Indeed, all praises are due to Allah, we praise Him, seek His Aid and beg for His Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and from the bad consequences of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, no one can lead that person astray and whomever Allah leads astray no one can guide that person. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah Who is alone and without any partners and I bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave and final Prophet and Messenger sent to mankind. And certainly the most perfect speech is the Speech of Allah and the finest guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saws). The worst of affairs are those that are innovated into this religion as every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance is astray and every going astray leads to the Hell Fire.

This article is not meant to serve as a fatwa as I am not qualified to issue fatwas. I also need to make it clear that I don't follow a madhab (Islamic school of thought) and I respect the 4 imams just as much as I respect the scholars of today. I don't blindly follow the scholars, I follow the Quran and Sunnah that they follow. Whatever I have written that is true is from Allah alone while anything that is false is from myself and shaytan. May Allah have forgive me and have mercy on me ameen.

I support niqaab I just don't view it as obligatory. I know a lot of niqaabis who are very dear sisters to me so please don't think I am against niqaabis. I also know a lot of non-hijabis (muslim women who don't wear any head covering) who I am close to. They are striving to cover and may Allah (swt) increase their iman and give them strength to overcome their personal struggle ameen.

A Muslimah who wears hijab is not better than one who wears niqab and vice versa. Nobody is better than the next except in taqwah (piety, fear of Allah) Allah Most High does not care about our wealth, our beauty or lack of it, etc. What He cares about is what is in the heart such as niyyah (intention) and the deeds. In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds.” (Hadith No. 4651)

Every Muslim woman will be judged on the Yawm Al-Qiyama (Day of Judgement) concerning what they understood about the command of veiling. So let us leave the judgement to Allah Most High, who is the best of judges.

I have spent three years now researching the controversial issue of niqab vs. hijab. Each time I reach a conclusion hijab always wins. I am attempting to explain why I choose to cover everything except my face and hands using authentic daleel (proof, evidence) insha'Allah (God willing.) There are two sides to the veiling issue in reality so it should be expected that two sides will be presented. We can't force women to decide which of these two sides is right, Allah ta'ala (most high) will guide them. Our duty is simply to convey the message and then hand the hidayah (guidance) over to Allah ta'ala. At this point we have no control over that particular person because this Islamic religion has no compulsion.

I encourage you to read an excellent article compiled by Sharifa Carlo Al-Andalusia titled HIJAB uses excerpts from the esteemed muhadith (scholar of ahadith) Sheikh Nasir Ud-Din Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) on hijab and he uses authentic daleel from Quran and Sunnah. Al-Albani did not oppose niqaab he just didn't rule in favor of it being obligatory. Many of you might know him but for those of you who don't you can read his biography at fatwa-online.com

Hafsah, daughter of 'Abdur-Rahman, once came before 'A'isha wearing a thin shawl over her head and shoulders. 'A'isha tore it up and put a thick shawl over her. The Messenger of Allah (saws) also said, "Allah has cursed those women who wear clothes yet still remain naked." The khalif, 'Umar, once said, "Do not clothe your women in clothes that are tight-fitting and reveal the shapeliness of the body." The above-mentioned traditions make it explicitly clear that the dress of Muslim women must cover the whole body, whether in the house or outside, even with her nearest relatives. She must not expose her body to anybody except her husband, and must not wear a dress that shows the curves of her body. Sheikh Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, are of the opinion that, because modern times are particularly full of fitnah (mischief), women should go as far as to cover their faces because even the face may attract sexual glances from men. Shaikh al-Albani says, "We admit that the face is not one of the parts of the body to be covered, but it is not permissible for us to hold to this taking into consideration the corruption of the modern age and the need to stop the means for further corruption." It is respectfully submitted, however, that in the light of the Prophetic traditions it suffices to cover the body, leaving out the face and hands up to the wrist joints, since this is the specified Islamic covering and it may sometimes be essential for a woman to go about her lawful engagements with her face uncovered. However if a woman prefers to put on the veil (burqah), she should not be discouraged as this may be a sign of piety and God-consciousness (taqwah). The rules on dress are slightly relaxed when a woman reaches old age and her sexual attractions have faded. Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage, there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments, provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty; but it is best for them to be modest and Allah is the One who sees and knows all things. (24:60)

Each Point Lends Me Towards Hijab

1. Can we safely describe the dress of the sahabi women? Where we there to see how they dressed? Because if we can safely answer this then there would be no disagreements about the two ayat on hijab.

