Kamal El-Mekki – Lowering Your Gaze
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In Al Hamdulillah nada who wants to know when to stop Pharaoh? Why not? Oh the builder Himanshu and fusina woman say, Marina Maria de la hufa llamada de la mejor de Lille Fela howdy Allah, wa shadow Allah illallah wa the hula sharika Allah wa shadow, Mohammed Abu rasuluh All praise is due to Allah we praise Him and seek his assistance. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. At home ever he allows to go straight, none can guide him and I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.
Yeah, you're Latina Armando taco, la haka, taco De La La Tomatina. Illa one two Muslim moon. Oh you who believe fear Allah as he should be feared and do not die except in the state of Islam. Yeah, you hola Dina Armand otaku la Haku Colin Sarita.
Use the local mama Kuma. We have a local de novo come what may you play? la hora Sula. hufa cada fosun alima are you who believe fear Allah and speak the truth. He will direct you to the righteous good deeds and will forgive your sins and whomsoever obeys Allah and His messenger. He has indeed achieved a great achievement. I'm about fen Astrakhan Hadith Nikita Bala well, Arsenal howdy howdy Mohammedan sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or Sharon Morimoto Hakuna Matata in VEDA, wakulla Middleton, Bala Bakula, Dora cynefin, our brothers and sisters in Islam today our hookah is about lowering the gaze. And lowering the gaze is a problem for many Muslims single and married.
If you're married, and you lower the gaze, your wife becomes more beautiful to you. Because you're also not comparing her to images that are photoshopped and airbrushed and doctored. And if you're single, then being single will not become a difficulty. One of the things that makes single people suffer is that they don't restrain their gaze, they're always looking. So then they're always in that state of difficulty. One study conducted here in the United States showed that men that the average male will spend about 43 minutes a day looking at women.
And that adds up to one year of their lifetime staring at women. And if that's the case, you have to explain to a large soldier on the Day of Judgment, a full year of just staring at women.
The same study showed that men women spend about 20 minutes a day staring at men, and that amounts to six months out of their life staring at different men.
And we know that men are visually stimulated so when they are always looking and they don't restrain their glands all day, then being single becomes difficult. Or as we said the wife becomes less attractive, then it can lead to dating and can lead to Xena will rather Billa an addiction to harem images all of it starts with the glance the gaze. And that's what ensued after nor in verse 30. Allah azza wa jal says hold in many in a domain of sorry him for the Farrugia home. Then you can ask Allah home in Allah hubiera beam is now a logical says tell the believing men to lower their gaze and protect their private parts that is pure for them. Indeed, Allah is all aware of what they do.
Poorly meaning tell the believing men in verse 30 and the believing woman in verse 31, the verse after and your hook do mean I'm sorry him and loved who are not son. You can say Fulani Yoku mcadory Fulani love is to decrease to take away from something you can even use it if someone is taking away from the rank or the respect you have towards someone else then he's yo he's taking away from the respect so we'll have is to decrease from something so Allah Subhana Allah says call me Nina yo boo me I'm sorry him. And there's also unknown that is missing there. Yeah, Annie rajul Fulani, yo como yo Boone
but that no one is taken out to show that the believers will instantly comply they will instantly obey in pulchella home whoa whoa instantly if you tell them to restrain their glands they will immediately return their glass put me in a good boom and I'm sorry I'm told the believing men to restrain from their glance. And then it says min up sorry him. It didn't say oh do Apsara home because then they couldn't look at anything. But unless that from their glance. So because of this min. Here. The scholars
came to three different opinions. The first group which is the majority, they said min shows a period that about only that the majority of what you look at is halaal. From all the holiday that you look at, just take the harem out of it only. So that's what the min indicates from all your glands just lower and take away only the harem.
And that's why it linguistically if you tell someone could mean her the palm eat from this food, it doesn't mean finish it means eat from it. So it's the same thing lower from your glance. Another group said, the what is meant from min is the second glance, what does that mean? Yeah, and the first glance is halon. Someone does know that there's a woman standing next to him and he turns he sees that it's a woman, he quickly turns away, this is not recorded against him as narrated by a tirmidhi and Buddhahood. The Prophet sallallahu Sallam tells Olive nebuta Olive Yeah, Ali.
