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Fatwa CenterHow to deal with wife who refuses to cover face
Question
asalamualikum hope you are in the best of imaan and also i pray Allah grants you istiqamah. could you please tell me how i should deal with my wife in regards to her wearing the niqab. i have seen the evidences on covering the face and hold it to be frad for her to cover her face. i have advised he countless times in many different ways to cover her face in front of non mahrams but she refuses to do so. this has been on going for 3 years know. i feel very ashmed when i take her out and other men look at her face. i have advised her with gentleness on many occasions and some times with harshness by getting angry with her to fear and obey Allah and the Messenger salAllah hu alayhe wasslam and forfill my rights over her. i have given her the evidences fron Quran and Sunnah on niqab, played lectures from scholors on this, and bought her books like the 4 essays and told her about the benefits and harms and i have have her leaflets on this subject but she refues to do wear the niqab, she says i dont want to wear it, i cant wear it, she says she dont look at other men and other men dot look at her, but when im with her i see other men looking at her. other wise she cooks, cleans and looks after my childern and i do love her dearly but now she is making me have ill feelings against her and because of this a hatred for this act of disobedience is hurting my feelings and eating me up. could you please advise jazakAllah khayr. your brother abu Isa
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
According to the preponderant opinion of the scholars, covering the face and hands is an obligation for a woman, and we have already clarified this in Fataawa 92091 and 99167.
In addition to this, the majority of the scholars who are of the view that it is permissible for her to uncover her face and hands, hold that it is an obligation to cover them when temptation is feared from her or for her, i.e. when there is fear that her uncovered face and hands would cause temptation or that she would become tempted because of that. Therefore, the Fatwa that is adopted now – as we are in a world where corruption is widespread – is that it is an obligation for a woman to cover her face and hands according to the preponderant view of the Four Schools of jurisprudence; this is in general.
In addition to this, if a wife is ordered by her husband to wear the Niqaab, then it is confirmed that she has to wear it, as the wife has no other choice when her husband orders her to cover her face. The scholars stated that in issues of difference of opinion, one is obliged to obey whomever he/she is obliged to obey, either a parent or a husband, if he orders him/her to act according to one of the two opinions as long as his order does not lead to committing what is predominantly thought to be forbidden.
If she refuses to wear the Niqaab, then she is Naashiz (a recalcitrant wife). Therefore, the Islamic steps in treating a recalcitrant wife should be followed and we have already clarified them in Fatwa 85402.
Allaah Knows best.
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