Al-Qurtubi, an eminent mufassir (Qur'anic commentator) stated: "Women in those days used to cover their heads with the khimaar, throwing its ends on their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest bare, along with the ears, in the manner of the Christians. Then Allah (swt) commanded them to cover those parts with the khimaar." Sahih al-Bukhari Volume 8 Chapter 2 The statement of Allah (swt) Surah an-Nur 24:27-29 and said Sa'id bin Abi Hassan said to al-Hasan, "The non-Arab women expose their chests and heads." Al-Hasan said (to Sa'id) "Avert your eyes from them, for Allah (swt) says, 'Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts. And Allah has knowledge of what you reveal and what you conceal'" (24:30) And Qatada added (in the explanation of the above verse) "(Guard their modesty) against what is unlawful for them. And Allah also said, 'And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and protect their private parts....' (24:31) And the dishonesty of eyes means to gaze at a forbidden thing." And az-Zuhri said (as regards looking at a girl who has not yet reached the age of puberty) "It is not right to look at any of those girls at whom one has a desire to look, even if she is little." And 'Ata disliked to look at those slave girls who used to be sold in Mecca unless he wanted to buy.

Another hadith only mentions covering the head and not the face, Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Safiyyah, daughter of Shaybah, said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar, praised them and said good words about them. She then said: When Surat an-Nur came down, they took the curtains, tore them and made head covers of them. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 32, Number 4089.

Let's look at the same hadith Sahih Bukhari hadith quoted by pro-niqaabis: "Narrated Aiesha(raa) May Allah bestow is mercy on early emigrant women. When Allah revealed And to draw their veils all over juyubihinna (their bodies, face, necks and bossoms, they tore their moruts (a woolen dress, or waist binding cloth or apron) and covered their heads and faces with those torn Moruts. Sahih Bukhari" Doesn't anyone notice the words between brackets? Why are they there? Keep thinking and insha'Allah I will address this point later.

The Quran tells us to cover but it doesn't specifically say the face or the eyes does it? No it does not. It only says pull the veil over the bosom: WALYADRIBNA BIKHUMURIHINNA 'ALAA JUYOOBIHINNA

WAL=AND

YADRIBNA=PUT

BIKUMURIHINNA=THEIR VEILS

ALAA=OVER

JUYUBIHINNA=THEIR BOSOMS

The Arabic sentence above is directly from the Quran in Roman Transliteration. If you know Arabic you can tell that there is no word in it for FACE or EYES. If you don't know Arabic you are out of luck, you would easily assume that JUYUBIHINNA meant the face or eyes. It certainly doesn't contain the Arabic word NIQAAB. The word juyoob (plural of jaib), also found in the ayah of Surah An-Nur, refers not only to the bosom, as is commonly thought, but also to the neck.

Sheikh Al-Albani says regarding this ayah (verse): If the khimaar covered the face then He ta'aala would not say WALYADRIBNA meaning pull/draw together, but he would have said "let fall" [ using the verb 'sadala' ]. This is ignorance regarding the language.

When you see the translation of the above arabic you see pro-niqaabi people inserting the (face, eyes) in brackets. That is not what it means in Arabic, it is misleading, dangerous, downright confusing, and is a misuage of the language. For example the most widely used interpretation for pro-niqaab is "except that which is apparent means an eye just for seeing." If the Quran says cover the face and eyes as they claim then why did Allah (swt) tell men to lower their gazes? Why would they lower their gazes if their is nothing APPARENT to see? Because you have covered "THAT WHICH IS APPARENT" that Allah (swt) has commanded us that we are allowed to show.

