Woman Between Islam and Western Society
10. Hijab in Islam
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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 faces, 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.
After quoting this tradition the author quotes Ibn
Hazm:
