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Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Allaah commanded the believing women, when they go out of their houses for some need, to cover their faces from the top of the head with the jilbaab, and to leave only one eye showing.”
is this hadith genuine?
The hadith you are referring to is a da'īf (weak) hadith mawqūf, which means that the narration (hadith) is attributed to a companion, not to the Prophet ﷺ (mawqūf). In our case here, the narration you are asking about is attributed to 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (others have narrated this hadith, too).
This hadith is documented in multiple books, for example in Tafsir at-Tabari 20/324 (Arabic only) by At-Tabari in his commentary on Surat Al-Ahzab 33:59:
عن ابن عباس قوله ❬ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ❭ أمر الله نساء المؤمنين إذا خرجن من بيوتهن في حاجة أن يغطين وجوههن من فوق رءوسهن بالجلابيب ويبدين عينا واحدة
— NOTE: My own translation, so treat with care:
Narrated by Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "In His saying 'O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments,' Allah commanded the women of the believers, if they leave their homes to run an errand, that they cover their faces from the top of their heads with their outer garments, and to show only one eye."
This hadith mawqūf is narrated through 'Ali ibn Abu Talha through Abu Sāleh through Mu'āwiya ibn Abu Sufyān through 'Ali ibn Abu Tālib through 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas. This narration chain was deemed da'īf by Ibn Taymiyyah as documented by Sa'īd ibn 'Ali al-Qahtāni in Idhhār al-Haq wa as-Sawāb 2/95 (Arabic only) due to the fact that it is severed. In Ar-Radd al-Mufhim pp. 48, the same hadith mawqūf was deemed da'īf by Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani.
It is worth noting that there are other scholars who have deemed this hadith sahih (authentic), e.g., Ibn Abu Shaybah.
Note. This answer is meant to address the question about the authenticity of this particular narration. It is not to be taken as a ruling on whether covering the face is mandatory or recommended for a woman when going out of her house.
This cannot be sahih because it makes no sense. To cover one eye and not the other seems absurd on its face, and I have never seen it done. Even in the niqab a woman need not cover her eyes for the simple reason that she needs to see. To restrict her to one eye would inhibit her ability to watch her own children. Allah created her with two eyes. This is why the Quran frequently states "will you not use your minds?"
This statement cannot be authentic. No major fuqaha has ruled about one eye showing.
If anyone claims authentic, please share the source (hadith collection and number) of this statement.
Even though this hadith is not authentic. It is haram to for a woman to show her face in public. She cannot show her hair. She cannot show her eyebrows. She cannot show her nose. She cannot show her mouth,lips or any part of her body.