I would suggest that it would be very helpful that instead of all of the words between brackets, if one could quote the hadith or ayah and directly underneath it write the commentary or interpretation. Equivalent to a footnote. That would make it much easier to read. If you have ever read The Noble Quran you know what I mean

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2. There is a MAJORITY of scholars who support that hijab is fard as opposed to the MINORITY of scholars that rule the niqaab is fard. The prophet (saws) said never will this ummah be able to reach an agreement on something unless it is on the truth. The scholars are the inheritors of the sunnah because they take their knowledge from Muhammad (saws) and the understanding of the the first three generations known as Al Salaf As-Saliheen that includes the sahaba, tabieen, and tatabieen.

The Two Ayat On Hijab

Surah An-Nur 24 ayah 31

English Translation from Noble Quran by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, Ph.D. and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity of them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: they should not display their ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty...."

Roman Transliteration from Yusuf Ali:

"WA QUL LIL MUMINAATI YARDUDNA MIN ABSAARIHINNA WA YAHFADNA FURUUJAHUNNA WALAA YUBDIINA ZIINATAHUNNA ILLAA MAA DAHARA MINHAA WAL YADRIBNA BIKUMURIHINNA ALAA JUYUBIHINN; WALAA YUBDIINA ZIINATAHUNNA ILLAA LIBU'UULATIHINNA...."

ARABIC-ENGLISH

WA=AND

QUL=SAY

LIL=TO

MUMINAATI=BELIEVING WOMEN

YARDUDNA=LOWER THEIR SIGHT

MIN=FROM

ABSAARIHINNA=LOOKING

WA=AND

YAHFADNA=KEEP SAFE

FURUUJAHUNNA= THEIR FIDELITY (AS IN BE MODEST)

WALAA=DON'T

YUBDIINA=SHOW

ZIINATAHUNNA=THEIR BEAUTY

ILLAA=EXCEPT

MAA=WHAT

DAHARA=ALREADY SHOWS

MINHAA=FROM (HAA REFERS BACK TO BEAUTY)

WAL=AND

YADRIBNA=PUT

BIKUMURIHINNA=THEIR VEILS

ALAA=OVER

JUYUBIHINNA=THEIR BOSOM (JUYUB USED IN ANOTHER CONTEXT MEANS POCKET)

WALAA=DON'T

YUBDIINA=SHOW

ZIINATAHUNNA=THEIR BEAUTY

ILLAA=BUT

LIBU'UULATIHINNA=TO THEIR HUSBANDS

It should be noted that the Arabic word khumur (plural of khimaar) which has been translated above in the ayah from Surat an-Noor as veils, means head covers, nor face veils as may mistakenly be supposed. It refers to a cloth which covers all of the hair.

Surah Al-Ahzaab 33 ayah 59

English Translation of The Holy Quran by Yusuf Ali

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons...."

Roman Transliteration from Yusuf Ali:

"YAA AYUHA NABIYU QUL LI AZWAAJIKA WA BANAATIKA WA NISAAA IL MUMINIINA YUDNIINA ALAYHINNA MIN JALAABIIBIHINN...."

ARABIC-ENGLISH:

YAA=OH

AYUHA=YOU

NABIYU=PROPHET

QUL=SAY

LI=TO

AZWAAJIKA=YOUR WIVES

WA=AND

BANAATIKA= YOUR DAUGHTERS

WA=AND

NISAAA=WOMEN

IL MUMINIINA=BELIEVERS (FEMININE PLURAL)

YUDNIINA=PUT/LOWER

ALAYHINNA=OVER THEM

MIN=WITH

JALAABIIBIHINN=THEIR JELABAS/JILBABS

The ayah quoted from Surah Al-Ahzab further directs Muslim women to put some outer garment over their clothes, and to draw it close around them.

It is a GREAT asset to learn Arabic if it is not our first language. If we don't we have to rely on scholars, people of knowledge, and native Arabic speakers to translate for us. When Arabic is translated into another language it loses some of its meaning...that is the unique beauty of the Quran Majid (Glorious Quran.) I am not saying that we shouldn't rely on these people because of the ayah which says "then ask those who possess the Message (Ahl adh-Dhikr) if you do not know." [Soorah 21, Aayah 7 and Soorah 6, Aayah 43] but only so that you will be able to verify for yourself. “O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with news verify it…” [al-Hujuraat 49:6]

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3. Not all niqaabis believe that the face veil is obligatory. Why do they choose to wear it then? The following reasons have been stated: the intention to draw closer to Allah (swt) by pleasing Him; their husbands request it; more hasanat (rewards) for being more modest; living in a muslim land where face veiling is the norm rather than the exception; personal choice because they like it. The latter reason leads me to my fourth point.

