by Dr. Hesham Hassaballa
As temperatures soar and sweat
pours down our faces this summer, it is essential to remember this:
protect your eyes, and I am not talking about wearing
sunglasses.
I¹m talking about lowering our gazes.
In
our culture today, as the temperature increases, so does the amount
of exposed skin on people¹s bodies. Although this is very
distressing and disturbing, it has become a fact of life.
In
fact, those of us, especially our sisters wearing Hijab,
who cover to guard our modesty are seen as strange!
Yet,
covering, not exposing the skin, is an advice currently being given
by the United States Department of Health And Human Services (HHS)
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They have
sponsored a campaign called "Choose Your
Cover", encouraging people to protect themselves
from skin cancer.
One of the recommended methods is wearing
clothing that covers skin and protects against the sun's UV rays.
The campaign¹s section on clothing notes that "a
long-sleeved shirt and long pants with a thick weave provide the best
protection."
And lest we forget, before global warming
and skin cancer warnings were ever issued, most of the Muslim and
non-Muslim men and women living in the scorching deserts or cities
and villages of Africa and Asia, which experience tremendous heat in
the summers [if not most of the year] did NOT emerge from their homes
virtually naked.
In fact, they covered themselves more to
protect themselves from the sun.
SOME
ADVICE FROM THE QURAN AND SUNNAH
It is in this
instance, surrounded by half-naked people, that we must have the
courage to follow the command of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) and lower our gazes.
Allah says:
"Do not go near fornication and adultery, it is an abomination and an evil way." (Quran 17:32).
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 one is not supposed to is going near
adultery. For an illicit affair begins with a lustful glance.
Allah
wishes for us not to commit this ugly sin, and thus He commands us to
lower our gazes:
"Tell 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 tell the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modestyŠ" (Quran 24:30-31).
Lowering the gaze does not mean keeping
our eyes constantly on the ground and not looking up at all.
It is
turning our faces away when we see a less-than-decently-dressed woman
or man walking on the street in the middle of July.
THE
ADULTERY OF THE EYES
The Prophet further explained to us Allah¹s command. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, "Šthe adultery of the eyes is looking (at [that] which is not allowed)Š" (Bukhari, Muslim).
Also, on the authority of Jurayr who said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah about accidentally looking at something that is not allowed and he said, ŒTurn your eyes away.¹" (Muslim).
In another Hadith on the authority of Abu Sa¹eed, the Prophet said, "A man should not look at the Awrah of another man, and the woman should not look at the Awrah of another womanŠ" (Muslim).
Thus, our Prophet even instructed us to lower our gaze when
looking at members of the same gender in some cases.
LOWERING
FOR THE ³OTHER² NAKEDNESS
One common
mistake is to think that lowering your gaze is only required upon
encountering nakedness and indecency "in the flesh" or in
person.
Lowering our gaze must also be practiced when watching
a film or television program replete with nakedness and intimate
scenes of couples (actually, we should try to avoid watching such
types of programs, period).
Lowering our gaze includes
changing the channel when "Baywatch" comes on.
It
also means changing the channel when watching the news if we feel
attracted to the anchorperson or reporter reading or presenting the
news.
And anyway, television isn¹t that great of a way
to spend time. See why in Sound Vision¹s
unTV guide.
DON¹T GO
TO THE BEACH
Or anywhere else you¹ll find a
plethora of bikini- and swimming-trunk clad men and women.
Lowering
your gaze there is virtually impossible. You may turn in one
direction, thinking you¹re home-free, but soon enough you can¹t
even look there.
The same holds true for parks. While this
doesn¹t mean never taking the kids out to enjoy the slides and
see-saws or having barbecues there, it does mean perhaps having
activities on days that are cooler, or at times when the sun is not
as hot and intense (i.e. some time in the earlier morning or before
Maghrib).
This way, the prime time for sunbathing has passed,
and most people either leave or feel cool enough to put some more
clothes on.
MAKE DUA
"Never
underestimate the power of Dua," Imam Siraj Wahhaj of Brooklyn,
New York once said. This holds true in all trying situations.
Sometimes, despite avoiding certain places where you are more
likely to encounter an improperly dressed person, you may find
someone walking on the street going to the beach or the park who
decided to get ready for suntanning or swimming beforehand.
In
these cases, lowering the gaze may be even harder. You weren¹t
expecting it, so you didn¹t mentally prepare yourself.
If
you feel overwhelmed, one suggested Dua to read is: "Aoutho
billahi Sami¹ il Aleem minash Shaytan ir Rajeem" (see Quran
41:36 for more information). A translation of this is "I seek
the refuge of Allah who is the Hearer and Who is the Knower from the
Shaytan the accursed."
In general, seek refuge in Allah.
It has also been suggested to say "La hawla wa la Quwwata illa
billah" (there is no power except with Allah). If we sincerely
make Dua, Insha Allah, we can succeed in turning our eyes
away.
LOWERING THE GAZE DOESN¹T
MEAN BEING ANTI-SOCIAL
But lowering our gaze does
not mean being rude or anti-social. Summer is definitely a time to go
out, have fun, and even make Dawa (inviting others to Islam).
You
can, for example, hand out brochures at public places and parks.
The Prophet used to present the message of Islam to people
that had come for the yearly "Ukaz" festival, which did
include unIslamic activities like drinking and gambling.
However,
this requires faith, self-control and discipline. This must never be
used as an opportunity to indulge in these sins.
THE
GAZE IS A PART OF A MUSLIM¹S 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 Satan¹s footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will command what is shameful and wrong..." (Quran 24:21).
Looking at another man or woman in an
indecent manner is following in Satan¹s footsteps.
It
all begins with a lustful glance. Such a glance leads to lustful talk
and flirting, then meetingŠand we are all aware of what comes
next.
Let us stop Satan in his tracks and lower our gaze.
Let us start today, 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.
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