My first encounter with this topic is a lecture delivered by Sheikh Abdurrazzaq bn Abdulmuhsin Al-badr. He explained the benefits enumerated by Ibn- Al- Qayyim in his book ‘The Illness and the Medicine’. Listening to the lecture led me to buy and read the book. Here, I make an attempt to list out the benefits of lowering the gaze given by Ibn- Al- Qayyim in an attempt to motivate myself towards attaining the benefits. In sha Allah, I’ll do my best to lower my gaze in all my day to day activities and these benefits would be my motivation in sha Allah. Ibn- Al- Qayyim listed out ten benefits of lowering the gaze and these are:
It is a submission to Allah’s command which causes happiness to the servant in his life and the hereafter. Submission to Allah’s command is the best thing a servant has in his life and the hereafter and the people do not feel sadness except by disobeying Allah’s command.
It prevents the poisoned arrow from reaching the heart of the servant which may cause destruction to the servant
It makes the servant feel closeness with Allah, because releasing the sights lead to separating the heart from Allah, and making it far from Allah, and there’s nothing more harmful for the servant than releasing the sights since it leads to distance between the servant and his Lord
Lowering the eyes from looking at the forbidden strengthens the heart and amuses it, and releasing the eyes weakens the heart and makes it sad
Lowering the eyes makes light spread in the heart and releasing the sight makes it fill with darkness. This is part of the wisdom behind Allah mentioning the ayah of light after the command of lowering the gaze, where Allah says:
“Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and to guard their private parts” Suratun-Nur, verse 30. The verse of the light came just four verses after that of lowering the gaze.
“Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp…”. Suratun-Nur, verse 35.
Lowering the gaze provides the servant with truthful insight which will enable him distinguish between truth and falsehood. Allah rewards the servant upon his deed by the requisite reward. Whoever leaves anything for the sake of Allah, he will be compensated with what is better than it and if he avoided looking at the forbidden matters, Allah would compensate him with releasing the light of insight, since he imprisoned his eyes for the sake of Allah, and Allah will open for him the doors of knowledge and truthful physiognomy will avail upon him. Allah says:
“By your life [O Muhammad], indeed they were, in their intoxication, wandering blindly” Suratul Hijr, verse 72. Intoxication here refers to the corruption of the mind and blind refers to the corruption of insight.
Lowering of the gaze leads to making the heart firm, brave and strong. Victory, argument, competence and strength are present in the heart of the one who lowers his gaze. Conversely, humiliation, meanness, and self-disgrace are found in the heart of those who disobey Allah. Allah has made honor to be attached to obeying Him and humiliation to disobeying him. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And to Allah belongs all honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers” Suratul Munafiqun, verse 8.
Lowering the gaze blocks the satan’s entry to the heart. This is because satan enters the heart with the gaze faster than the penetration of the air in a vacuum
Lowering the gaze makes the heart consecrated to thinking about Allah’s interest and being interested in Allah’s teaching. Releasing the gaze on the other hand makes the servant forget about Allah and deter the servant from Allah. Eventually, the servant will fall into following his whims and desires and forget to mention Allah. Allah says:
“…and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect” Suratul Kahf, verse 28.
There’s a pathway between the eye and the heart which necessitates that one of them will transmit to the other and become corrupted by it. If the heart is corrupted, the vision will be corrupted and vice versa. If the heart is righteous, the vision will be righteous and vice versa. If the eye is corrupted, the heart would be corrupted and it would be like the dunghill which is a place for impurities and dirt, such a heart would not be qualified to be inhabited by knowing Allah and loving Allah and returning to Him.
These are a summary of the ten benefits of lowering the gaze listed by Ibn-Al-Qayyim in his famous book. I always find myself in need of these listed benefits. May Almighty Allah give us the ability to lower our gaze from the forbidden and may we become worthy of the listed benefits. Ameen.
No comments:
Post a Comment