4. Distinguishing between what is MUSTAHABB (encourged/recommended) and what is FARD/WAJIB (obligatory/compulsory) in the SUNNAH(path of guidance from Muhammad saws). The Sunnah has two meanings. The first meaning is in the sense of guidance and examples from the life of the Prophet (saws) There are two subcategories. Wajib is obligatory and naafil is supererogatory. The second is mustahabb, meaning encouraged. If you do it, you will be rewarded but won't be punished for it if you don't. If you neglect something wajib it is a sin and there is punishment for it.

The Prophet's (saw) wives were Mothers of the Believers so what applied to them did NOT always apply to other women in certain cirumstances for instance, after the Prophet (saw) died no man could marry them. Did Aisha (raa) narrate that the Prophet (saw) said niqaab is fard? Did Asma? Did Hafsa? Did Fatima? Is there a Hadith Qudsi that explains niqaab as being fard? If there is a hadith show it to me. Certainly the mothers of the believers veiled their faces and if one wants to strive to be like them (noone will ever be able to hold a candle to them) then masha'Allah.

I just can't shake the feeling that somewhere down the line someone took a special thing reserved for the Mothers of the Believers and turned their obligation into an obligation for ALL women. Wallahi alim. (And Allah knows best) Why do I have this feeling? Because of the following ahadith:

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 22 Narrated Anas: The Prophet stayed for three days between Khaibar and Medina, and there he consummated his marriage to Safiyya bint Huyai. I invited the Muslims to the wedding banquet in which neither meat nor bread was offered. He ordered for leather dining-sheets to be spread, and dates, dried yoghurt and butter were laid on it, and that was the Prophet's wedding banquet. The Muslims wondered, "Is she (Saffiyya) considered as his wife or his slave girl?" Then they said, "If he orders her to veil herself, she will be one of the mothers of the Believers; but if he does not order her to veil herself, she will be a slave girl. So when the Prophet proceeded from there, he spared her a space behind him (on his she-camel) and put a screening veil between her and the people.

and

Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 523 Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet stayed with Safiya bint Huyai for three days on the way of Khaibar where he consummated his marriage with her. Safiya was amongst those who were ordered to use a veil.

Do we have a distinguishment here? The Prophet (saws) manumitted Safiya (raa) as part of her mahr when he married her. If Safiya (raa) was only going to be an amma (slave/lady captive) for Nabi (saws) then she would not have had to wear the veil. But since Nabi (saws) ordered her to wear the veil then her position took on a higher significance, not only would she be known as his wife but she would also be known as Umm Al Muminoon. (Mother of the Believers) "Safiya was amongst those who were ordered to use a veil." Does this sentence imply that all women wore the veil or is it used in the context to distinguish her from others? This guy Anas who narrated the above two was the most one to know about the order of veiling next to Umar (raa) who wanted so badly that an ayah would be sent down from Allah (swt) for the Prophet's wives to start veiling. Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 7, Book 65, Number 375 Narrated Anas: I know (about) the Hijab (the order of veiling of women) more than anybody else. Ubai bin Ka'b used to ask me about it...."

Also, I found one other hadith that shows a woman who was not the Mother of the Believers. Sunan Abu Dawud Book 14, Number 2482: Narrated Thabit ibn Qays: A woman called Umm Khallad came to the Prophet (saws) while she was veiled. She was searching for her son who had been killed (in the battle) Some of the Companions of the Prophet (saws) said to her: You have come here asking for your son while veiling your face? She said: If I am afflicted with the loss of my son, I shall not suffer the loss of my modesty. The Apostle of Allah (saws) said: You will get the reward of two martyrs for your son. She asked: Why is that so, Apostle of Allah? He replied: Because the people of the Book have killed him.

