Lower Your Gaze, Protect Your Heart | Jumuah Khutbah | Ustadh Mohamad Baajour

The Footsteps of Shaytan

O you who believe, do not follow the footsteps of the shaytan. The shaytan does not tell me to go and commit zina. It's gradual, subtle manipulation. A look, a smile, a text, then a meeting, then a touch, then you know what happens. These are the footsteps of the shaytan. Why, O Allah? Because whomever follows these footsteps, the shaytan orders indecency and all kinds of evil.

One of the main organs that the shaytan focuses on is vision. The eyes. Why? Because he wants to ruin my life, to destroy my marriage, to corrupt my ibadat, my acts of worship.

Allah's Command to Lower the Gaze

So Allah told us:

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze. In this ayah, there's an order, and there's a reward, and there's a warning. The order is for the believing men to lower their gaze. The reward, that is purer for you. And the warning, be careful. Know, Allah is well aware of everything that you do.

Now, some people might say, alhamdulillah, this ayah is not for me. No, habibi, let me repeat. You consider yourself a believer, Allah said, ya Muhammad, tell the believing men, and the ayah after it, tell the believing women. So if you are a believing man or a believing woman, you should become all ears. He did not say, قل للكافرين، قل للمنافقين، قل للمشركين, قل للمؤمنين - Tell the believing men to lower their gaze.

Jabir ibn Abdullah (radiyallahu anhuma), he said, I asked Rasulullah ﷺ about the accidental look. And he told me, and he commanded me to turn my eyes away. Just like he told Ali (radiyallahu anh), "Ya Ali, do not follow the glance with another glance. The first one does not count, but the second one does."

The Consequences of Wandering Eyes

My brothers and sisters, when you let your gaze roam, looking at the charms of women, you are actually planting in your heart thorns of lust and regret. When the husband starts letting his gaze wander, and starts looking at women, you know what the first thing happens? He starts comparing his wife to this woman. He starts comparing his wife to this woman. And then that will create a resentment to that blessed wife. And eventually, that will lead to more worse things, which could be a divorce.

My brothers and sisters, there are many delays, there are many reasons for the delay of marriage among the youth. One of these reasons is that our youth are addicted to watching social media. So that brother, that young brother, and that young sister, he's watching and she's watching so much social media, because they keep delaying their marriage, waiting for that non-existent person that they are watching on this social media. The deceptive beauty that does not really exist. So they keep delaying, looking, "Oh, I want that wife that looks like this, and behaves like that. And I want that husband."

Tools to Help Lower Our Gaze

And my brothers and sisters, it's very easy to mention the problem, but let's go straight to the cure. Some of the tools that will help me and you lower our gaze. Why this khutbah now? Because we all know the season is coming, and we are living in a culture that the slogan is, if you got it, flaunt it. The higher the temperature, the lower are the clothing.

First Tool: Remember Allah is Watching

First, first tool, remember, remember, Allah is watching. Wallahi, if I end the khutbah here, that's sufficient. That's a sufficient tool that should help me, and help every believing man and woman to lower their gaze. Allah is watching.

Is it a coincidence that every single Friday, on every single member on earth, إن الله كان عليكم رقيباً. Every Friday, the khatib is saying the first ayah in surah an-Nisa, which ends with, Allah is watching you.

There are so many things we will not do in front of our parents, in front of our spouses, in front of our imam, but subhanAllah, it's so easy to do when we are alone, not knowing, not remembering that Allah is watching.

Once I advised a brother who is addicted to porn. I said, ya akhi, one of the solutions is, whatever machine that you are watching that filth on, make your background, ألم يعلم بأن الله يرى. Put that ayah from surah al-Alaq, put that ayah as your background. Don't you know that Allah is watching anyone with a speck, with a mustard seed of iman. He will see this ayah on that background. He will not dare to watch that haram.

Sometimes the youth, the parents are away, the curtains are down, the lights are off, and they sit down next to their machine, and they start watching the haram. And then all of a sudden, they hear a noise. And when they hear the noise, they turn everything off and they start trembling. The fear of that noise. You fearing that noise is worst than you watching the haram. Why? Because you feared someone more than Allah.

