Fatwa #183561 November 2009Saudi Arabia
I am in receipt of a document you forwarded that claims that Nikab is Fard. ....I disagree.
Question
I am in receipt of a document you forwarded that claims that Nikab is Fard. ( HERE )
I disagree.
The Prophet SAW informed us that the face of a woman is not a part of her awrah, and neither are her hands nor her voice (provided she does not speak with the intention to seduce.)
There is to my knowledge no order for anyone other than the wives of the Prophet to observe Nikab, and they are the mothers of the believers and no women are like them.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Although this issue has been explained in detail in the Arabic references provided in the footnotes, we have nevertheless explained it briefly below in case you are holding your view without even understanding Arabic.
There is a difference between covering awrah and covering the face.
The awrah of a man is from below his navel to below his knees. The awrah of a woman is her entire body except hands, face and feet.
- Covering the awrah form part of the nature of human. When Sayyiduna Adam and Hawwa عليهما السلام descended on earth, they immediately began covering their awrah. For this reason covering the awrah was fardh from the very beginning of Islam whilst the laws of hijab were only revealed in the third or fifth year (according to different narrations) after hijrah.
- It is fardh to cover the awrah, irrespective of whether a person is in seclusion or in public.
- Covering the awrah is fardh on men and women whilst the laws of hijab are exclusive to women.
And Allah knows best
Wassalaamu `alaykum
Ml. Ismail Moosa & Ml. Ishaq E. Moosa,
Students Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa