JazakAllah Khair for this article. Niqab is something that deserves respect. And i think very highly of women who do wear it, especially in the non-Muslim countries. However, one thing is for real: the Hukm of Hijab/head covering. Muslim women should inshAllah do it.

As for Niqaab, scholars have various fatwaas for it and Allah SWT knows best. Those who do it for fear and love of Him, are great women. I admire them. :]

JazakAllah, Wasalam.

Every evidence put in this article is a very strong indication that niqaab is not fard, even during the most corrupt societies, because remember that prior to Islam, the Arabian peninsula was one of the most corrupt societies, and not all of the people had converted to Islam until the very end of the Prophet’s life.

The strongest argument against niqaab is that Allah told women to cover their bosoms, and not their faces in Surah Nur. If Allah wanted to include the face, He would have clearly done so in this verse. The prophet named four perfect women including Maryam, Khadijah, Fatima and Asya. None of them are known to have worn the niqaab.

Those brothers who make niqaab something fard are also thinking in selfish terms. To make life easier on themselves, they will make a woman completely faceless from society. What kind of brotherhood is that? In niqaab, a woman is a walking ghost, who has no right to show her feelings, share her thoughts or opinions, nor take part in normal life activities. Allah has warned many times for us not to be extreme in our religion, and the niqaab is a very extreme interpretation by a very minority group of scholars which has suppressed the lives of many Muslim women throughout the world. Every brother who supports the niqaab should first wear it himself for at least a month in public and see what it feels like not to be able to breathe or eat or talk properly. Then he should decide whether the niqaab is not oppressive to women.

Allah has warned us that we should not make something halal into haram. When Allah allows the woman to show her face, who is any man or woman to forbid it, no matter if he/she is a scholar?

I'm curious about the practice of some Muslim sisters who don't wear niqab. When going to the masjid or a Muslim event, or upon seeing a Muslim brother at the store, some sisters use their hijab to cover their face. They don't cover their face normally. Is there any religious basis for this practice or is strictly cultural?

Some brothers feel offended saying that wearing niqab just around Muslim men sends a message that Muslim men are less trustworthy and “dirty” in a way. On the other hand, some argue that the sisters who follow this practice want to be more respectful and have more hayaa around the Muslim. I'm struggling to figure out which it is, or perhaps it depends on the individual?

JazakumAllahu Khair.

I'm curious about the practice of some Muslim women who don't cover their face normally, but when going to the masjid or a Muslim event, or upon seeing a Muslim brother at the store, she will cover her face using the hijab. Does this practice have any religious basis? Or is it strictly cultural?

“deobandi-hanafi position which Br. Ali Godil posted”

Although the article is posted on “deoband.org,” none of the ulama that it references were Deobandi scholars. I'm not for or against this position; I just posted it to show the opinion of the classical Hanafi jurists.