Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts. That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do (30)

The Command to Lower the Gaze

This is a command from Allah to His believing servants, to lower their gaze from looking at things that have been prohibited for them. They should look only at what is permissible for them to look at, and lower their gaze from forbidden things. If it so happens that a person's gaze unintentionally falls upon something forbidden, he should quickly look away. Muslim recorded in his Sahih that Jarir bin 'Abdullah Al-Bajali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I asked the Prophet ﷺ about the sudden glance, and he commanded me to turn my gaze away.

In the Sahih it is narrated that Abu Sa'id said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِيَّاكُمْ وَالْجُلُوسَ عَلَى الطُّرُقَاتِ

(Beware of sitting in the streets.) They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we have no alternative but to sit in the streets to converse with one another." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِنْ أَبَيْتُمْ فَأَعْطُوا الطَّرِيقَ حَقَّهُ

(If you insist, then give the street its rights.) They asked, "What are the rights of the street, O Messenger of Allah?" He said,

غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ، وَكَفُّ الْأَذَى، وَرَدُّ السَّلَامِ، وَالْأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَالنَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ

(Lower your gaze, return the greeting of Salam, enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.) Abu Al-Qasim Al-Baghawi recorded that Abu Umamah said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:

اكْفُلُوا لِي سِتًّا أَكْفُلْ لَكُمْ بِالْجَنَّةِ: إِذَا حَدَّث أَحَدُكُمْ فَلَا يَكْذِبْ، وَإِذَا ائْتُمِنَ فَلَا يَخُنْ، وَإِذَا وَعَدَ فَلَا يُخْلِفْ، وَغُضُّوا أَبْصَارَكُمْ، وَكُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ، وَاحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَكُمْ

(Guarantee me six things and I will guarantee you Paradise: when any one of you speaks, he should not lie; if he is entrusted with something, he should not betray that trust; if he makes a promise, he should not break it; lower your gaze; restrain your hands; and protect your private parts.)

Since looking provokes the heart to evil, Allah commanded (the believers) to protect their private parts just as he commanded them to protect their gaze which can lead to that. So He said:

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ

(Tell the believing men to lower their gaze, and protect their private parts.) Sometimes protecting the private parts may involve keeping them from committing Zina, as Allah says:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِفُرُوجِهِمْ حَافِظُونَ

(And those who guard their chastity)(23:5). Sometimes it may involve not looking at certain things, as in the Hadith in Musnad Ahmad and the Sunan:

احْفَظْ عَوْرَتَكَ إِلَّا مِنْ زَوْجَتِكَ أَوْ مَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ

(Guard your private parts except from your wife and those whom your right hands possess.)

ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ

(That is purer for them.) means, it is purer for their hearts and better for their commitment to religion, as it was said: Whoever protects his gaze, Allah will illuminate his understanding, or his heart.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

(Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do.) This is like the Ayah :

يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ

(Allah knows the fraud of the eyes and all that the breasts conceal.)(40:19)

In the Sahih it is recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

كُتِبَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ حَظُّهُ مِنَ الزِّنَا أَدْرَكَ ذَلِكَ لَا مَحَالَةَ، فَزِنَا الْعَيْنَيْنِ النَّظَرُ، وَزِنَا اللِّسَانِ النُّطْقُ، وَزِنَا الْأُذُنَيْنِ الْاسْتِمَاعُ، وَزِنَا الْيَدَيْنِ الْبَطْشُ، وَزِنَا الرِّجْلَيْنِ الْخُطَى، وَالنَّفْسُ تَمَنَّى وَتَشْتَهِي، وَالْفَرْجُ يُصَدِّقُ ذَلِكَ أَوْ يُكَذِّبُهُ

(The son of Adam has his share of Zina decreed for him, and he will commit that which has been decreed. The Zina of the eyes is looking; the Zina of the tongue is speaking; the Zina of the ears is listening; the Zina of the hands is striking; and the Zina of the feet is walking. The soul wishes and desires, and the private parts confirm or deny that.)

It was recorded by Al-Bukhari without a complete chain. Muslim recorded a similar report with a different chain of narration. Many of the Salaf said, "They used to forbid men from staring at beardless handsome boys."