Question

I see this Hadith often but I don’t see the word “face” in the Arabic:

قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ نِسَاءَ الْمُهَاجِرَاتِ الأُوَلَ، لَمَّا أَنْزَلَ اللَّه ‏{‏وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ‏}‏ شَقَّقْنَ مُرُوطَهُنَّ فَاخْتَمَرْنَ بِها‏.‏

Sayyidatuna ‘Aishah (radiyallahu ‘anha) said:

May Allah bestow His Mercy on the early emigrant women. When Allah revealed: “… and to draw their veils all over their Juyubihinna (i.e., their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms)…” they tore their Murat [woolen dresses or waist-binding clothes or aprons etc.] and covered their heads and faces with those torn Muruts.

My question is, I just see a verb from the root خمر

Why did the translator write that they covered their faces?

 

Answer

Before questioning such a text, one should at least have some sort of understanding of the Arabic language.

The “verb from the root خمر…” that you are questioning actually translates [in this context] as: they covered their faces.

Refer to any Arabic dictionary. Also see Fathul Bari, Hadith: 4758

As a rule, the general masses are totally discouraged from reading Academic Hadith books, as it leads to unnecessary confusion.

One should rather stick to the books that exclude highly academic related Hadiths. That would be books like Riyadus Sawlihin, At-Targhib wat Tarhib, Al-Matjarur Rabih etc.

 

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best,

Answered by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar

Checked by: Mawlana Haroon Abasoomar

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التخريج من المصادر العربية

فتح الباري لابن حجر:
(٤٧٥٨) – قوله: «فاختمرن» أي غطين وجوههن وصفة ذلك أن تضع الخمار على رأسها وترميه من الجانب الأيمن على العاتق الأيسر وهو التقنع قال الفراء كانوا في الجاهلية تسدل المرأة خمارها من ورائها وتكشف ما قدامها فأمرن بالاستتار والخمار للمرأة كالعمامة للرجل.