Righteous wife who fears Allah (Exalted be He

Q: I married a woman from this area on 1 Rajab, 1398 A.H. And I have worked in Riyadh for fourteen years. After we traveled to Riyadh, I told her to cover herself in front of men, and not to look at anyone other than her Mahrams (spouse and unmarriageable male relatives). She agreed to this. Five months ago, my father-in-law came to visit us in Riyadh. I met him and brought him to my home. When he saw his daughter covered in front of my brother and the other people who were present, and that she did not look at them he became enraged and shouted, "Does my daughter have any defects for her to cover like this?" (Part No. 17; Page No. 282) He told his daughter to take off her face cover and not to wear it again. I explained to him that our religion legislates veil-wearing and asks us to do this and I tried to persuade him, but he insisted on his stand. Some of those with him encouraged him, saying that this is the custom of the southern tribes. Finally, he said that if I insisted on her wearing the Ghatwah (face cover), I should divorce her and marry another woman from Najd. My wife agrees with her father’s opinion, although we have a fourteen-month-old son and a two-month-old daughter. I am concerned about my children and my religion, and I am waiting for your response to this issue?

A: The Shar‘y (Islamic legal) evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah indicates the obligation of Hijab (veil). This woman should wear Hijab, and it not permissible for either her father or her husband to forbid her from wearing it; she is not permitted to obey anyone who forbids her from wearing Hijab.