Lower your gaze meaning

[Sarah]

Peace

I honestly think 'lower your gaze' is not really what sunni Islam teaches.

In sunni Islam, 'lower your gaze' means to not look at someone of the opposite sex for I guess more than a moment or two in any context (i.e. real life, a video or photo even if they're fully clothed) and to instead look towards the floor. The only exception I've known of is when you meet a potential spouse but that exception was made in the hadith so it wouldn't even apply to Qur'an alone believers. In other words, if we think the lower the gaze concept of sunni Islam is correct, we wouldn't even have that exception when it comes to intending to marry someone.

But the above interpretation doesn't make that much sense to me. If someone single were to meet their potential spouse, it's not as if when they're getting to know each other, they'll have to constantly avoid making eye contact. How an earth would you know you're even attracted to that person or what their motives are if you're not even examining their facial expressions?It wouldn't be logical. Even in situations such as a job interview, you naturally examine the interviewer's face to see if they are open to you getting the job, also to show that you are paying attention thus being respectful and to communicate effectively because communication isn't just through speaking but also through body language and facial expressions.

Also the lower the gaze verses seem so open to interpretation. It doesn't even say 'Men lower your gaze towards women and vice versa, it just tells each sex to lower their gaze...BUT TO WHAT? The opposite sex? Pornography and nudity in general (even if it's your own sex/ gender)? Or does it mean to just not stare at someone in an inappropriate way? Not all stares/ gazes are the same...staring at someone in a sexual vs. romantic way for example...they're two stares which are NOT quite the same...

There is this article about this topic on the 'QuranicPath' website which mentioned something along the lines of that the verses do not actually mean 'lower the gaze' as in to look towards the floor but more of, do not stare excessively.

What about in contexts such as friendship...so it's okay for a female for example to make eye contact with a female friend but wrong to make eye contact with a male friend (even if you don't even fancy them)? Again, this wouldn't make sense logically speaking (unless you think it's forbidden to be friends with the opposite sex but there is no evidence in the Qur'an for this).

Moreover, there is a difference between 'staring' and making continuous eye contact right? During normal eye contact, you would break it from time to time naturally. With prolonged eye contact, I guess sometimes you may not even look away esp. if you're really interested in what the other person has to say but it's different from a stare because your eyes would not be 'wide open', they would be more relaxed. To stare means to open your eyes much wider than they naturally open.

[Amra94]

Logically it just means don't look at people in a lusful way. There's something similar in the Gospel
Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said by them of old time, 'You will not commit adultery.'
But I say to you, 'That whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.'

[Mazhar]

Grand Qur?ān teaches the subject of Human Sexuality

 How sexual system turns-on

Why Men want sex? Do woman also want sex?

What is the cause behind it? Sex is the greatest urge-appetite and pleasure of human beings, particularly men. Medical experts inform that the reason humans want sex is due to the hormone testosterone, which is predominantly male hormone. A normal male?s body produces 20 times more of this hormone than a female?s. This difference in real life experience may result in male feeling the same way after one day without sex as a female after twenty days; a male that has not had sex in twenty days feels the same as a female after more than a year without sex.



You the Messenger [Sal'lallaa'hoalaih'wa'salam] pronounce for the Believing Men that they should reduce their focused observation-gaze [visual attention upon women-most powerful stimuli to excite]

Reduced gaze will help an individual avoid Partialism: sexual interest with an exclusive focus on a specific part of the body.

Generally speaking, men avoid actually sharing their erotic predilections and experiences with others. It is evident from the information that the erotic predilections and fetish could be different for individuals:



Know it; The love of erotic predilections - stimulators has become alluring for the people (Men), fetish from the women;

The most attractive body parts that are considered fetish are those which are ordered to be kept under extra veil when women are in the company of males or other women. The injunctions for women in this regard are not in the sense of restricting their preferences for dress code but in fact to facilitate men since sexual system can become self operative even without the desire of an individual. Thereby women are advised:

Details may be read here:

http://haqeeqat.pk/Sexuality.htm

[amin]

Sexual feeling/lust is an addiction until it achieves its target. So unwanted lust leads to further problems of forceful indulgence , bring relationship or health issues. May be so it says, try to nip it in the bud. Marry and indulge the Quranic way.

[huruf]

The lower the gaze or veil the gaze is for each one to keep in command it hom or herself always.

The aztecs used to have the procedure of marriage so that the married couple had to keep the first six (I thin it as six) days living together without touching each other, so they would learn and practise self restrain. In fact they were very pragmatic con it, they did understand that sex is very tempting BUT that men (of both sexes) as self-conscious cretures of God had the need and the duty to keep always command over themselves. Therefore, while it was understandable that sexual desire were powerful, it was inadmissible that people give in to them loosing command of themselves. Teh state of dressing of any other person of either sex was no mitigating circumstance. Lossing self command was an insult to God's mercy who made us the way we are and made us conscious that we owe our existince to God. No excuse for it.

Salaam