"lower their gaze" in the Qur'an
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Peace
I consider it an exercise of restraint. Looking at people of the opposite gender is not the issue. Being overwhelmed sexually is how I take it since I personally tend to get very much intrigued by a woman I find attractive.
Joe
Peace
What do you mean by overwhelmed sexually?
Peace
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A point which adds weight to this argument is that the term (absaar)" translated as gaze/vision, has also been used in the Qur'an to metaphorically refer to a person's inner character and capabilities to grasp and respond to the outside world correctly, rather than literally one's vision through the eyes.
For initiation of built-in sex mechanizm/process, a stimuli is needed for excitement. The strongest stimuli is focusing of eye (absaar), on certain areas of a women. A scattered look on the face seldom excites, but peeping into the eyes may, what Nabi calls "intrigues". Sex mechanizm is built in, it can get excited/effected even without conscious effort, therefore, people are advised to avoid certain things, like placing focusing, penetrating eye, and women are additionally advised to make the elevated part, an area of utmost attraction for the opposite gender, as hidden as possible. This is for mutual assistance and help not to excite the other party.
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Salaamun Alaikum.
This article and its vivid reflections on the real life situations is a very wide subject in the view of God as is revealed and ordained in the Quran. In the beginning of the chapter 24 of Quran, God has already informed in advance that this chapter is full of admonishments to be implemented in our actual lives.
The Chapter, we have descended it and have decreed it and We have descended in it, clear commandments so that you may take heed.
Without touching the verses 2 to 26, please allow me to to illustrate of how God commences the subject of setting up of families by the first basic step of entering homes and the methods commanded by Him. Although many may find it negligible and think that there are no stringent rulings to this, but God has commanded it clearly and in details.
Hence, God says that within the house, the compound, when a function is held at the house or at a hall and thus up to the open and general public places, it must be reminded that gazes of believing men and women must be controlled and subdued at moderate levels.
But it all starts at home. In contrary to the common belief that there is not the necessity for women of the house to shoal down their veil to cover their breasts in their own homes, God instructs that you must do it in the presence of visitors and guests to your house. This is with the exception in regards to others in the house like husbands and etc... as in 2431.
"...except to their husbands, or their fathers, or fathers of their husbands, or their sons, or the sons of their husbands, or their brothers, or the sons of their brothers, or the sons of their sisters, or their children that come after them, or those who are still their dependants, or the male servants who are without need, or the child who has not yet understood the composition of women..."
All this is to be done for the sake of the purity, modesty and chastisement of members of the families against lewdness. This is because as the house is the station of all human's basic needs and the family as the foundation and bindings of the strong social investments and developments of nations. All the good and the evil root from here. First from entering the house without heeding the sanctions of God then will make advances to its members and consequently, will indulge in fornications or adultery without limits.
If charity does not begin at homes then obscenity and lewdness rush in and take charge of the residents. This can be seen today in the form of indecent and repulsive literature at homes, in television, diskettes, computers and films. While outside, we can see nude and obscenities flagarantly rehearsed and unchallenged.
However, the believers shall control what they have to view inside and outside of home and guard their modesty. They should inculcate to their children to control, subdue their gazes towards opposite genders and to protect their chastisements and purity.
As in 2431, we shall not give up hope to what are happening in today's society but to accept God's invittation to all believers to turn in repentance unto Him in multitudes so that we will become victorious. May God forgive and bless and guide us all to the straight path.
Peace be to All
Salaamun Alaikum. -
Hey, I heard recently from rami that gazing at married women is what is forbidden and not unmarried. Yay or nay?
Actually, that's something I've been looking into for a while. The aim is to avoid sexual crimes, but it depends on if this is set to avoid fornication or adultery...
