Islamic Teachings on Hijab of Men

The Golden Rule of hijab is ordained for both men and women; therefore, the Islamic commandments on Hijab should not be associated merely with females. In the holy Quran almighty Allah states:

“Tell the believing men to cast down their looks and guard their private parts; that is purer for them; surely Allah is Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts and do not display their ornaments except what appears thereof….” [1]

In the aforementioned verse of the holy Quran almighty Allah (J) addresses men, prior to the women, telling them to conceal their bodies and lower their gaze. Hijab of eyes is one of the most important things that everybody must take it into consideration while observing the rule of hijab. Because, in today’s hyper-sexualized Western society, some of the Muslim youths might ignore the concept of lowering the gaze avoiding inappropriate glances at females, thinking that it is not haram (forbidden) because it is “just looking”.

But it must be noted that even one minor glance can have a spiritually disastrous effect on the human being. Because of the serous probable consequences of the glance, not only men must not look at non-Mahrams (strangers), but also men should avoid looking at pictures, billboards, magazines, as well as television programs and movies with images of non-Mahram women. Psychologically talking, the things we perceive with our eyes during the course of the day are stored in our memory. These images then subconsciously “accumulate” and slowly lead a person to physically manifest them.

Due to the mentioned facts Islam, as a perfect divine religion, commands its followers not to look at non-Mahrams. In fact, it is a sort of important hijab rule for men which must be observed by all the Muslims. The important point is this that if a person becomes addicted to pornography, he might satisfy their desires through unlawful means. The despicable act of masturbation, widespread among Muslim youth today, can only be avoided by stopping such images and lowering the gaze at any and all times.

Notes:
[1] Al-Moor: 30-31. قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ وَقُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوجَهُنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَلْيَضْرِبْنَ بِخُمُرِهِنَّ عَلَى جُيُوبِهِنَّ وَلَا يُبْدِينَ زِينَتَهُنَّ إِلَّا لِبُعُولَتِهِنَّ أَوْ آبَائِهِنّ