Ali, do not follow a glance with another glance for indelicato oola. What is that look at? The first one is for you. And the second one isn't meaning you didn't know there was a woman standing next to you. So you turned, it's a woman you turn away, you turn back, it's recorded against you. So only the first one is free. So some scholars said the mean here is for the second one because the first one you can't control it. And as a note to the brothers, the first glance is when you didn't know there was a woman coming. And if you're facing the front, and you hear a woman talking on her phone coming, so I still have a free one. No, you know there's a woman coming now. Or if you hear her high
heels or anything that indicates there's a woman coming call us that that counts as your first one. So that's the second group the third group said that men hear shoes even the slightest amount, even the slightest amount so one group is saying only looking hard at a woman is not acceptable. But this group is saying any look is not acceptable. Because they're saying linguistically if you say mine the maroon I don't have any money. You could say I don't have any money but you have a few coins in your pocket which is money but I mean nothing significant. But if you add min in Arabic man in the min Merlin, that means I have nothing no coins, no dollars nothing. So they're saying it's not just
looking hard at a woman that's hard on any type of looking at a woman would be haram according to this group of scholars.
And the prophets of Salaam showed us the seriousness of this. So in one Hadith, the prophet lamp and say Hadith he said to the companions, he yaku well Julius Allah Torah cut. So beware of sitting in the streets and people's pathways on the roads. They said you're so low, we have no alternative but to sit in the streets to converse with one another. So the problem said in a tune for our two pareeksha haka, if you insist and there's no other way then give the street its rights. So they asked what are the rights of the street? jasola and he said, verbal buzzer to lower or restrain your glance, your gaze will cut full other and to not harm anyone, not verbally, not physically, what are
the Salaam to respond to when someone gives salon to answer that? What I'm rubbing my roof when you are a monkey, and to enjoin what is good and to forbid what is evil.
And another Hadith, the prophet Lim said, Whoever guarantees me six things, I will guarantee them agenda. And from amongst the thing is the six things Allah mentioned, restraining your glance
it's important for us to understand how dangerous this is, especially since we live in a world where we're constantly surrounded and bombarded by images, every even things that have nothing to do with images have images of women on them. And people have become so used to it, that sometimes they're not aware of what they're doing. So if you look at how the early Muslims they understood this, they understood this from the Prophet sallallahu wasallam because he taught them and this hadith in Sahih Bukhari and in Muslim and Nabi Salaam Salaam said Elena and he says neon was you know whom another the two eyes commit Xena? Xena was a fornication and there is in a is by looking
in another hurry the Nebojsa lamb. Give us this warning for taco dunia. What taco Nisa beware of being enticed by the dunya meaning seeking it too much. And beware of being learned by women. For in a world of fitness a bunny saw he cannot finish the first strong test of Bani Israel in was concerning women. So the early Muslims, they took this to heart of a biblical theme Rahim Allah. He was famous for lowering his glance, and he was a handsome man. But he never ever looked at women and he never never looked up. And for years, the people would used to think like the servant girls and the women thought he was a blind man, because he never wants to raise his glands to look at them.
I'm loving them.
Rudra Bella and he had a neighbor for nine years. And for nine years, his servant girl thought that he was blind. So he would come and knock on the door when she would open. He's looking down at the ground, never ever looked at her. So she would come down and tell him the most rude your blind friend is here. And he would laugh. He wasn't blind, but he never ever looked up to women. And even the majority of the law on himself he one day went to visit ignore bus so he knocked on the door and the wife of webinar bus for the LA Noma, opened the door. So she told he tells her is it not bus home? She said no. When he comes back. Tell him Ebony Massoud came to see you and then he left. When
the alarm on home I came back. His wife tells him your blind friend Mr. Rude, came back came to visit you so he laughed. He said ignoramus rude is not blind. Well, I can get tequila. He is not blind, but he fears Allah azza wa jal.
And there were so many others from the righteous of the early Muslims has done an ABC none. He went to read Sala so when he came back, his wife asked him she asked him come minnamurra 18 jameelah in North la hayama Hassan how many beautiful woman did you look at today? Yeah, her son. And he told her a lot. He my eyesight never left the place of my feet. And I was looking down the entire time.