Is that disapproval from the sahabi men when she came to them with her face veiled? And nabi (saws) did not tell them they were wrong for asking her that. If he disapproved of them criticizing her for wearing a face veil he would have immediately corrected them for he does not forget anything. If it was a fard practice then the sahabi men would not have said anything to her? From what I can understand it is not shown that the Prophet (saws) disapproved of her wearing face veil either. It certainly doesn't specifically say that face veiling is fard. Which must mean she have had a choice right?

The fact that the Prophet (saws) prohibited wearing the face veil and gloves during hajj is another proof that at the time women did wear the face veil. But on the other hand there is also proof that they covered everything except the face and hands! (See hadith in point number one.) Also in Sahih al-Bukhari ther is a hadith about a beautiful woman who came to ask the Prophet (saws) about performing Hajj on behalf of her father. The Prophet (saws) was with a companion called Fadl and he was staring at the woman so the Prophet (saws) turned his head away! How would Fadl know that she was beautiful if she was wearing the face veil?

5. Let us look at the hadith of Asma (raa) "Aisha reported that Asmaa, the daughter of Abu Bakr, entered into the presence of the Messenger of Allaah wearing thin transparent clothing, So the Messenger of Allaah turned away from her saying : ‘O’ Asmaa, when a women reaches the age of menstruation, it is not allowed that any of her should be seen except this’ - and he pointed to his face and two hands." (Sahih, reported from Abu Dawud and Al-Bayhaqee. Authenticated by Al-Albaani, Al-Bayhaqee and Ath-Thahabee!)

The pro-niqaabis claim that this hadith is weak. [1] It would make so much sense to make it weak in order to make the order of face veiling more stronger. Some even claim that this hadith is interpretated as an exception for prayer. Al-Muhajabah is another sister that has researched the daleels on niqab and she says: "According to Shayk Albani there are two other versions of this hadith. It is my understanding that multiple da'if hadiths may strengthen each other to be hasan, and that hasan hadiths may be used to rule according to. Shayk Albani comments that every scholar who has cited this hadith has used it as a basis for rulings." See Niqab Is NOT Required From The Book Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah By Shayk Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee

Here are some more ahadith that show evidence for the khimar not niqab.

Narrated Anas ibn Malik: The Prophet (saws) brought Fatimah a slave which he donated to her. Fatimah wore a garment which, when she covered her head, did not reach her feet, and when she covered her feet by it, that garment did not reach her head. When the Prophet (saws) saw her struggle, he said: There is no harm to you: Here is only your father and slave. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 32, Number 4094.

and

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: Safiyyah, daughter of Shaybah, said that Aisha mentioned the women of Ansar, praised them and said good words about them. She then said: When Surat an-Nur came down, they took the curtains, tore them and made head covers of them. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 32, Number 4089.

and

Narrated Umm Salamah, Ummul Mu'minin: When the verse "That they should cast their outer garments over their persons" was revealed, the women of Ansar came out as if they had crows over their heads. Sunan Abu Dawud: Book 32, Number 4090.

Commentary from Sheik Al-Albani on the preceding ahadith: Here, the Prophet was waiting for his daughter to cover from her head to her feet, the mother of the believers was praising the women for their understanding and implementation of this verse. If they were wrong, it would have been correction, not praise. Did our great Prophet, himself, not understand? Did his beloved daughter not understand? Did Aisha, the mother of the Believers, who is undisputedly one of the greatest scholars of al Islam, not understand? It is inconceivable that the Prophet and these gre at woman who lived with and learned from the Prophet himself, would understand Islam less than these modern self-appointed scholars of Islam. May Allah guide them and protect us from them!"

6. That tafsir of the above hadith is from Sheikh Al-Albani, the most respected muhadith amongst all of the scholars! Skeikh ibn Baaz and Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on both) met in Minaa and Sheikh ibn Baaz used to pass all hadith questions to Al-Albani. This is not to forget that Sheikh ibn Baaz himself was an unchallenged imam of hadith.

