Wajh (the face: washing in ablution, tayammum, covering and looking, and the face in supplication)

وَجْه

Wajh in the lexical sense comes from confronting; it is the front of anything, and in a person it runs from the hairline down to the chin and across between the earlobes. ¹ Washing the face is required in ablution, and wiping it is a pillar of tayammum by agreement. ¹ ² Most jurists hold that a free adult woman's face is not an intimate part, while some Hanbalis hold it is; looking at a woman's face with desire, or where temptation is feared, is forbidden. ¹ ² Jurists rebuke a young woman who uncovers her face before unrelated men out of fear of temptation; some Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that the men must lower their gaze and the woman is not obliged to cover her face in the street. ² ³ Striking or branding the face is forbidden, in man or beast, by the Prophet ﷺ's prohibition. ³ The Hanafis and Malikis forbid a pilgrim in ihram from covering his face, while the Shafi'is and Hanbalis allow it. ³ ⁴ The Hanafis and, in the accepted view, the Shafi'is allow wiping the face with the hands after supplication, and the Shafi'is recommend it. ⁴

Summary

Wajh in the lexical sense comes from confronting; in a person it runs from the hairline down to the chin, and across between the earlobes. ¹

Ablution and tayammum

Washing the face is required in ablution, and wiping it is a pillar of tayammum by agreement. ¹ ²

The woman's face and gazing

Most jurists hold that a free adult woman's face is not an intimate part; some Hanbalis hold it is. Looking at a woman's face with desire, or where temptation is feared, is forbidden. ¹ ² Jurists rebuke a young woman who uncovers her face before unrelated men out of fear of temptation; some Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that the men are bound to lower their gaze. ² ³

Striking and branding the face

Striking or branding the face is forbidden, in man or beast, by the Prophet's prohibition. ³

Covering a pilgrim's face and wiping the face in supplication

The Hanafis and Malikis forbid a pilgrim in ihram to cover his face; the Shafi'is and Hanbalis allow it. ³ ⁴ The Hanafis and, in the accepted view, the Shafi'is allow wiping the face with the hands after supplication, and the Shafi'is recommend it. ⁴

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16619

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16620

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16621

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16622

Openness as against secrecy in acts of worship, charity and public notice (alaniya)

In the lexicon, alaniya comes from proclaiming and showing a thing, and is the opposite of secrecy. Public voice (jahr) is narrower than openness, and secrecy is what is hidden in the heart. Acts of worship divide by openness: some are prescribed to be public, such as the call to prayer, the sermon, jihad and enjoining good; some are better kept private, such as reciting silently in the silent prayer; and some may be either, such as charity. An obligatory alms-giving is better shown when there is no fear of showing off, so that others may follow it, while a voluntary gift is better hidden where display is feared. The faults of narrators, witnesses and those entrusted with charities and endowments must be made public when they affect their fitness, and the scholars hold this is not forbidden backbiting. The judge is recommended to proclaim the restraint of a bankrupt and to call witnesses to it, and one Shafi'i view makes it obligatory.