Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
10. Hijab in Islam
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day society. Here is one of the traditions referred to
by him to support his argument.
‘Aishah says that Muslim women used to attend the
morning prayer led by the Prophet wrapped in a
sheet of cloth. Afterwards, when they returned
home, it was so dark that they could not be
recognized.
This narrative makes it clear that their faces were
not covered. Had their faces been covered, the
question of their being recognized would not
arise. The phrase “because of the darkness they
could not be recognized” makes sense only if the
face, by which individuals are recognized, were
uncovered.
Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani takes a similar
stand as regards the covering of a woman’s hands,
quoting a famous tradition narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas.
It says that once the Messenger of God addressed
the women to urge them to give alms (
sadaqah
).
Afterwards Bilal ibn Rabah, a Companion of the
Prophet, spread a sheet, on which the women began
throwing their rings.
