Must A Muslim Woman Hide Her Face?

I was wondering what the arguments for niqab were. I know that Maududi sahib and others were big proponents of it. Is it actually a part of the Shari`ah?

Reply

There is no text in the Qur’an which directs or even endorses covering of the face by a woman “as a part of the etiquette of interaction between men and women”, i.e. Purdah. There are only two incidents in the Qur’an, which directly or indirectly require covering the face and are presented as arguments for Naqab [i.e. the veil]. However, neither of these verses are a part of the directives related to the etiquette of interaction between men and women, they have only been erroneously interpreted as a part of it. This needs a little elaboration, which follows:

The first verse that is used as an argument for covering the face is the verse 53 of Surah Al-Ahzaab. The second is verse 59 of the same Surah. However, before explaining these verses, it is important to note that Surah Al-Ahzaab is one of those Surahs of the Qur’an, which was revealed in very complex and difficult circumstances surrounding the Muslims. It was revealed in the fifth year after the Hijrah. The name of the Surah is drawn from the special incident that took place in that year – the Battle of Khandaq [i.e. the trench] – in which a large number of Arab tribes united against the Muslims. This was a time when externally the Muslims faced a great threat to the security of Medinah from these united tribes and internally there existed the threat of Munafiqeen – the hypocrites – and the Jews. These hypocrites had created unrest among the community by spreading rumors and slander especially about the Prophet (pbuh) and his wives. They harassed Muslim women on the streets. All these internal and external threats were actually a sequel to the defeat at Uhud -- a battle fought in the third year after Hijrah, which damaged the military might of the Muslims. It was because of this defeat at Uhud that provided courage to the hypocrites, the Jews and the idolaters to fight Muslims again. These incidents are not only evident from the text of the Surah but also from the narratives related to this year. Now as far as verse 53 is concerned it is actually a directive explicitly for the wives of the Prophet (pbuh), which is usually extended to apply on other Muslim women. It is an indirect directive for covering the face, which is not actually covering the face but to talk to men from behind a curtain. Thus, the directive of this verse was given to the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) in the above mentioned complex times and for the time to come, in order to guard their privacy and to secure them from any slander which the hypocrites used in order to malign the Prophet (pbuh). This verse itself allows us to believe that before its revelation the house of the Prophet (pbuh) was open to all, which provided the opportunity to the hypocrites to spread rumors.

Verse 59 on the other hand was revealed to safeguard Muslim women from the sexual harassment of the Munafiqeen. It was actually revealed in the context that when the hypocrites were asked as to why they harassed women on the streets, they made an excuse that they thought that these were slave girls. It was here that Allah directed Muslim women to distinguish their appearance from slave girls, by wearing a large cloak over themselves and to make a kind of veil of it, which would protrude to some extent from above their heads. However, it should be interesting to note that even here the Muslim women are not directed to cover their faces.

From this discussion it becomes clear that covering of the face was neither required by Muslim women at that time as part of the etiquette of interaction nor is it a requirement for Muslim women of today. This etiquette however, is mentioned in Surah Noor and does not require women to cover their faces at all.

I hope this explanation answers your question. You can always get back if you are still unclear. However, this is only my opinion in this regard and I admit any chance of mistake in forming this opinion. I would be open to other points of view if based on stronger reasons. May Allah guide us all towards the right path.

Note: This Response is written by Mr. Amar Ellahi Lone