Lowering the Gaze

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

My dear sisters and brothers it goes without saying that every Muslim should spare no pains in lowering their gaze and preserving their modesty. This should occur in compliance with the Divine command given in Surah An-Nur: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest." (An-Nur: 30-31) In the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported as having said: "And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their zina is gazing." He (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded Ali and said: "Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you." Of course a Muslim needs some help in lowering his gaze. A Muslim should always think of Allah's reward that is deposited for him and of the many bad consequences he is saved from when he lowers his gaze. It is a tough task of course, but the harder it is, the greater the reward. This sin is so hateful in the sight of our Lord, that He commanded us to not even go near it. Despite what anyone may say, looking upon that which is forbidden is going near adultery, for an illicit affair begins with a lustful glance. In these cases, lowering the gaze may be even harder. You weren't expecting it, so you didn't mentally prepare yourself. If you feel overwhelmed seek refuge in Allah. It has also been suggested to say: La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power or might except with Allah). If we sincerely make du`a, in sha Allah, we can succeed in turning our eyes away. The gaze is part of a Muslim's character A Muslim is decent and pure. This means all of his or her body must be decent and pure. A natural consequence of this is lowering the gaze. Allah tells us: "O you who believe! Do not follow Satan's footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will command what is shameful and wrong..." (An-Nur: 21). Looking at another man or woman in an indecent manner is following in Satan's footsteps. It all begins with a lustful glance. Such a glance leads to lustful talk and flirting, then meeting. And we are all aware of what comes next. Let us stop Satan in his tracks and lower our gaze. Let us start today, especially during these hot summer months. Yes, it is very difficult and it takes discipline and faith. Yet, whenever we struggle to please Allah, He will reward us several times over in this life and the next. It is truly a jihad. But, it is a jihad worth undertaking, and we will be all the better for it."

Prophet Muhamad (pbuh), by way of warning and as a reminder said, "There is nothing left after I go more dangerous to men than the temptations of women." Being optimistic, a ray of hope was also wisely provided during the prophet's Last Sermon "If the Ummah holds on to the Qur`an and Sunnah, it will never go astray." We should realize that the fact the great Sahabas were human beings also. Biologically there were no different from us. They had desires and temptations but yet, they controlled themselves in the best of ways. We can do the same, Insha`Allah. To possess sensual passions is human, to control them is Muslim. When confronted with an alluring situation like passing by a non-mahram on the street, office or school, Satan is constantly tempting us to glare at her/him with evil thoughts. Satan is probably excitingly saying, with a big smile, 'yes, yes, yes,' when we steer into the bait he is setting. During these situations, immediately and consciously realize that when we give a second or following glances, we are obeying Satan. "O you who believe, follow not the footsteps of the devil " (24:21). By immediately averting our gazes and disobeying Satan, we are giving him a one-two punch in the face and leaving him frustrated and accursed. Satan rebelled and was expelled by Allah, so let's all rebel against Satan and expel him from our hearts. Satan intends to fight a war against Muslims, so let's gather our forces behind the Qur`an and the Sunnah and defeat him. Remember that even if no human eye is watching us, the Ever-Watchful Allah is constantly monitoring the innermost regions of our hearts. Our eyes, limbs, tongue and private parts will be witnesses on the Judgment Day and not an atom's worth of deed will remain unexamined. With practice, these associations and the remembrance of Allah during tempting situations will prevent us from getting stuck by devilish arrows. Successfully controlling our gazes also deadens our avoidance of sinful situations. An Islamic idiom says, "Anything that leads to haram is haram in itself." To do a pious deed is a reward; to avoid a sin is a reward too. One of the biggest culprits in this class is movies. In the name of entertainment, to please our peers and children and an excuse to do something together as a family, we astonishingly allow un-Islamic pictures and dialogues in front of our eyes and ears. Likewise we watch news on TV and stare at the anchor women, adorned in heavy make-up, scanty clothing and seductive smile. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), was once approached by a woman with a proposal for marriage. He took a single glance at her face and turned his face away. Jabir bin Abdullah reported: "I asked Allah's messenger about the sudden glance on the face of a non-mahram. He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes." (Muslim) Thus, we are not supposed to stare at faces of non-mahrams, be they are our fellow students, our elders, saleswomen or someone on TV.