And that's why when they recited the Quran, they cried. That's why when they prayed, they felt it because they kept their hearts pure for Allah subhanho wa Taala
Allah as we just told us in the Quran, he didn't say do not commit Zina. He said what chakra was Jenna Do not come near to Xena and knows in a can start without looking first. It's one of the first things and that's why a large region in diverse inserted and nor here a larger says pulling money now what do I mean? I'm sorry, him
and God their private parts and the scholars say the mention of the private parts came right after the gays the eyesight because it leads to it and there's a link.
So practically people can look down as they're walking. Practically some people who wear glasses would even remove their glasses if their eyesight isn't too bad. So they're walking in, they're just seeing general outlines of people but they're not able to, you know, look in an inappropriate way. Or some people will busy themselves with dhikr of Allah azza wa jal and it's very hard to be making Vicar of Allah and looking at women at the same time
and fasting, but the thing is that we know the solution of fasting Yeah, there's the famous Hadith and Nabi sallallahu Sallam said Yamashita, a Shabaab minister, I'm in combat affiliate. So watch, he's speaking to the youth specifically, and whichever of you is able to, to provide Alba and by those standards than it was just a few meals to sustain you, and something over your head. So whatever is the lowest form in our time now, whoever can provide that some meals and some kind of shelter any meaning some kind of apartment, then he should get married. Then the LM said for in a little bizarre, because it is best to restrain the glance. Well, I saw no lilford and more chased
for the private part.
familia, Mia's daughter, and whoever is not able to woman let me stop there. Finally, he was song for in the hula luigia whoever is not able to get married then let him fast. And realistically, brothers and sisters, we've known this hadith our entire life, how many people who are single amongst us right now are fasting like crazy because they're single, and they can't get married, and they still have five, six years of education ahead of them. But how many of them are fasting like like crazy, every other day, when we were in college, we knew people who fasted every other day for 10 years straight every other day, 15 years straight every other day, because it was a solution from
the Prophet sallallahu Sallam and they took it seriously. You will find the guy he does not restrain his gaze. He does not fast and then he comes to you and he wants a solution. But you just ignore the solution of the prophet SAW said lamp and the signature solution of Allah azza wa jal, and you expect me to give you a better one. But these solutions work. If someone fasts and puts effort into restraining their glance, they will not have a problem being single, and they will not have a problem looking around even if they're married.
So then, the idea of restraining your glance, some scholars said and he is specifically in sort of the note here, that one refrain from looking at people's private parts, our art or for the beauty of non harm women. Other said it's speaking about looking into people's homes, and it comes right after the verses of visiting people in their home in the same sutra and an excellent etiquette is to lower your glands in people's homes. Yeah, and if some people come into someone's home, and they start scanning with their eyes, where this came from, and the quality of this item and I've seen that before and that store
For that much, they're just scanning everything. But you're actually from the etiquette. When you enter someone's home, you're supposed to lower your glance from staring around and looking everywhere. You when someone opens their wallet. Notice this brothers. If you're standing in a circle and someone opens the wallet, everyone looks inside the wallet. If someone opens the trunk of their car, everybody looks to see what they have in the trunk of their car. someone opens a bag everyone stands on tiptoes just to see what's inside the bag. It's part of the etiquette of the believers to not look and have their Yani unrestrained gaze and looking at looking at everything.
And it's from the good manners of the believers as well.
So lots of how to other than mentioned restraining from your glance, and then
mentions that,
guarding the private part. Then he says that he can discard a home that is pure for them, meaning to guard their private parts, to restrain their glands is pure for them.
And the verse then ends in the law hobby, one beam is known. Indeed, Allah is well aware of what they do. And this ending is so appropriate for a verse talking about restraining the glance, because you can look around and no one will know. You can stare around and look at women without moving your head without turning without moving a muscle just quickly and the eyes are fast. And you can be standing next to your wife or looking at women as you would know.
