The Eye and Haram

Time, circumstances, and difficulties have no importance; it is meaningless to blame others because a believer is a believer in every circumstance and situation. He always does what faith requires; he protects his eyes, ears, and tongue from haram.

In Islam, every command and prohibition is ordained to ensure happiness in both worlds. These commands and prohibitions come from Allah. He requires us to follow His commands for our own good. Therefore, it is impossible to be happy by disobeying Allah and violating his orders. We also cannot fulfill some of our duties while neglecting others because Islam is a complete system with its beliefs, acts of worship, and morals. Moral commands are as much a part of the religion as acts of worship such as praying and fasting.

Commands and prohibitions such as earning a halal livelihood, not gossiping, and not lying are no different from the command that requires us to pray every day.

In the end, Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is the one behind all these commands, of which He informed us through our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Therefore, one cannot be a decent believer by praying but at the same time lying, gossiping, and cheating. Likewise, one cannot be a decent servant of Allah by looking at haram, which is one of the greatest problems plaguing today’s Muslims.

A Tough Challenge

We are all aware that we have our work cut out for us. Living an Islamic life today may be harder compared to the past. Getting caught up in haram was harder then and only possible through face-to-face communication. Today, the situation has changed drastically. The internet, television, newspapers, and magazines contain many elements negatively affecting people’s hearts and minds. The harm these media outlets cause to people cannot be compared with previous periods. Today, the effects of the media and virtual interactions continue around the clock. Some people from the other end of the world can utilize technology to corrupt our morals, intrude into our homes and weaken our connections with our values.

In addition to this danger, it is even harder for those who live in touristy coastal areas. Preserving one’s religion in these areas is as hard as being a wali in the mountains. It is genuinely hard to live an Islamic life in a place where you are surrounded by haram. Those who live in coastal areas should know about this much better since they experience difficulties in summers. This hardship also applies to one’s family. May Allah help those who try to ingrain Islamic consciousness in their young girls and boys in such an atmosphere!

The burden on the shoulders of those who live an Islamic life in Europe, troubled by the fear of losing their children, is daunting. These brothers of ours are trying to earn their livelihood and protect their children at the same time; they face tough challenges every day.

No Giving In

Many of us blame the world for the troubling scenes that affect our spiritual world. People usually say, “Everywhere we turn, the world is teeming with haram. When you turn your face to avoid a haram, you run into another. We are helpless.” Allah the Most Merciful surely knows our predicament. But we have to think: have we given in by hiding behind excuses, or are we trying to fight to control our nafs? The world’s influence on us increases, and distracting us from our values becomes easier as our worship of and obedience to Allah weakens. We have to be aware of this. We must not forget that we are responsible for our lives and our servitude to Allah, whatever the circumstances are. Laying the blame for wrongdoing at someone else’s door is easy. But what does this change, and what does it fix? Does anything change when we blame the internet or television? Of course not. The flood keeps rising. Then, blaming others is not a solution. On the contrary, complaining hurts only us. It could even break our resistance since it invokes a sense of desperation in us.

We lose our power to resist and fight when we admit defeat because one who does not resolutely oppose wrongs and concedes to them eventually loses their power to stand up to them. Such a person then begins getting used to it and eventually becomes like those they used to criticize.

Being Desensitized

Haram actions become ordinary and are considered normal when the shaping foundations of people’s lives are not Islamic morals. Think of it like this; books of Islamic morals clearly tell us what is haram to look at and what is haram to listen to. However, one begins to fail to realize the seriousness of haram as they keep watching television, browsing the internet, and watching films. And eventually, they begin doing these acts as if there is no haram in them. For instance, they stop caring enough to turn their face away when they see something haram on television. They might even laugh at it if there is humor involved. This situation is not limited to television; it is the same when we go out. It is almost as if we have forgotten to avert our gaze away from haram. Our everyday lives are constantly bombarded by sights and images that fly in the face of Islamic morals.

A mistake becomes ordinary and loses its weight when one stops resisting it. Sins are exactly this way. One resists them at first, but when he faces them continuously, he begins to consider them ordinary if he has no power to control himself or no Muslim brothers to lean on. Haram actions could even become meaningless in such a person’s heart. Eventually, he could become so deeply caught up in haram actions that he follows its guidance to the ends of the earth, whereas he should be fleeing from it like a prey flees its predator.

Darkening of the Heart

What we mean here is that the heart becomes blind while the eye retains its sight. Haram actions darken the heart slowly, wearing away at the pureness of the spirit. The heart of a believer turns completely dark if he does not try to cleanse it by remembering Allah and turning to worship. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Verily, when the servant commits a sin, a black mark appears upon his heart. If he abandons the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, then his heart will be polished. If he returns to the sin, the blackness will be increased until it overcomes his heart.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3334)

In another hadith, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says, “A servant committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And He (the Exalted and Glorious) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you like (without sinning). I have granted you forgiveness.” (Sahih Muslim, 4953)

After the First Glance

Allah the Exalted and High says in the Quran: “O Prophet!˺ Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity…” (An-Nur, 30) “… And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity…” (An-Nur, 31). Accordingly, the first thing to do is to control the eyes. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says that the first involuntary glance is forgiven, but we are responsible for the following ones. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says: “O Ali, do not follow a glance with another, for you will be forgiven for the first, but not for the second.” (Tirmidhi, 2701)

Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) warns us: “The adultery of the eye is the lustful look, and the adultery of the ears is listening to voluptuous (song or talk), and the adultery of the tongue is licentious speech, and the adultery of the hand is the lustful grip (embrace), and the adultery of the feet is to walk (to the place) where he intends to commit adultery…” (Sahih Muslim, 6754). “The furtive glance is one of the poisoned arrows of Shaytan; on him be God's curse. Whoever forsakes it for the fear of Allah, will receive from Him (Great and Gracious is He) a faith, the sweetness of which he will find within his heart.” (Tabarani, 10362). 

Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is an exemplar for us with his actions and words. When he realized that his cousin Al-Fadl was looking at a woman who was asking him a question, he held out his hand backwards and gently caught the chin of Al-Fadl and turned his face away so that he would not gaze at her. (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1417).

Now, we should warn each other and do as the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did. Even if we have no one who can warn us, our hand of belief and taqwa should be on our faces, withholding us from haram actions. Allah the Most High says that those who can control their eyes will be worthy of seeing that which is the most beautiful with their hearts.

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