her hands until here.’ And he grasped half of a arm.”[15]

Hadith 4:

Yahya rahimahuLlah related to me from Malik rahimahuLlah from Hisham ibn ‘Urwah rahimahuLlah that Fatimah bint al-Mundhir radhi Allahu ‘anhuma said, “We used to veil our faces when we were in Ihram in the company of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr As-Siddiq radhi Allahu ‘anhuma[16]

Hadith 5:

‘A’ishah radhi Allahu ‘anha said,

“The riders would pass us while we were with the Messenger of Allah sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam. When they got close to us, we would draw our outer cloak from our heads over our faces. When they passed by, we would uncover our faces.”[17]

Hadith 6:

Narrated Anas radhi Allahu ‘anhu,

Um Harithah came to Allah’s Messenger after Harithah had been martyred on the Day (of the battle) of Badr by an arrow thrown by an unknown person. She said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! You know the position of Harithah in my heart (i.e. how dear to me he was), so if he is in Paradise, I will not weep for him, or otherwise, you will see what I will do.’ The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam said,

‘Are you mad? Is there only one Paradise? There are many Paradises, and he is in the highest Paradise of Firdaus.’ The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamadded, ‘A forenoon journey or an after noon journey in Allah’s Cause is better than the whole world and whatever is in it; and a place equal to an arrow bow of anyone of you, or a place equal to a foot in Paradise is better than the whole world and whatever is in it; and if one of the women of Paradise looked at the earth, she would fill the whole space between them (the earth and the heaven) with light, and would fill whatever is in between them, with perfume, and the veil of her face is better than the whole world and whatever is in it.’”[18]

Hadith 7:

It was narrated from ‘A’ishah radhi Allahu ‘anhu? that Safwan ibn al-Mu’attal al-Sulami al Dhakwani radhi Allahu ‘anhuwas lagging behind the army. She said, “He came to where I had stopped and saw the black shape of a person sleeping. He recognized me when he saw me, because he had seen me before Hijab was enjoined. I woke up when I heard him saying ‘Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return),’ and I covered my face with my Jilbab.” [19]

Statements of ‘Ulama’ favouring the Opinion:

Hanafi madhhab:

Imam Abu Bakr al-Jassas rahimahuLlah writes in his commentary of the Qur’an,

“The young woman has been ordered to cover her face from the stranger and displaying modesty and chastity so that the corrupt do not show desire for her.”[20]

Imam Sarkhasi rahimahuLlah states,

“The unlawfulness of looking to a woman is for fear of fitna (temptation) and the threat of fitnah comes from looking at her face, for most her attractive features are on her face, much more than any other of her limbs”[21]

Ibn Nujaym rahimahuLlah stated,

“Our Scholars have stated: The mature woman is forbidden from uncovering her face while amongst men, in our times, due to the fitnah!”[22]

Imam ‘Ala’ ad-Din al-Hanafi rahimahuLlah writes,

“The young woman will be prohibited from revealing her face amongst men.”[23]

Explaining this, Imam Ibn ‘Abidin rahimahuLlah writes:

“It means she will be prevented from revealing (it) due to the fear that men will see her face thus creating temptation…”[24]

Maliki madhhab:

Qadhi Ibn al-’Arabi al-Maliki rahimahuLlah said,

“And all of the woman is ‘awrah; her body, her voice, and it is not permissible for her to uncover that unless out of necessity, or need such as witnessing (in court), or a disease that is affecting her body…”[25]

Imam Al-Abi rahimahuLlah records that the Maliki scholar Ibn Marzuq rahimahuLlah has stated that,

“The Mashur (well-known) opinion in the Madhhab of Imam Malik is that it is obligatory (wujub) to cover the face and hands if there is fear of a stranger looking at her.” [26]

Scholars of the Shafi’i madhhab:

Imam Shafi’i rahimahuLlah said,

“There is consensus of the Muslims upon prohibiting their women from going out with their faces uncovered.”[27]

Imam Taqiy-ud-Din As-Subki rahimahuLlah when he said,

“And what is the closest (in opinion), from what our companions have produced is that the face and the hands of a woman are ‘awrah in nadhr (i.e. looking) and not in the Salah.”[28]

Imam Muhammad As-Sana’ni rahimahuLlah says,

“And it is permissible for her to uncover her face whenever there is proof that she does not have to cover. What is meant by uncovering (her face and hands) in the Salah is that no Ajnabi (foreign, non-related, marriageable man) is looking at her, and this is the ‘awrah in the Salah. As for her ‘Awrah when an Ajnabi man is looking at her, then all of her body is ‘awrah.”[29]

Al-Hafidh ibn Hajr Al ‘Asqalani rahimahuLlah said,

“And it has not ceased to be a custom for women, from the older generations and the newer ones, to cover their faces from non-related men.”[30]

Imam Ibn Rislan rahimahuLlah said,

“The Muslims are in agreement that it is prohibited for women to come out of their homes while their faces are uncovered.” [31]

Imam Al-Juwayni rahimahuLlah stated,

“There is agreement (ittifaq) of the Muslimin upon the forbiddance of women coming out (of their homes) with their faces unveiled.”[32]