They fear people, but they do not fear Allah. And He is with them with His knowledge.

Second Tool: Remember the Recording Angels

Second, if that's not enough reason to lower our gaze, remember Allah said:

If the first one is not enough, listen to the second. Allah said, There are honorable angels, their job is one, to record everything that me and you are doing. Every glance, every look, every word, every move is recorded. I am making an honorable angel record this filth.

Surah Al-Isra, Allah told us, The hearing, the vision, the heart, all of that, the human being will be questioned about.

Third Tool: It's an Act of Worship

Third, remember that lowering the gaze is an act of worship because of the ayah we recited. Allah told us, Tell the believing men to lower their gaze. That's an order from Allah. So every time I lower my gaze, I am actually performing an act of worship.

And my brothers, if you wanna taste the sweetness of iman, the sweetness of faith, you are in a place where nobody knows you. You are on a vacation, you are somewhere, no one knows you. And then all of a sudden, your vision fell on something haram, and immediately you lowered your gaze, not because her husband is with her, not because your wife is with you, you just did it because you fear Allah, then and only then you will taste the sweetness of iman.

Fourth Tool: Remember the Blessing of Vision

My brothers and sisters, number four, one of the greatest blessings that Allah bestowed upon me and you is the ni'mah, is the blessing of vision. How many millions of people would love to have that ni'mah, and I'm using it, I'm using the ni'mah to disobey Allah.

Wallahi, if I tell you, brothers and sisters, close your eyes for ten seconds, you know, you can't. Imagine I lose my vision, I can't see my wife, I can't see my parents, I can't drive, I can't work, I can't do this, I can't do that. SubhanAllah, and Allah blessed me with that great ni'mah, and I'm using it to disobey Allah.

Fifth Tool: Ask Allah for Help

Fifth, ask Allah, beg Allah, if you are tested by this musiba, ask Allah to help you lower your gaze. If you ask sincerely, Allah promised:

Whomsoever strive and struggle in my cause, for anything, any goal, I, Allah, will help him or her get to that goal.

One of the greatest scholars, he said something, subhanAllah, profound. He said, الصبر على غض البصر أيسر من الصبر على ما بعده - Being patient to lower your gaze is way much easier than the patience of the consequences of not lowering your gaze. I did not lower my gaze, I looked, and I followed that look with an action, she got pregnant. The problems, the patience on that problem are way harder than the patience of, ya akhi, just lower your gaze.

Sixth Tool: Avoid Places of Haram

Six, avoid, logically, avoid places where the haram is prevalent. Don't tell me, sheikh, I'm going to the beach, but I promise you, I'm gonna lower my gaze. Does not make any sense. Stay away from places where the haram is prevalent.

And for my single brothers that constantly complain, Allah, it's very hard, ya sheikh, with all this haram around us. Ya akhi, not me, your habib ﷺ, gave you the formula. You cannot, you're having this problem. Rasulullah ﷺ said, Get married. Get married. If you can afford to get married, physically and financially, and you are mature enough, and mentally stable, and mentally ready to get married, bismillah ya akhi, and the parents, please, stop making marriage so hard for the children. You do not know what they're going through.

I cannot afford, I'm still young, I cannot get married. Go to the next one, fast. This is a prescription from the doctor of the ummah. Fast, who told him that? ما ينطق عن الهوى - Allah told him, tell the youth, if they cannot lower their gaze, let them fast. Start fasting if you're facing this problem.

Seventh Tool: Remember Your Body Will Testify

Number seven, subhanAllah, remember, remember that these eyes will testify on the day of judgment. These eyes will testify on the day of judgment.

And when they get on the day of judgment, their ears will testify, their eyes will testify, the skin will testify. These are ayat in surah Fussilat. And they would say, لماذا شهدتم علينا - Why are you testifying against me? I'm lying here, I'm doing all these tricks to protect you from the hellfire. And the body parts will answer and say, أنطقنا الله - Allah made us talk. He can make anything speak and talk. على كل شيء قدير

Eighth Tool: Protection from Hellfire

Number eight, knowing that lowering the gaze will protect me from the hellfire. When Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Three eyes will not see the hellfire. One of them is an eye that lowered its gaze from the haram."

