Hakeem ul Ummah, Hazrat Thanwi (RA) says, “To cast lustful glances is the disease of idiots. You neither give, nor receive. All you do is put your own heart in turmoil. You can stare at a girl forever, but you will never get her. You will only get the person that Allah has decreed for you as halal. Since this is a matter which has already been decided by Allah, that is why this is the disease of idiots.”
Anwaar-e-Haram pg. 45
Note: This applies for females as well. Just because the example given by Hazrat Thanwi (RA) involves men, it does not mean that women are exempt. The ruling for lowering the gaze has been given to men first, and then specifically to women separately.
Tell the believing men that they shall subdue their eyes (and not stare at the women), and to maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything they do. (24:30)
For people, eyes are door to their heart and mind. If they keep this door open to all the dirt, that dirt would enter through their eyes and polute their mind and heart. Then that poluted mind would fancy to them immoral desires and poluted heart would insist them to perform immoral activities. (adultary)
There is a hadith that people who lower their gaze when they come across the member of opposite gender, they would feel the halawat of Imaan (sweet pleasure) in their Heart.
May Allah (swt) bless us with the wisdom and strength to follow the right path
I can hardly imagine how you can convince someone of something by telling them they are an Idiot. Someone carrying the title of Hakim Ul Ummah should know best the sort of language to use when preaching or clarifying ones position.
He was not convincing idiots. He was convincing those who are not, not to become one ..
Yet it still castes a group as Idiots then doesn't it? Infact the ones who should be brought back to the correct way. His views will be read by all types of people, will they not? I agree with the premise and everything here but did not like the way it is presented. The logic for lowering our gazes and being respectuful of opposite gender is not rooted in whats the rationale in doing it because you cannot get more but rather prevent yourself from it in case you ever want more than what you got by just running lustful stares at people. If you cast a stare at someone and liked them then our religion has defined the proper ways to approach the issue and what to do and what not.