Modesty guidelines for men

 

To save ourselves from any harm, it is necessary that all those paths and ways are checked from where there is a possibility of any harm.  Those rules and laws are indeed unsuccessful in which one path is checked very vigorously and the other paths are forgotten.

 

Islam does not give such baseless and weak laws.  Thus, where it has given rules and guidelines to women about Purdah, at the same time, it has also instructed the men to guard their gaze in all places, whether they are passing through a market, going on the road or are present in any house.  They are required to refrain from looking at those things which are prohibited, so that when it becomes necessary for women to leave their houses, they can do so without any fear and fulfill their needs and no blemish appears on their virtuousness and chastity.  Allah Ta'ala says:

 

Direct the believing men to keep their eyes always lowered and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is Well Aware of the (works) which they are busy doing.  Surah Al Noor (24:30)

 

The mark of a Momin (believer) is that he keeps his gaze lowered.  If he unintentionally ends up resting his gaze on a non-Mahram woman or something, which is forbidden by the Shariah, he immediately turns away his gaze.  As given in the Hadith of Mo'jam Kabeer of Imam Tabarani:

 

Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Jareer (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him), he says: I asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) about gaze.  He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: When it falls on a non-Mahram, turn it away.  (Mo'jam Kabeer, Hadith No. 2350)

 

It is given in another Hadith:

 

Translation of Hadith: I asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) about unintentionally seeing a non-Mahram.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Turn away your gaze.

 

Lewd gazes (badnazari) a poisonous arrow of Satan

Satan is the eternal enemy of mankind.  He employs various tricks to drag human beings down into the abyss of humiliation.  One among them is evil gaze.  When a human being gets caught in this trap of evil gaze, he falls into the trap of Satan.  Then, the paths to other sins become easy for that person.  When a person controls the desire of his/her Nafs (the base self), he is  honored with the sweetness of Iman.  As the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

 

Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Gaze is one of the poisonous arrows from the arrows of.  Whoever abandons lewd gazing out of my fear, I will reward him for that with the perfection of Iman, the sweetness of which he (or she) will feel in his (or her) heart.

 

 

Prohibition of Describing the Beauty of a Non-Mahram Lady

 

It is prohibited to see a non-Mahram woman as because of this a man’s heart starts leaning towards the non-Mahram woman.   In this there is a very strong possibility of trouble.  In the same way, when a woman speaks about the beauty of a non-Mahram woman in front of her husband and describes the beauty of that lady, the man starts imagining her.  Here also, there is a chance of trouble, the way there is in seeing directly with one's eyes.

 

That’s why the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has prohibited women from meeting such a woman who mentions their beauty before her own husband.

 

Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) that he heard that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) say: No woman should meet another woman with the intention that she mention (the other lady's) beauty before her own husband in such a manner as if he is watching her.

 

 

Refraining From Lewd Glances and the Sweetness of Worship

 

When a Muslim man refrains himself from lewd gazing, whenever his gaze falls on any non-Mahram, he turns it away, then from the Court of Allah Ta'ala, he is given sweetness in worship, as the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) says:

 

Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abu Umama (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said that whichever Muslim unintentionally sees the beauty of a non-Mahram woman and immediately turns his gaze down , then Almighty Allah will grant him the guidance to perform such worship, the sweetness of which he will actually feel.

 

One of the reasons that the Muslims have been ordered to keep their gaze down is that they should no see any woman.  When someone ends up seeing a woman who is without Purdah, then in this situation, it becomes difficult to control one's Nafs.  That’s why the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has ordered the removal of the root cause of all this corruption.

 

Translation of Hadith:  Surely women come in the guise of Satan and goes with guise of Satan, i.e. men are easily misguided by women.  Hence, whenever anyone from among you sees a woman, who appeals to you, he should come to his wife because this act will remove those thoughts which cross his heart and mind.

 

The pride of Muslim is in keeping his gaze down and not dirtying his gaze with forbidden sights.  Those people who fall prey to lewd gazing and don’t guard their gaze, their faces change and the Hadith have a warning about their hearts being mutated:

 

Translation of Hadith:  Hadhrat Abu Umama (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) narrates from the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that He said:  You keep your gaze down and guard your private parts, otherwise Allah Ta'ala will change your faces.  (Mo'jam Kabeer, Hadith No. 7746)

 

There is a Hadith in Imam Tabarani’s Mo'jam Kabeer and Kanz Ul Ummal:

 

Translation of Hadith:  It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Ma’qil bin Yassaar (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: It is better that your head be pricked with an iron needle than that anyone from among you touch a non-Mahram woman.  (Mo'jam Kabeer, Hadith No. 16880; Kanz Ul Ummal, Hadith No. 13065)

 

There is a Hadith in Mo'jam Kabeer and Jame Ul Ahadith:

 

Translation of Hadith: It has been narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abu Umama (May Allah Ta'ala be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: You definitely lower your gaze and guard your private parts and (In Salaat) turn your face to the Qiblah.  Otherwise, Almighty Allah will mutate your faces.  (Mo'jam Kabeer, Hadith No. 7746; Jame Ul Ahadith, Hadith No. 18309; Kanz Ul Ummal, 13082)