to ask them about matters of their religion. Were it not for the hijab, they would have been obliged to cover their faces whenever men entered upon them to ask them questions; and this would have entailed evident hardship and difficulty. This was lifted from them by the hijab while they were in their homes. But when they left their homes for some need, they covered their faces, as is established in several reports cited in my book The Jilbab of the Muslim Woman.

Moreover, there are many hadiths in the sunnah indicating that women—including some of his wives, peace and blessings be upon him—did not cover their faces before the revelation of this verse of hijab. Three of them presently come to mind:

First: Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

When Zaynab’s waiting period had ended, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Zayd, “Speak to her on my behalf.” Zayd said: So I went to her and found her leavening her dough. When I saw her, she became so awe-inspiring in my heart that I could not look at her, since the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had spoken of marrying her. So I turned my back to her and retreated on my heels … The hadith continues in a manner similar to what preceded, and it includes the revelation of the verse of hijab.

Muslim (4/148), Ahmad (3/195), and Abu Ya‘la (6/77–78) narrated it.

Second: The hadith of Aishah and her statement, in the account of the slander incident involving Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal al-Sulami:

“... He saw the dark outline of a sleeping person, so he came to me when he saw me. He had seen me before the hijab. I awoke when he said, ‘To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return,’ upon recognizing me, so I covered my face with my jilbab (outer garment) ...” The hadith continues at length, and it was reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Third: Aishah also said:

I was eating hays, a dish of dates and curds, with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, from a large bowl, when Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—