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Your eyes.

and lowering the


gaze
Written by: Dr. Muhammad El Saqqa Eid
Specialist and Master's degree holder of Ophthalmology
Member of the Egyptian Association of Ophthalmology
Allah says in the Quran {Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well
acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower
their gaze and guard their modesty} (Surat Al Noor <24:30-31>)
And He also says:{Have We not given him two eyes, And a tongue and two lips, And pointed
out to him the two conspicuous ways?} (Surat Al Balad <90:8-10>)
Eyes are the precious pearls that no price can afford. Allah has called them "The beloved
things", or "the dear things", as came in the Hadith narrated by Al Bukhari, Al Tarmizi, and
Ibn Habaan, that the prophet sala Allah alyh w salam said:"Allah said, 'If I deprive my
servant of his two beloved things (i.e., his eyes) and he remains patient, I will vouchsafe
him the Paradise in compensation for them.'''
The creation of the eye is one of the greatest secrets of God's powers, and an evidence
thereto. Despite their small size in comparison with the whole organs around them, their
scope of vision encompasses the whole wide universe including the sky, the earth, the sea,
and all creatures.
The sense of sight comes in second in importance after the sense of hearing, as God says in
the Quran in this concern what means :{Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled
sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight} (Surat Al
Insan <076.002 >).
The sight is the mirror or a reflection of the body and its tool of distinction. It is the window
though which we have see the surrounding world, and by which we can probe shapes, sizes
and colors. The sight is man's means of identifying God's creatures and contemplating them.
Allah says <<Say: "Travel through the earth and see how Allah did originate creation; so
will Allah produce a later creation: for Allah has power over all things>> (Surat Al Ankabout
<29:20>>).
And, as we have already said, because the eyes are the most precious things that we have,
we should take good care of them and protect them against any potential and possible
harm.
And among the many things that should help us protect our eyes and preserve their health
and strength, is refraining from using them in what Allah forbids, because they are one of
Allah's several bounties upon us. One of the acts that tire the eyes is watching pornographic
films. Allah says in His Holy Book in this concern what means {surely the hearing and the
sight and the heart, all of these, shall be questioned about that} (Surat Al Israa < 17:36>).
Therefore, a Muslim should divert his/her senses from what displeases Allah, and should not
consume them in what is not useful. Letting the gaze roam freely at what arouses the desire

and causes fitah (temptation) contradicts completely with the healthy fitrah (innate nature
of human) that Allah has given us.
Al Tabarany and Hakim reported from Abdu Allah Ibn Masoad, May Allah be pleased with
him that he said: The prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reported
from Allah Almighty that He said: "The glance is a poisoned arrow of shaytaan (Satan).
Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness, which
he will find in his heart on the day he meets Him."
Lowering the gaze and its health benefits
The question is: Does lowering the gaze have any benefits to the human health? Scientific
research and studies proved that repeated desirous looking at the opposite sex, and the
ensuing need to fulfill the suppressed and unfulfilled desires, lead to many problems as
serious as productive system diseases, such as the cognition of prostate, the sexual
inability, or total infertility.
Some social studies have also proved that, in western societies, not lowering the gaze leads
to depression and other psychological disorders. Such studies also indicate that moral
disintegration and sexual promiscuity in those societies are some of the results of the
inexistence of a religious doctrine or ethical and moral restrictions that regulate such a
noble sense and channel it into what conforms to the human physical and psychological
health.
The sense of sight is absolutely the strongest of the senses as far as responding to sexual
excitement is concerned. Using this sense unconsciously and indiscriminately in looking at
what arouses the desires simply means that its owner is wasting it unknowingly, and
consequently is wasting his/her own psychological balance in vain and in no return except
for an illusion of enjoyment and pleasure. The best remedy for the desirous looking at the
opposite sex is to remember that Allah is always there seeing us all the time, and is
watching over our deeds.Remind yourself that Allah sees you but you can't see Him, so
where on earth could you be able to commit a sin without being caught? Where would such
a place be?. Also remind yourself of Allah's (thawab) forgiveness and reward for those who
lower their gaze in fear and obedience of Him, as the prophet (peace and blessing of Allah
be upon him) said, as narrated by Ahmad and Al Tabarany, <<Whoever( Muslim) looks at
the beauties of a woman, then lowers his gaze, Allah will reward him with an act of worship
that he feels its sweetness in his heart>>.

An anonymous from one of the coastal cities says "When I was young, my only pastime was
to hang out with my friends in the streets and on the beach to look at beautiful women and
girls and harass them. It used to give me great pleasure at first, then, over time, it turned to
be something like addiction. I started to fall back in my studies, and the pictures of the girls
and women I looked at, would stick to my mind and never left me when I was awake nor
when I was asleep".
"And they came to me in my dreams. I started to live a strange life; a mixture of reality and
dreams. Unlike all my peers , I failed to form any successful relation with any of my female
colleagues.. My spirits were so low, and I started to go to psychiatrists, and to take
sedatives, until someone advised me to get married, Which I did. I thought, like everyone
did, that, with marriage, my problem would come to an end, and that my suppressed desires
would be vented out naturally. Easier said! I realized that I suffered from sexual frigidity to

a degree that I couldnt imagine. Life turned dark in my eyes and I cried every night like a
child".
"Day after day, and as I started to pray and read Quran regularly, peace returned to my
soul. One day, I read that verse from surat Al Noor, in which God says what means (Say to
the believing men that they should lower their gaze), and it was such a great day in my life.
I became sure that this Book (The Quran) can not be the words of anyone but the Creator of
this universe. I have loved Allah so much since that day, and loved His Book too. That
Book ,whose letters and words touches every part of the human soul, and guide it to the
light, purity and righteousness. And after obeying Allah, I recovered and came back to my
previous normal state ".

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