January 26, 2023

The Power of Lowering the Gaze

Brothers, never underestimate the power of lowering the gaze. The sweetness you feel when you are able to do it is priceless. This sweetness is twofold:

1. The satisfaction you feel knowing that you are obeying Allāh, and that you are willing to put your desire aside because you love Him and feel shy of disobeying Him.

2. The relief you feel knowing that you avoided a potential harm to your faith and heart from looking at a strange woman with desire. The trap of Shayṭān is broken when you don't fall for that first step towards what is prohibited.

To the sisters I say the same, but I primarily address the brothers because, in general, men are more stimulated visually than women.

To the sisters I also say this.

When you do things that attract attention, be it putting your photos on FaceBook and/or not observing the correct Islamic dress (and let's not fool ourselves, the correct dress - the Jilbāb - is known), then not only will the brothers who look at you be sinful, but you will share in the sin as well because you are part of the reason for it. You disobeyed Allāh by not observing the correct Jilbāb and as a result, caused Fitnah to spread.

In just under two lines in Noble Qur’ān 24:30, Allāh instructs men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts.

To the women, in Noble Qur’ān 24:31, Allāh instructs them in NINE lines, in what translates as meaning:

"And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests and not expose their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' sons, their sisters' sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or those male attendants having no physical desire, or children who are not yet aware of the private aspects of women. And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment. And turn to Allāh in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed."

So Allāh says towards the end: "...And let them not stamp their feet to make known what they conceal of their adornment.."

When you do things that attract attention, be it putting your photos on FaceBook and/or not observing the correct Islamic dress (and let's not fool ourselves, the correct dress - the Jilbāb - is known), then not only will the brothers who look at you be sinful, but you will share in the sin as well because you are part of the reason for it.

This means that the woman is not supposed to do ANYTHING that attracts attention.

If any man looks at a woman or harms her, he is responsible before Allāh and punishable, but that does not make the woman who did not observe the proper Islamic dress and behaviour blameless.

Men are supposed to control themselves either way, and the first step is by not looking at what is prohibited, regardless if the women are dressed properly or not.

May Allāh guide us all to what is correct and give us the proper understanding.