According to the Torah, "adultery" always involves a married woman; if a married man has sex with someone else's wife, they are both guilty of adultery, and the same is the case with a single man who has sex with someone else's wife. However, a married man who has sex with a single woman is NOT guilty of adultery... I searched for refutations of this in the Qur'aan, but surprisingly I couldn't find any. The Qur'aan seems to support the concept of adultery in the Bible, which could explain why men are allowed to marry more than one woman (under certain conditions). This is even identified in certain US states (i.e. The state of Minesota says concerning adultery "when a married woman has sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband, whether married or not, both are guilty of adultery." This does not apply to a married man having sex with an unmarried woman.), and adultery is illegal in nearly all American states, including in the US military.
Now, based on both scriptures, a married man having sex with an unmarried woman is considered to be fornication, just like two unmarried people, because it is outside of the marriage arrangement. However, fornication, although a crime, is not nearly as bad a committing adultery, which is considered a capital offense in the Torah and is punishable by lashes in the Qur'aan... If you take the Qur'aan as telling people to avoid all kinds of sexual activity outside of marriage, then the "lower their gaze" factor is in effect to everybody, including single people. However, if it's has the aim of preventing adultery, then it applies to married people only, especially when it comes to married women (men can't gaze at another man's wife, and a man's wife can't gaze at other men, whether single or married). It all depends on your interpretation.
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Actually, that's something I've been looking into for a while. The aim is to avoid sexual crimes, but it depends on if this is set to avoid fornication or adultery...
According to the Torah, "adultery" always involves a married woman; if a married man has sex with someone else's wife, they are both guilty of adultery, and the same is the case with a single man who has sex with someone else's wife. However, a married man who has sex with a single woman is NOT guilty of adultery... I searched for refutations of this in the Qur'aan, but surprisingly I couldn't find any. The Qur'aan seems to support the concept of adultery in the Bible, which could explain why men are allowed to marry more than one woman (under certain conditions). This is even identified in certain US states (i.e. The state of Minesota says concerning adultery "when a married woman has sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband, whether married or not, both are guilty of adultery." This does not apply to a married man having sex with an unmarried woman.), and adultery is illegal in nearly all American states, including in the US military.
Now, based on both scriptures, a married man having sex with an unmarried woman is considered to be fornication, just like two unmarried people, because it is outside of the marriage arrangement. However, fornication, although a crime, is not nearly as bad a committing adultery, which is considered a capital offense in the Torah and is punishable by lashes in the Qur'aan... If you take the Qur'aan as telling people to avoid all kinds of sexual activity outside of marriage, then the "lower their gaze" factor is in effect to everybody, including single people. However, if it's has the aim of preventing adultery, then it applies to married people only, especially when it comes to married women (men can't gaze at another man's wife, and a man's wife can't gaze at other men, whether single or married). It all depends on your interpretation.
Interesting and well thought our research. bravo
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If lashes is for adultery, what is for fornication?
IMO Quran does not differentiate between the two, but does not say they're the same either (they're obviously not) and I think zina just means prostitution. You do not have to be married or single to be part of prostitution.
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If lashes is for adultery, what is for fornication?
I don't think there is a punishment for fornication. Rather, the person who commited fornication, in ancient Semitic culture, was expected to marry the person he committed the act with. That's why forms of polygamy were accepted in ancient Judaism; if a married Jewish man married a single Jewish woman, the two were expected to marry, and the woman would become another wife (or concubine, in cases of royalty) for the man. In the Torah, there's no prescribed marriage ceremony, and one was considered the spouse of whoever they sex with, at least in ancient times. Since the Qur'aan also has no prescribed marriage ceremony, the concept was probably the same. And this ties into the fact that men can, according to the Qur'aan, marry more than one woman. This wouldn't, of course, apply to the female, since she can only have one husband, and having sex with anyone other than her husband (after marriage) is adultery.
I think zina just means prostitution. You do not have to be married or single to be part of prostitution.
What leads you to believe that "zina" means prostitution?
A prostitute in Arabic is "aahira", and I believe that the Shi'ite practice of "muta" marriage is a form of prostitution. The word "zina" refers to illegal sexual intercourse, which could, depending on the circumstances, apply to fornication or adultery. However, I believe that, in the Qur'aan, it's referring to acts of adultery. But I guess that depends on interpretation... What makes you say that "zina" is prostitution?