5 ways to help lower your gaze
Friday, November 28, 2008
MUSLIMS are taught to be modest and "lower their gaze".
Allah Ta'ala says in the Quran, surah An-Nur: 30, whose translation goes thus: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do."
Narrated Jarir ibn 'Abdullah, "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about an accidental glance at a woman. He commanded me to turn my gaze away." (Reported by al-Tirmizi)
The Messenger of Allah told Ali ibn Abi Talib in another hadith, "O Ali, do not follow a glance with another, for you will be forgiven for the first, but not for the second." (Reported by At-Tirmizi)
This is something that we should be doing on a daily basis anyway. But, we are human and we forget. Sometimes, we don't forget but our iman is just too weak and we forget this aspect of our deen. So here are a few quick tips.
Change the wallpaper of your cell phone. Write a reminder to lower your gaze on a sheet of paper, take a picture of it, and set it as the wallpaper for your phone. Now every time you open your phone you will be reminded
Focus on your shoes. You can follow your feet with each step you take, count the steps, or even try to remember the different places those particular pair of shoes have taken you before. Make du'a. This is one of the best times to make du'a.
Why? Because you are intentionally, and consciously, lowering your gaze and struggling for the sake of Allah alone. Allah is Aware both when you are looking up and when you are looking down.
Read Qur'an. One way to look down is by simply looking down into the palm of your hands where you can be holding a pocket Mushaf.
You'd be surprised how much reading you can get done like this. Plan your day. Our lives can get pretty messy and chaotic. A lot of us have to cut out time to make our plan and organise our time.
So instead of looking around, you can lower your gaze and use this time to plan what you will do once you get to work, home, or school. These are just some quick ideas that will, Insya-Allah, help remind us all that on the Judgment Day we will be held accountable about how we made use of our eyes.
Deed of the Day
Allah Ta'ala says in the Quran, surah An-Nur: 30, whose translation goes thus: "Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do."
Narrated Jarir ibn 'Abdullah, "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about an accidental glance at a woman. He commanded me to turn my gaze away." (Reported by al-Tirmizi)
The Messenger of Allah told Ali ibn Abi Talib in another hadith, "O Ali, do not follow a glance with another, for you will be forgiven for the first, but not for the second." (Reported by At-Tirmizi)
This is something that we should be doing on a daily basis anyway. But, we are human and we forget. Sometimes, we don't forget but our iman is just too weak and we forget this aspect of our deen. So here are a few quick tips.
Change the wallpaper of your cell phone. Write a reminder to lower your gaze on a sheet of paper, take a picture of it, and set it as the wallpaper for your phone. Now every time you open your phone you will be reminded
Focus on your shoes. You can follow your feet with each step you take, count the steps, or even try to remember the different places those particular pair of shoes have taken you before. Make du'a. This is one of the best times to make du'a.
Why? Because you are intentionally, and consciously, lowering your gaze and struggling for the sake of Allah alone. Allah is Aware both when you are looking up and when you are looking down.
Read Qur'an. One way to look down is by simply looking down into the palm of your hands where you can be holding a pocket Mushaf.
You'd be surprised how much reading you can get done like this. Plan your day. Our lives can get pretty messy and chaotic. A lot of us have to cut out time to make our plan and organise our time.
So instead of looking around, you can lower your gaze and use this time to plan what you will do once you get to work, home, or school. These are just some quick ideas that will, Insya-Allah, help remind us all that on the Judgment Day we will be held accountable about how we made use of our eyes.
Deed of the Day
Business Besides Oil
