Imam Bukhari in his Tafsir of Surah Nur “Why then did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people and say: ‘This (charge) is an obvious lie… (up to) … Then with Allah they are the liars.” (V.24: 12-13). He brings the incident of al-Ifk (The Slanderous Lie) against ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها).
The hadith says:
“فَخَمَّرْتُ وَجْهِي بِجِلْبَابِي”
” … so I covered my face with my Jilbaab… ” Bukhari 4750 , Muslim, 2770
In it is a proof for those who say the Jilbaab covers the face. As ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) covered her face from Safwan ibn Muattal when he saw here without the face veil.
حدثني يعقوب قال ثنا ابن علية عن ابن عون عن محمد عن عبيدة في قوله (يَاأَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُلْ لأزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِنْ جَلابِيبِهِنَّ) فلبسها عندنا ابن عون قال: ولبسها عندنا محمد قال محمد: ولبسها عندي عبيدة قال ابن عون بردائه فتقنع به، فغطى أنفه وعينه اليسرى وأخرج عينه اليمنى، وأدنى رداءه من فوق حتى جعله قريبا من حاجبه أو على الحاجب
Imam Tabari Narrates from Yaqoub ibn Ibrahim al Durki that he heard Ibn Aliyah from Ibn Awn from Ibn Sireen that: “I asked ‘Abīdah as Salmaani (Tabi) about the statement of Allah: “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their Jalābīb all over their bodies…” So Ibn ‘Awn covered in front us, and Muhammad covered in front us and he said, ‘And ‘Abīdah covered in front of me.’ Ibn ‘Awn said, ‘So he veiled himself with his ridaa’(jilbaab) covering his nose and his left eye, leaving his right eye showing, then he drew his ridā’ from above making it close to his eyebrow, or upon his eyebrow.”
Grade: Isnad Sahih and all the men are reliable, mountain in memorization.
ثَنَا أَحْمَدُ ، قَالَ : ثَنَا ثَنَا أَحْمَدُ ، قَالَ : ثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ ، عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ ، قَالَ : قَالَتُ عَائِشَةُ ” تُسْدِلُ الْمُحْرِمَةُ جِلْبَابَهَا مِنْ فَوْقِ رَأْسِهَا عَلَى وَجْهِهَا “
“Hushaym informed us saying, Al-’Amash informed us, from Ibrāhīm, from Al-Aswad, from ‘Aa’ishah (radhiyallahu ‘Anhā) that she said,
‘The woman is to bring down her Jilbāb from over her head and [then place it] upon her face.’ ”
This is reported by Sa’eed ibn Mansoor. Al-Haafith ibn Hajr mentioned it in his Fat-hul Bāri 3/406. Ibn Al-Qayyim said in his Badā’I’ Al-Fawā’id: “Its chain is Sahīh upon the conditions of the two Shaykhs (Muslim and Bukhāri).”
It is also reported by Abu Dāwood in Al-Masā’il of Imām Ahmad Hadith 41
in the Chapter of What should a woman wear in her ihram?
with the same chain. In that chain however, the word Al-Mara’ah (the woman) is replaced with “Al-Muhrimah” (the woman in the state of Ihrām). Both narrations are Sahīh.
Notice the statement of ‘Aa’ishah, “Al-Mara’ah” (the woman). This word is general and for all women! This shows us that ‘Aa’ishah, with her knowledge of the language and fiqh, knew that the Jilbāb was that which covered the entire body, including the face.
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ ، أنبأ أَبُو سَعِيدِ بْنُ الأَعْرَابِيِّ . ح وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ بْنُ بِشْرَانَ ، أنبأ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّفَّارُ ، قَالا : نا سَعْدَانُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ ، ثنا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ ، عَنْ عَاصِمٍ الأَحْوَلِ ، قَالَ : ” كُنَّا نَدْخُلُ عَلَى حَفْصَةَ بِنْتِ سِيرِينَ ، وَقَدْ جَعَلَتِ الْجِلْبَابَ هَكَذَا ، وَتَنَقَّبَتْ بِهِ ، فَنَقُولُ لَهَا رَحِمَكِ اللَّهُ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : وَالْقَوَاعِدُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لا يَرْجُونَ نِكَاحًا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِنَّ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ ثِيَابَهُنَّ غَيْرَ مُتَبَرِّجَاتٍ بِزِينَةٍ سورة النور آية 60 هُوَ الْجِلْبَابُ ، قَالَ : فَتَقُولُ لَنَا : أَيُّ شَيْءٍ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ؟ فَنَقُولُ وَأَنْ يَسْتَعْفِفْنَ خَيْرٌ لَهُنَّ سورة النور آية 60 ، فَتَقُولُ : هُوَ إِثْبَاتُ الْجِلْبَابِ ”
It was narrated that ‘Aasim al-Ahwal said: We used to enter upon Hafsah bint Sirīn and she put her Jilbāb and thus covered her face with it, and so we would say to her: May Allah have mercy on you. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And as for women past childbearing who do not expect wedlock, it is no sin on them if they discard their (outer) clothing in such a way as not to show their adornment” [al-Noor 24:60]. And she would say to us: What comes after that (of the āyah)? We would say: “But to refrain (i.e. not to discard their outer clothing) is better for them”. And so she said: [Referring to, ‘But to refrain is better for them’], “It means to keep on the Jilbāb.” [Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 7/93. It is Authenticated by Sheikh al-Albani in Radd-ul-Mufhim]