7. Men are commanded to observe hijab as well. Hijab of the eyes. They are commanded to look down when they see a woman and if they happen to look at her the first glance is excused but if they follow it with a second one they will be held accountable. If men upheld up their part of the bargain then fitnah will not be so rampant. I ask again as I did in point number two, if it is true that Allah (swt) commanded women to cover everything except one or two eye(s), then why would He order the believing men to lower their gaze?

8. I would like to list the main errors of those who make the face veil obligatory from Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips who translated Ar-Radd al-Mufhim by Sheikh Nasir Ud-Din Al-Albani found in pages 5-20 of the introduction of his book Jilbaab "Al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah", 3rd edition, 1996, al-Maktabah al-Islaamiyyah. Because of its longevity I am only posting the main points so if you would like to view the article in its entirety go to THE FACE VEIL

a. The interpretation of al-idnaa’ in the verse of the Jilbaab to mean “covering the face”. This misinterpretation is contrary to the basic meaning of the word in Arabic which is “to come close”, as is mentioned in authoritative dictionaries like al-Mufradaat by the well-known scholar, ar-Raaghib al-Asbahaanee.

b. The interpretation of jilbaab as “a garment which covers the face.” Like the previous misinterpretation, this interpretation has no basis linguistically. It is contrary to the interpretation of the leading scholars, past and present, who define the jilbaab as a garment which women drape over their head scarves (khimaar). Even Shaykh at-Tuwaijree himself narrated this interpretation from Ibn Mas‘ood and other Salafee scholars.

c. The claim that the khimaar (headscarf) covers the head and the face. In doing so “the face” has been arbitrarily added to its meaning in order to make the verse: “Let them drape their headscarves over their busoms” appear to be in their favor, when, in fact it is not. The word khimaar linguistically means only a head covering. Whenever it is mentioned in general terms, this is what is intended.

d. The claim of a consensus (Ijmaa‘) on the face being considered ‘awrah. Shaykh at-Tuwaijree claimed that scholars unanimously held that the woman's face was ‘awrah and many who have no knowledge, including some Ph.D. holders, have blindly followed him. In fact, it is a false claim, which no one before him has claimed. The books of Hambalite scholars which he learned from, not to mention those of others, contain sufficient proof of its falsehood.

e. The agreement of at-Tuwaijree and the extremists with him to explain away the authentic hadeeths which contradict their opinion. At-Tuwaijree did this with the Khath‘amiyyah hadeeth. They developed a number of comical methods to nullify its implications. I have refuted them all in ar-Radd and one of them in Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah. Some reputable scholars have said that the hadeeth doesn’t contain a clear statement that her face was exposed. This is among the farthest opinions from the truth. For, if her face wasn’t exposed, where did the narrator or the viewer get the idea that she was beautiful?

f. The frequent use of inauthentic hadeeths and unreliable narrations. For example, the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas about exposing only one eye is commonly used by those who insist that women are obliged to cover their faces in spite of their knowledge of its inauthenticity. In fact, one among them also declared it inauthentic. Perhaps the most important of these unreliable hadeeth commonly used as evidence is the one in which the Prophet is reported to have said, “Are you both blind?” They blindly followed at-Tuwaijree and the others in claiming that this inauthentic narration was strengthened by other supportive narrations and that it was evidence for the prohibition of women from looking at men, even if they are blind.

g. The classification of some authentic hadeeths and confirmed narrations from the Companions as inauthentic. The extremists have declared well-established reliable narrations as unreliable and feigned ignorance of strengthening narrations. They have further declared some narrations extremely inauthentic, like the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah concerning the woman who reaches puberty, “Nothing should be seen of her besides her face and hands.” They have persistently declared it inauthentic – the ignorant among them blindly following others devoid of knowledge. In so doing, they contradict those among the leading scholars of hadeeth who strengthen it like al-Bayhaqee and ath-Thahabee.

h. Placing unreasonable conditions. Among the amazing practices of some latter day blind following hanafite scholars and others is that on one hand they agree with us regarding the permissibility of women exposing their faces, because that was the position of their Imaams, but on the other hand they agree with the extremists in opposition to their Imaams. They make ijtihaad (while claiming taqleed) by adding the condition that the society be safe from fitnah to the position of the Imaams. This refers to the fitnah caused by women to men.

These types of errors are astounding!

Conclusion

From my three years of research I have reached the conclusion that there is evidence from the ahadith to show the women of the Prophet's (saws) time wore both the hijab and niqab. But from my understanding this evidence shows the minimum requirement is to cover everything except the face and the hands. Anything beyond that is optional and based upon the intentions (e.g., to emulate the Mothers of the Believers or to be more modest.) Basically that is the reason why I chose hijab over niqab. And who knows, maybe one day I might wear niqab!

In the end, no matter how we decide to cover we all have one thing in common and that is being a Muslimah in this glorious Din al-Islam (Religion of Islam.) Amongst us Muslim women there is the one who doesn't cover at all because she doesn't think it is obligatory; the one who doesn't cover and is striving to; the hijabi who covers everything except her face and hands; the hijabi who is striving for niqaab; the niqaabi that believes covering everthing is wajib and the niqaabi who believes it is only encouraged. Who is the best? The one that is the most pious. Which one is the most pious? Allahu Alim (Allah Knows Best)!

May Allah guides us all to the straight path ameen. FiAmanAllah, Tara

Glossary

Allah=Arabic term for God

swt=subhanAllahu wa ta'ala=Glory to Him Most High

saws=sallalahu alaihi wa salaam=blessings and peace be upon him

raa=radiallahu anha (f) radiallahu anhu (m)

hijab=head covering

niqaab=type of hijab that covers the face

Footnotes:

[1] Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid: "Many scholars have compiled these fabricated and weak ahaadeeth in books devoted solely to these type of reports, so that it is easy to find out about them – then one can beware of them and warn others about them. These books include al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah by Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Manaar al-Muneef by Ibn al-Qayyim, al-La’aali’ al-Masnoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah by al-Suyooti, al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo’ah by al-Shawkaani, al-Asraar al-Marfoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah by Ibn ‘Arraaq, and Da’eef al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer and Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah, both by Shaykh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him." Taken from islam-qa.com

Author: I found Al-Albani's compilation of weak and fabricated ahadith at islaam.com under the sunnah section.

References

1. "Muslim Women's Dress" by Sheikh Nasir Ud-Din Al-Albani complied by Sheikh Mahmud Murad

2. "Hijab" by Shariffa Carlo Al-Andalusia with excerpts from Sheikh Nasir Ud-Din Al-Albani

3. "The Face Veil" by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips

4. "The Noble Quran" by Dr. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, Ph.D. and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan

5. English Translation of The Holy Quran by Yusuf Ali

Recommended Books/Articles To Read

1. "The Face Veil" by Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips at http://www.bilalphilips.com/abouthim/artic03a.htm

This is an edited translation of a summary of ar-Radd al-Mufhim by Shaykh Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee found in pages 5-20 of the introduction of his book Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 3rd edition, 1996, al-Maktabah al-Islaamiyyah.

2. Muslim Women's Dress: Hijab or Niqab by Syed Mutawalli ad-Darsh with an introduction by Mazheruddin Siddiqi

The debate on Muslim women's dress is endless. The sisters who opt for face-veil (niqab) may be brave, but we need to dispel the notion that niqab is what is originally required by the Qur'an, and that hijab is a "later modified" version of the original. The sisters who don the ordinary hijab can rest assured that they are following the injuctions of the Qur'an and Sunnah to the letter. The author, Dr Darsh, is an eminent Muslim scholar in Britain. His deep Islamic knowledge combined with years of experience in the west, make him particularly qualified to relate the teachings of Islam to modern societies. He is at present the President of the UK Islamic Shariah Council.

3. Examining the Dalils for Niqab by Al-Muhajabah: Some Muslims claim that niqab is fard and bring evidence from the Quran and Sunna that they say proves it. But their evidence is not as compelling as it seems at first. This article shows why not.

4. Niqab Is NOT Required: From The Book Jilbaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah By Shaykh Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee which examines the main errors of those who make the face veil obligatory.

(Compiled by Sis Tara Gregory http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/scarves/hijabniqab.html Or http://www.worldofislam.netfirms.com/hijabniqab.html