Question:
A question arises concerning a hadith reported in Abu Dawood and Bukhari (6243) and the Qur’anic verse 24:30. The question is: when a man sees a woman, should he completely close his eyes? Should he walk with his head lowered all the time? Or is it enough simply to avoid sinful intention in the heart?
Answer:
Allahﷻ says in the Qur’an: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze.”
The phrase “lowering the gaze” does not mean that a person must walk around with his head bent down and his eyes fixed on the ground. If someone walked like that constantly, he would not even see where he is going and accidents could easily occur. Therefore, the command is not meant in such a literal sense.
The real meaning is that a person should avoid looking with lustful intention. He should avoid deliberately staring at someone with desire.
The Prophetﷺclarified this meaning. Jarir ibn Abdullah once asked the Prophetﷺabout a situation where a person’s gaze accidentally falls upon a woman. This narration is reported in Sahih Muslim. The Prophetﷺreplied: “Turn your gaze away.”
Notice that the Prophetﷺdid not say, “Close your eyes.” Instead, he said, “Turn your gaze away.”
For example, imagine a person walking on the street. A woman passes by, perhaps attractively dressed, and naturally the eyes may fall upon her for a moment. That first glance can occur unintentionally, and this first glance is excused.
The Prophetﷺsaid: “The first glance is for you, but the second is not for you.”
This means that the accidental first glance is forgiven. However, if a person deliberately looks again and continues to stare, that becomes sinful.
So, the teaching of Islam is not that one should close the eyes completely. It is not that one should walk blindly without seeing anything. Rather, it is that a person should not deliberately stare with desire.
That is the true meaning of “lowering the gaze.”