Imam Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti rahimahuLlah wrote,

“This is the verse of Hijab regarding all women. In it is the wujub (obligation) upon them of covering the head and the face.”[33]

Hanbali madhhab:

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal rahimahuLlah is narrated as saying,

“The nail of a woman is ‘awrah. Thus if she leaves her home she must not show anything of herself, not even her Khuff (leather sock) as the Khuff shows the shape of her foot (i.e. skin tight clothing is, according to the Shariah, within the ruling of nakedness)”[34]

Sh aykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah al-Hanbali rahimahuLlah relates that the correct opinion for the Hanbali madhhab is that is is wajib to cover everything except one or two eyes to see the way.[35]

Al-Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahuLlah, explaining the woman’s ‘awrah said,

“The ‘awrah is of two types: an ‘awrah in the Salah (prayer) and an ‘awrah in looking. So as for the free woman, it is (allowed) for her to pray while her hands and face are uncovered, and it is not (allowed) for her to go out in the markets and gatherings of people like that (i.e. it is not allowed for her to go out without the face and hands covered).[36]

Dhahiri madhhab:

Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi rahimahuLlah stated,

“…And Jilbab, in the language of the ‘Arabs that Messenger of Allah sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamspoke to us with, is what covers all of the body not just a part of it.”[37]

Second Opinion:

It is not fardh but mustahabb for a mature, Muslim lady to cover her whole body and face. Mention of those who said that:

Tafsir of the first ayah:

‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma said,

“Eyeliner (kohl) and the finger ring.”[38]

Similar was narrated from Sa’id bin Jubayr rahimahuLlah[39]

‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma said,

“Apparent from it which are the eyeliner(kohl) and two cheeks.”[40]

Sa’id bin Jubayr rahimahuLlah said,

“The face and hand.”[41]

Qatadah rahimahuLlah said,

“The eyeliner, bracelet (or bangle) and ring.”[42]

Some ahadith concerning the opinion that covering the face is not fardh rather mustahabb:

Hadith 1:

On the authority of ‘A’ishah radhi Allahu ‘anhu?, that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr radhi Allahu ‘anhuma entered the quarters of Allah’s Messenger sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamwearing thin clothes. The Messenger sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamturned his face away and said,

“O’ Asma’, if the woman reaches puberty, it is not allowed to be seen from her except this and this, and he pointed to his face and hands.”[43]

Hadith 2:

Al-Fadhl bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma rode behind the Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamas his companion rider on the back portion of his she camel on the Day of Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifice, 10th Dhul-Hijjah) and al-Fadhl radhi Allahu ‘anhu was a handsome man. The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamstopped to give the people verdicts. In the meantime, a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khath’am came, asking the verdict of Allah’s Messenger sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam. Al- Fadhl radhi Allahu ‘anhu started looking at her as her beauty attracted him. The Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamlooked behind while al- Fadhl radhi Allahu ‘anhu was looking at her; so the Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamheld out his hand backwards and caught the chin of al- Fadhl radhi Allahu ‘anhu and turned his face (to the other side) in order that he should not gaze at her. She said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam! The obligation of performing Hajj enjoined by Allah’s on His worshipers, has become due (compulsory) on my father who is an old man and who cannot sit firmly on the riding animal. Will it be sufficient that I perform Hajj on his behalf?’ He said,

‘Yes.’” [44]

Hadith 3:

Jabir bin ‘Abdillah radhi Allahu ‘anhu?? said: I attended prayer on ‘Id day with Messenger of Allah sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam. He commenced with the prayer, before the sermon, without any adhan or iqamah. Then he rose, leaning on Bilal, and addressing those present before him, commanded them to fear Allah subhanahu wa ta’alaand exorted them to obey him. He further admonished and warned them. Then he moved on until he came to the women whom he addressed saying,

“Give charity, for verily most of you are fuel for the hellfire of Jahannam, whereupon there arose from the middle of the women’s congregation, a dark cheeked woman who said, ‘Why is that Oh Messenger of Allah?’ He sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalamreplied, ‘Because you women make to many complaints, and refuse to acknowledge your husbands good treatment.’ Upon hearing this, the women began tossing their jewelry in charity upon Bilal’s outspread cloth.” [45]

Hadith 4:

Narated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas radhi Allahu ‘anhuma, “A truly beautiful woman used to pray behind the Prophet sAlallahu ‘alayhi wassalam. Some of the people used to go pray in the front row to ensure they would not see her. Others would pray in the last row of the men, and during ruku’ [or sujud] they would look from underneath their armpits to see her. Because of this Allah revealed, “And Verily We know those of you who hasten forward, and those who lag behind.” (15:24)”[46]

Statements of ‘Ulama’ favouring the Opinion:

Imam al-Quduri al-Hanafi rahimahuLlah writes,

“If she is in the presence of stranger-men (ajnabi, i.e. non-mahram men, viz. men other than her permanently-non-marriageable male relatives, such as father, brothers and sons.), or non-Muslim women, then her nakedness is all her body, except for her face and palms”[47]