You know, some of the scholars said, They said, قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ from Surah an-Nur - Tell the believing men to lower their gaze. Tell the believing women to lower their gaze. And then a few ayat later, Allah said, اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ. The scholars said, the reward for the brother and the sister who lower their gaze is that they will be able to see the Nur of Allah on the Day of Judgment.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله فاستغفروه إنه غفور رحيم

For the Believing Women

The sisters are saying, this khutbah is not for me. I wish I did not come today. Well, sisters, let's go to the next ayah.

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze.

My sister, in the same ayah, Allah commanded the believing women to wear the hijab, to wear the proper hijab. In the same exact ayah, the hijab, my dear beloved sister, is not an option. It's an obligation from Allah for every female that hit puberty. The hijab becomes a must upon her. The real hijab that covers the whole body, loose, non-transparent, non-see-through, the real hijab.

Shaytan fooled our sisters. The shaytan fooled our mothers. The shaytan fooled our daughters and made them think that a piece of cloth on their head is the hijab.

The Pillars of Hijab and Protecting Our Gaze

Just like any ibadah, just like any act of worship that has pillars, similarly, the hijab has pillars. One of the pillars of the hijab is not to be defining, sticking to the body. But at least I'm wearing something. If I see a brother, he's praying, and he's going straight, after he finished the short surah, he's going straight to sujood. He's skipping ruku'a. I say, Brother, you're skipping ruku'a. Ya Shaykh, at least I'm praying. La ya habibi, you're not praying.

So my sister, you are suffering in the heat. You are suffering with all these clothes. And subhanAllah, you're not doing the actual ibadah. Wallahi, that's a disaster. Please, my sister, don't. You know, the sisters get upset from the speaker. He always speaks about hijab. My beloved sister, if I do not speak to you about the hijab, you should be upset with me. Where are you going to hear about the hijab on CNN? We are here to remind each other. I have to remind you. Because I care. Because we care. I don't want you to hold me from my neck on the day of judgment and say, you never mentioned anything about the hijab because you were scared the sisters will not like you anymore.

Allah's Mercy and Forgiveness

My brothers and sisters, especially my sister, subhanAllah, look at the same ayah. How did it end? My sister, you might say to yourself, Ya Allah, for these years, I've been neglecting my hijab or maybe I'm not wearing the proper hijab. Look how the ayah ended. It's okay. It's okay, my sister. Come back to Allah azza wa jal. Repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And repent to Allah all of you. O disbelievers. O hypocrites. O believers. Look at the gentle speech from the Rahman, from the Rahim. Repent to Allah all of you. O who you believe. Allah Akbar. Allah make us repentant.

A Beautiful Formula for Protection

And finally, my brothers and sisters, there's a beautiful short formula. Your son is going to school, to college. He's moving. Or your son or your daughter asks you for an advice. Memorize this three-word hadith.

Be cautious of the boundaries of Allah. Protect the law of Allah. Allah will protect you. My son, this is my only advice to you. What does that mean in our topic today?

The Golden Rule of Lowering the Gaze

Listen carefully. As a man, not as a male, I'm talking to men. As a man, if you do not want men to stare at your wife, at your daughter, at your mother, at your sister, you yourself do not stare at other people's mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. احفظ الله يحفظك. Protect other people from being looked at. Allah will protect your woman from being looked at. What goes around, comes around. And no real man enjoys others to look and stare at his wife.

Call to Action

My beloved brothers and sisters, this is an extremely important topic. And now, subhanAllah, we have all the tools to apply. You know, like I always remind myself and I remind you, we come to Jumu'ah, hopefully with the intention we leave with an action plan. SubhanAllah, if you are being tested with this sin, and you heard now the solution, beg Allah to make yourself and myself from the people الذين يستمعون القول فيتبعون أحسنه. Ask Allah to make you from the people when they hear something, they follow the best of it.

Closing Du'a

May Allah help us control our gaze.

وقوموا إلى صلاتكم - Stand for your prayer.