Question Summary:
Lowering the Gaze

Question Detail:

 
I know somebody who looks at non-Mahrams, young or old
He says stuff like "I'm unaffected" "I don't stare with desire"
How can this be rebuked??

Answer :

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Every human being is naturally attracted by the opposite gender. A male is attracted to the feminine qualities of a woman and a woman is attracted to the masculine qualities of a man. It is for this reason Allāh Ta‘āla states in the Qur’ān:
قل للمؤمنين يغضوا من أبصارهم ويحفظوا فروجهم ذلك أزكى لهم إن الله خبير بما يصنعون. وقل للمؤمنات يغضضن من أبصارهن ويحفظن فروجهن
Translation: Tell the believing men that they should lower gazes and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Surely Allāh is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women that they should lower their gazes and preserve their chastity.  [24:30-31]
It is clearly understood from the above mentioned verse that it is a command of Allāh Ta‘āla for men to lower their gazes from non-Mahram women. Any prohibition that is found in Shar‘iah is for our own benefit and well-being whether or not we understand the wisdom behind such prohibitions. If one ignores that which Allāh Ta‘āla has declared as forbidden, it not only destroys the peace of the heart, it will also remove the nūr (divine light) of the heart which protects one from other sins and evils. A person claiming that he is “unaffected” by casting unlawful glances at strange women is merely a whispering of Shaytān and deceiving the nafs.
As such, it is Harām for one to gaze at a non-Mahram woman with desire and Makrūh Tahrīmi (severely disliked) to do so if there is no desire.^[1]
 
And Allah Ta‘āla Knows Best
Fahad Abdul Wahab
Student Darul Iftaa
USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai                                                                                                                                                                                                                
www.Daruliftaa.net