So the verse so appropriately ends by saying Allah is well aware of what you do, maybe no one else will know. But Allah subhanaw taala will know. And it's similar to another verse in the Quran, where Allah subhanaw taala says, yah, ha in a unique way to sudo Allah knows the treachery of the eyes and what the hearts conceal. It nobis, the scholar the companion, the professor robiola on Houma. He was asked, what does this verse mean? And look at how this scholar described this verse, He simplified it and he explained it in the form of a scenario. He said, it's a man sitting with other men. And then a woman passes and he shows them that he has also lowered their glands. So they're sitting and
talking in the on the road than a woman passes by, and all of them look down. And then while they're not aware, he quickly looks at her doesn't have to move his neck just quickly with his eyes. He looks at her. And Allah knows that in his heart, he would even wish to see her privates, but a larger nose and the so appropriate that this verse ends with Allah subhanaw taala being aware because you can walk around people and they think you have the taqwa. And you can look left and right well almost on if you have sunglasses on, it's eight then but Allah subhanaw taala will know everything and he will be aware of Hola Hola. Hola was Dr. La La Familia welcome man Jamia festival,
fair foods and Mr. Farina ask Allah Subhana Allah for his forgiveness, indeed those who ask for his forgiveness shall prosper.
And hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam ala rasulillah? I mean, what Allah Allah He was a big mind about. So then what is how can we practically apply lowering the gaze, especially today, and if some people might say it, I work in corporate America, I have a female boss, female coworkers. So the scholars say one group of scholars said the real problem problematic looking, is when there is shanwa involved when there's desire involved, or the man is looking at the woman's beauty carefully, not casual looking. Meaning what if you have an interview, a job interview? If you have a job interview, and you lower your gaze, and the woman is interviewing you, what will she
think she'll think you're lying. And that's why you're avoiding eye contact. And part of the interview is strong eye contact. So do you lower your gaze and and not get the opportunity disclosure said this is a situation where you're not even looking at me concerned with the woman. You're not being stimulated or aroused, you're scared and you want to do the interview properly. They're saying a situation like this, you can look at the person interviewing you, you can look at your professor, you don't have to lower your glance from her the whole semester with a waitress is taking an order you can look at her and and give her the order. But any time no matter whom you are
looking at. Anytime desire creeps in, or suddenly you're not just casually looking at the individual. Now you're looking at their beauty or looking at specific parts. Anytime that happens, then you have to lower your glance immediately. Then you have to lower your gaze. And we said Allah zoila is well aware, I was well aware. So it's not saying that feel free, then look wherever you want, and that's the default and then if something happens then look away. Know that
default is to try to not look in a situation where I have to look out look. But the default is I restrain my glance, and only in situations where I have to, then I will look. And if I notice something, then I turn away. And this rule applies to anything. Yeah. And the scholars even mentioned, if and people are different, yeah. But if the scholars even mentioned even if it's a doll, a mannequin, a boy, a young youth, and it causes something to start in the man's heart, then he should look away immediately. And they said that they just avoided they said, Who would you that Mama, work Artefill for she Macron because it has happened where an oma fell into her arm with
males.
And this amount fan and today, it's happening as well. So we're not alien to this idea. So even in that case, then whatever it is, that stirs emotion in the man, he's supposed to look away from it.
Now, in the next verse, Allah subhanaw taala, in verse 31, says, What called Illuminati you have been absorbed in now it's specifically speaking to the woman until the believing woman to lower from their glance as well. And women are not as visual as men. And in America, men every year spent billions of dollars just to look at women. And women virtually spent nothing to look at men. But we still have guidelines here, we see that it is quite relaxed for the woman. And some scholars said it's permissible for women to look at non Muharram. When men without desire without desire, because it was recorded in this I hear that the Prophet sallallahu Sallam when the abyssinians came to the
masjid, and they were going to have some kind of display. The proselyte allowed it sort of the law to view it, and they were men. And then he kept asking her, are you done? Are you done? Are you done and then she until she got bored and went away, he allowed her to look. So that's one side of the argument. Now then, on the other side, one time the Prophet sallallahu wasallam was going to be visited by the famous companion Abdullah had been on lockdown. And this companion is well known to us, and he was the blind companion for the Allahu anhu. So Abdullah Al Maktoum is coming to visit the problem in his home. So the problem tells his wives that jiba Minho, tatoeba Minh who means So,
to go away, or to go to another room or to behind some kind of curtains, some kind of veil. So this will be our sort of law. He is blind. He's blind. Why should we go somewhere else? He can't see us. The problem, said Arthur, amiya, Juana and Touma, are you too blind? So then what happens when we put these two evidences together? You see that it is not as strict for women. As long as there's no desire, they can look at men, and but in general, it's best to also restrain their glands. And if that desire creeps in to anything, then they would immediately restrain their glance.
With that, aloha Moroccan
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