Ghadd al-basar (lowering the gaze)

Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy holds that lowering the gaze protects insight, and that many incidents begin with a single glance. ^{1 3}

The Sheikh cites the Qur'anic command to believers to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, in the verse in Surat al-Nur. ⁴

The Sheikh tells the story of a man whose innocent glance went unnoticed until he struck a wall and bled. He uses it as a lesson that a glance can lead to what follows. ³

The Sheikh holds that a glance takes away the insight of the one who looks, and that many incidents begin with a glance. ¹

The Sheikh holds that a passing thought should be rejected from the start. If it is left to grow, it becomes an intention and then a deed. ²

The Sheikh says that whoever lowers his gaze, God gives him insight (needs_source: the saying is not sourced in the recording). ⁴

The Sheikh says that scholars warned about four things: speech, the gaze, the steps and the thoughts. He cites the hadith of the night journey, in which a large bull is seen coming out of the eye of a needle and cannot return, and says that a spoken word cannot be taken back. ⁵

The Sheikh refers to the Qur'anic command to believers to lower their gaze, and says the gaze must avoid what is forbidden and must not be used to look down on people. ⁶ He says that lowering the gaze brings insight and a sense of God's presence, and notes that the Qur'anic address covers believing men and women. ⁷ He cites a hadith on theft from one's prayer, and says that lowering the gaze is also a trust. ⁸

The Sheikh criticises looking down on people for their class, rank or status. He says that Islam equalises people and that only piety distinguishes them. ⁹ He cites a verse that warns against dwelling on the worldly goods that others have, and says that God's provision is better and more lasting. He says that whoever is dazzled by the wealthy has lost two-thirds of his faith (needs_source: the fraction given by the speaker is not sourced in the recording). ¹⁰ He quotes the sages: whoever wants a friend without fault must live alone, and since everyone has faults, people should be judged by balance. ¹¹ He cites a hadith about a man who looked through a gap in a door into a house, and the hadith shows strong disapproval of his act. ¹²

The Sheikh criticises children who sit before the television for hours. ¹³ He says that eye doctors hold that an hour before a screen equals eight hours of reading (needs_source: the speaker attributes this figure to doctors and it is not sourced in the recording). ¹³ He says that the eyes should be used for what benefits, warns children against wasting their gaze on the internet, and holds that using useful information is a form of obedience. ¹⁴