Aisha showed her freed slave Salim how Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would perform wudu’
Aisha showed her freed slave Salim how Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would perform wudu’
This hadith shows that Sayyidah ‘Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha did not observe hijab. The entire narration reads:
عن أبي عبد الله سالم سبلان قال و كانت عائشة تستعجب بأمانته و تستأجره فأرتني كيف كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يتوضأ فتمضمضت و استنثرت ثلاثا و غسلت وجهها ثلاثا ثم يدها اليمنى ثلاثا و اليسرى ثلاثا و وضعت يدها في مقدم رأسها ثم مسحت رأسها مسحة واحدة إلى مؤخره ثم أمرت يديها بأذنيها ثم مرت على الخدين قال سالم كنت آتيها مكاتبا ما تختفي مني فتجلس بين يدي و تتحدث معي حتى جئتها ذات يوم فقلت ادعي لي بالبركة يا أم المؤمنين قالت و ما ذاك قلت أعتقني الله قالت بارك الله لك و أرخت الحجاب دوني فلم أرها بعد ذلك اليوم
Abu ‘Abdullah Salim Subulan reports:
‘Aisha was amazed at my trustworthiness and she would hire me. She showed me how Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would perform wudu’. She gargled and put water in the nose thrice. She washed her face thrice followed by her right arm thrice and left arm thrice. She placed her hand on the front of her head and then passed it over her head once till the back. She then passed her hands over her ears and then on her nape.
Salim continues:
I would come to her while I was a mukatab. She would not observe hijab from me. She would sit in front of me and talk with me. Until one day I came to her and said, “Make du’a’ for blessings for me, O Umm al Mu’minin!”
She enquired, “And what is the reason for that?”
“Allah emancipated me,” I answered.
She prayed, “May Allah bless you,” and lowered the hijab (veil) in front of me. I never saw her after that day.[1]
The Rawafid narrated from Abu ‘Abdullah that he was asked:
هل يجوز للمملوك أن يرى شعر مولاته و ساقها قال لا بأس
“Is it permissible for a slave to see the hair and shin of his madam?”
He replied, “There is no problem.”
It appears in a reliable and sahih narration from Aban ibn ‘Uthman:
سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن المملوك يرى شعر مولاته قال لا بأس
I asked Abu ‘Abdullah rahimahu Llah whether a slave is allowed to see his madam’s hair. He said that it was fine.
The Rawafid permit this in their books and narrations.[2]
The Rawafid should learn the stance of their scholars on this issue. Their stance is that it is not necessary for a woman to observe hijab from a slave except when he pays the amount to free himself. This is the view of al Tusi who cited a narration from Sayyidah Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
إذا كان لأحداكن مكاتب و كان عنده ما يؤدي فليحتجب عنه
When one of you women have a mukatab slave and he has wealth to buy his freedom, then observe hijab from him.[3]
This clearly shows the permissibility of not observing hijab prior to him possessing the amount to buy his freedom according to you.
[1] Sunan al Nasa’i.
[2] Al Hada’iq al Nadirah vol. 23 pg. 69; al Naraqi: Mustanad al Shia vol. 16 pg. 53; al Kafi vol. 5 pg. 531; Wasa’il al Shia vol. 20 pg. 223; Muhsin al Hakim: Mustamsik al ‘Urwah al Wuthqa vol. 14 pg. 43.
[3] Al Tusi: al Mabsut vol. 6 pg. 72; al Tabarsi: Mustadrak al Wasa’il vol. 16 pg. 26; Ibn Abi Jamhur al Ihsa’i: ‘Awali al Ali vol. 3 pg. 435.