Later on he writes,

“Thus, the hands and face are not nakedness, and it is lawful to look at them if one is immune from temptation. It is worth pointing out this does not grant a license for indiscriminate looking, for one will generally not know whether or not one will be allured by a woman’s looks before one has looked at her. In fact, even accidental glances should be brought in check as soon as one realizes them, for the gaze is one of iblis’ poisoned arrows.”[48]

Conclusion:

Even though there is a difference of opinion of the issue of niqab, all the ‘ulama’ agree that covering the whole body for a lady is fardh. Wearing jeans, pants, trousers, long skirts or shalwar kameez do not cover the lower part of the body properly. Nor wearing long shirts or blouses do. Thus, wearing an ‘abayah becomes fardh as it is a loose garment which is one of four conditions of hijab in clothing. The four conditions are as follows:

1) Clothes should cover the whole body (With difference on face & hands. For male, from navel to knees.)

2) Clothes must be loose and not tight

3) Clothes must not be see-through

4) Clothes must not have flourecent or flashy colours that attract attention of the opposite gender.

No clothing except an ‘abayah provides and fulfils all this condition and thus it becomes an obligation on every sane, mature, Muslimah to use it.

As for the niqab, majority opinion seems to be on the side of first opinion i.e. towards its obligation whilst minority on its being mustahabb (recommended not obligatory). But, since there is a difference of opinion, being a students of knowledge we should respect that and try not to force our opinion on others if they follow the second opinion or vice versa. Personally, after examining the proofs, I have come to the conclusion that wearing of a niqab for a Muslimah is fardh. And, indeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala knows best.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guide us to what is the Haqq and save us from misguidance and grant us the Highest rank in Paradise. Amin

[1] Surah an-Nur, 24:31

[2] Surah al-Ahzab, 33:59

[3] Sahih Muslim

[4] Sahih al-Bukhari 8:74:248

[5] Jami’ al-Bayan Fi Tafsir al-Qur’an 9:302

[6] Ibid(4 asanid {chains of narration}from ‘Abdullah (RA) are mentioned in the tafsir mentioning the same opinion)

[7] Ibid

[8] Tafsir al-Qur’an al-’Azim 3:684

[9] Ibid

[10]Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an 14:215

[11] Ibid

[12] Sahih al-Bukhari 6:60:282

[13] Sahih al-Bukhari 1:8:368

[14] Hijab, pages 12-13

[15] Ibid

[16] Mu’ta Imam Malik, 20:5:16

[17]Sunan Abi Dawud, 10:1829

[18] Sahih al-Bukhari 8:76:572

[19] Sahih al-Bukhari # 4141 & Sahih Muslim # 2770

[20] Ahkam al-Qur’an, 3:458

[21] Al-Mabsut, 10:152

[22] Al-Bahr ar-Ra’iq Sharh Kanz ad-Daqa’iq

[23] Rudd al-Muhtar ‘ala Durr al-Mukhtar2:79(or78)

[24] Rudd al-Muhtar ‘ala Durr al-Mukhtar2:79

[25] Ahkam al-Qur’an 3:1579

[26] Jawahir al-Iklil Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil

[27] Rawdah at-Talibin 5:366

[28] Quoted by Imam Al-Khatib Ash-Shirbini in his Al-Mughni Al-Muhtaj.

[29] Subul as-Salam Sharh Bulugh al-Maram

[30] Fath ul-Bari 9:235

[31] Nayl al-Awtar Sharh Muntaq al-Akhbar 6:114

[32] Tuhfah al-Minhaj bi-Sharh al-Minhaj 7:193

[33] Istinbat at-Tanzil, 3:118

[34] Al-Furu’ 1:601

[35] Hijab wa Safur under the fatawa of Ibn Taymiyyah on hijab, page 10

[36] Tahdhib as-Sunan and ‘Ilam Al Muwaqi’in 2:80

[37] Al-Muhalla 3:212

[38] Ibid

[39] Ibid

[40] Ibid

[41] Ibid

[42] Ibid

[43] Sunan Abi Dawud 32:4092, hadith is mursal and because of that dha’if

[44] Sahih al-Bukhari 2:26:559

[45] Sahih Muslim 4:1926

[46] Sunan at-Tirmidhi, hadith is dha’if

[47] Mukhtasar al-Quduri (English translation) page 134

[48] Ibid

BismiLlah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala tells us about the people of Jannah, that delight would be apparent from their faces,

Al-Imam al-Mawardi rahimahuLlah writes in his tafsir, An-Nakat wal-‘Uyun, regarding the meaning of na‘im or delight as mentioned in the translation,

“First: It is the freshness and comfort, said Ibn Shajarah rahimahuLlah

Second: It is the whiteness, said adh-Dhahhaak rahimahuLlah

Third: It is a spring in Paradise from which they will perform wudhu’ and wash themselves which will bring upon them the brightness of delight, said ‘Ali radhi Allahu ‘anhu”

So the people of Paradise will be happy and their delight would be evident from their brightened faces. And this will be because they prepared and worked for the Paradise and earned it by Allah rahimahuLlah being merciful to them.

May Allah rahimahuLlah make us amongst these people. Amin