My Father Disparaged the Niqab. Is That Kufr?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

Did my father commit kufr by saying bad things about the niqab? He’s not very knowledgable about Islam so I doubt he knows niqab was the dress of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). He might think it’s a cultural thing or as many people say, “linked with extremism”.

Answer

Thank you for your question.

There is much controversy around the niqab among ethnic groups, Eastern and Western, because of their fear of the unknown and their disagreement with concealing something as basic as the face. On the other hand, Muslim scholars have told us time and again that the face veil has a place in Islam and many scholars consider it obligatory until today.

However, wearing the niqab is not unanimously obligatory and it is not one of the things that are necessarily known about the religion. Hence, it is not kufr that your father said something negative about it. However, it would better if you could educate him about the face veil and tell him that it is fine to disagree with it without disparaging it. Please see this excellent article, and suggest to your father to read it:

The Lawful Nature of Niqab (Face Veiling)

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad 
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied Aqidah, Fiqh, Tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied Fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.