In our wedding ceremonies and parties and even in many Islamic fundraising dinners, there is heavy free-mixing between brothers and sisters. Often the chairs of males and females are arranged facing each other, knowing that about 90 percent of our sisters do no wear hijab. It is often noticeable to see males and females peeking glances at each other from

the opposite ends of the hall. A big curtain is not my intention, but a big Iman and befitting Islamic manners is.

"A woman who applies perfumes and goes to a gathering is like an adulteress" the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said. Compare this with our sisters who clad themselves with expensive perfume, one kilogram of makeup, and then come to mixed gatherings. Will this not attract the attention of males? Let's be real. We have lowered our moral guards so low that a humble word of truth often seems so awfully strange.
There are means which help a person to lower his gaze, and we ask Allah to help us to do them:

Bearing in mind the fact that Allah is watching you, that He sees you and is with you (by His knowledge) wherever you go. Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the hearts conceal. (Ghafir:19) Seeking the help of Allah, beseeching Him and calling upon Him. Almighty Allah says: And your Lord said: Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). (Ghafir: 60)

Striving with your self and training yourself to lower your gaze and be patient in doing so, and never giving up. Allah says: As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our paths. (Al-`Ankabut: 69) Avoiding places where a person feels he will be exposed to the temptation of looking, if he can manage to avoid them, such as going to marketplaces or malls, and sitting idle in the street. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Beware of sitting in the street. They said, We have no alternative; that is where we sit and talk. He said, If you insist on sitting there, then give the street its rights. They said, What are the rights of the street? He said, Lowering the gaze and refraining from causing offence (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). You should realize that you have no choice in this matter, regardless of what the circumstances are and no matter how great is the temptation or motive to do evil, and no matter what emotions and overwhelming desires stir within your heart. You must lower your gaze and refrain from looking at forbidden things in all places and at all times. You cannot use excuses such as the environment being corrupt, or justify your mistakes by saying that you are surrounded by temptation.

Doing a lot of voluntary acts of worship, because doing a lot of them whilst also regularly doing the obligatory acts of worship is a means of protecting one's physical faculties. According to a hadith qudsi (Divine), Allah said: and My slave continues to draw close to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask (something) of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. (Al-Bukhari)

Remembering that the earth on which sin is committed will bear witness for or against us. Allah says: That Day it will declare its information (about all that happened over it of good or evil). (Az-Zalzalah: 4) Avoiding unnecessary looks, so that you only look at what is needed to look at, and you do not allow your gaze to wander right and left so that it falls upon something the effects and temptation of which cannot be got rid of quickly.

Marriage is one of the most effective remedies. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever can afford it, let him get married, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and in guarding ones chastity. And whoever cannot afford it, let him fast, for it will be a shield for him. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Bearing in mind the shortcomings of the one who attracts you... Checking yourself from time to time and striving to make yourself lower your gaze whilst being patient, realizing that everyone makes mistakes. Thinking of the pain and regret that will result from this looking, and the negative effects of allowing ones gaze to wander. Understanding the benefits of lowering one's gaze, as mentioned above. Bringing up this topic during meetings and gatherings, and explaining its dangers to others. Advising your relatives, telling them not to wear clothes that attract attention and show their beauty, such as how they dress, wearing bright colours, how they walk, speaking too softly, etc. Warding off passing thoughts and the whispers of Satan before they take hold and are acted upon. Whoever lowers his gaze after the first glance will be saved from innumerable problems, but if he continues to look he cannot be certain that seeds that will be difficult to remove, will not be planted in his heart. Being afraid of an evil end, and of a feeling of great regret at the point of death. Keeping the company of good people, because you are naturally affected by the characteristics of the people you mix with, and a person will follow the way of his close friend, and a friend will pull you to follow his way." Let us contemplate the above humble advices and constantly make the supplication, "O Allah help us control our sensual desires until we get married, and even after we marry, let our desires be only towards our spouses."