What is the ruling on removing the niqab to live in France, given its prohibition there? Is financial support (nafaqah) obligatory for the husband's children from an unregistered marriage? Is it permissible for the husband to sit with his unveiled Christian ex-wife without a mahram under the pretext of seeing the children? And is it obligatory to obey him in abandoning the hijab to live in non-Muslim lands?
The —meaning the covering of the entire body except for the face and hands—is obligatory by scholarly consensus, and the preponderant opinion according to us is the obligation of covering the face. It is not permissible for a woman to obey her husband in not wearing the hijab or not covering her face, nor is it permissible for her to travel to reside with him if that leads to negligence in observing the hijab.
Regarding marriage, for its validity, it requires offer and acceptance, a guardian (wali), and witnesses. If it is merely an agreement without these conditions, then it is not a marriage but a form of zina (illicit sexual relations), and children are not attributed to him unless he believed it to be permissible. However, if it was with offer and acceptance but lacked the condition of a guardian or witnesses, it is an invalid marriage where the child is attributed to him due to ( شبهة - a semblance of legality).
As for a man sitting with a non- woman without a hijab or being in seclusion with her, it is not permissible, and seeing the children does not justify it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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