And at another point (p. 219) he writes: “Even if al-Fadl did see her face, his seeing it does not prove that she kept it uncovered ….”
This is yet another instance of obstinate denial, no different from the previous one, for Ibn ʿAbbās says:
“Al-Fadl began to gaze at her, repeatedly turning toward her,”
and in the other narration: “He kept looking at her, captivated by her beauty.” These two reports invalidate the shaykh’s claim—and that of anyone who follows him, such as our courteous brother Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl (3/368)—for two reasons:
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The expression “he kept looking and turning” plainly indicates continuity of action.
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The verb faṭafiqa means “he went on looking,” as in the verse, “So he set about wiping [their] shins and necks” (Ṣād 38:33), ⦗33⦘ and the verse, “They both began fastening leaves of Paradise over themselves” (al-Aʿrāf 7:22). The same wording appears in al-Bukhārī in the story of Moses bathing alone: “He began striking the stone,” and again in the ḥadith of the Hijrah: “Abu Bakr began worshipping his Lord.”
For this reason Ibn Baṭṭāl—cited later in the book (p. 63)—said:
“The Prophet ﷺ did not turn al-Fadl’s face away until he had persisted in looking at her, being impressed by her.”
He then took this as evidence that it is not obligatory for a woman to cover her face, and that is what ⦗43⦘