"Lower their Gaze" does not Mean to Avoid Eye-contact or to not Interact

"Lower their Gaze" does not Mean to Avoid Eye-contact or to not Interact

Many so-called practicing Muslims are un-cooperative and unhelpful to members of the opposite gender. They keep away from each other as much a possible. In some cases, if two such people are put in a situation where they have to communicate, one looks into the sky, while the other looks into the ground in order to avoid eye contact. A person of this breed can even appear impolite and rude to a person who does not carry this mentality. They back their behaviour using what they have been told about Verse 24:29-30 of the Qur'an. This is a misconception that arises purely out of a lack of wisdom and understanding.

The Verses they quote are the following:

24:30:

"Tell the believing men that they should reduce/lower (يغضوا) their gaze/vision and guard their private parts"

24:31:

"Tell the believing women that they should reduce/lower (يغضضن) their gaze/vision and guard their private parts"

Taking a literal understanding of Verses can often lead to erroneous understanding of a Verse. The meaning that should be derived from the above Verses is that men and women who believe in Allah and the Last Day, must behave modestly and carry themselves humbly between one another. Not only is this an interpretation based on reason, it is also supported by the other occasions the root word "غض (to lower/reduce)" has been used in the Qur'an.

"It is those who lower (يغضون) their voices in the presence of Allah's messenger and whose hearts Allah has proved to be aware - they will have forgiveness and a great reward" (Qur'an 49:3)

We cannot say, by looking at the above expression, the verse means to not speak to the messenger just because it says "lower the voice". Rather what is expressed in the is that the believers should not have arrogance or haughtiness in their voice and attitude when interacting with the messenger. Likewise, to "reduce/lower their gaze/vision" does not mean to avoid looking at opposite gender, rather to carry a modesty, humbleness when dealing with one another.

Another example is when the Allah describes the time when Luqman advised his son on how he should behave with people:

"Go at a moderate pace and lower (واغضض) your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of donkeys" (Qur'an 31:19)

The advise in the Verse is not to sound arrogant and inconsiderate in dealing with people. To "lower the voice" does not mean to literally lower the voice! For example, to become so quiet so as people cannot hear one speak. Just like "lower their gaze" does not mean to not look at the opposite gender, but to do so with modesty.

A point which adds weight to this argument is that the term "ابصار (absaar)" translated as gaze/vision, has also been used in the Qur'an to metaphorically refer to a person's inner character and capabilities to grasp and respond to the outside world correctly, rather than literally one's vision through the eyes.

Furthermore, lessons from the Qur'an show us that all believers must look after one another out of love for Allah and must not cut interaction, even between genders. For example:

“The believing men and the believing women, they are the friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong” (Qur’an 9:71)

Allah further elaborates in another Verse:

"Those who were already firmly established in their homes and firmly rooted in faith, show love for those who migrated to them for refuge and harbor no desire in their hearts for what has been given to them. They give them preference over themselves, even if they too are poor. It is those who are saved from the greed of their own souls who are successful." (Qur'an 59:9)

The verse teaches us the strength of unity between true believers. This originates from their love for Allah and desire for the Hereafter. One cannot say the above Verse carries double standard for the two genders. Rather the believers of the time referred to in the verse, gave refuge to in their very own homes, all believers who migrated regardless of their gender. What matters is one's faith in Allah, believers are united by this.

The following incident in the story of Prophet Musa has lessons for the believers:

"As he made his way towards Midian, he was saying, 'May my Lord guide me to the right way.' When he arrived at Midian's waters, he found a group of men [watering their flocks], and beside them two women keeping their flocks back, so he said, 'what is the matter with you two?' They said, 'We cannot water [our flocks] until the shepherds take their sheep away: our father is a very old man.' He watered their flocks for them, withdrew into the shade, and prayed, 'My Lord, I am in dire need of whatever good thing you may send me" (Qur'an 28:22-24)

Prophet Musa's watering the flocks of the two women is a deed of a believer. However, such behaviour is unlikely among the majority group of so-called practicing Muslims of today. In conclusion, the expression "lower their gaze" used in Verses 24:30-31 does not mean to not look at the opposite gender or to not interact with them. The correct understanding is 'to interact modestly' between one another.

Verses 24:30-31 are not reasons in themselves for their mentality and behaviour. They simply 'use' the verses to keep up a nostalgic form of religion, derived not from the Qur'an. Part of this nostalgia is to cut connections from the opposite gender. This is common with their application of the Qur'an in all other areas, where the Qur'an is simply 'used' to give evidence in a religion where the Qur'an is 'muddled', and its true interpretations are never reached.

The Qur'an should be understood using Quranic context, as we have done here. One cannot arrive at the correct understanding of verses, if one's intention while approaching the Qur'an is to find evidence to prove a preconceived mentality.

Understanding the Arabic Language does not Mean One Understands the Qur'an

Understanding the Arabic Language does not Mean One Understands the Qur'an

The majority of the people assume that if one understands the Arabic language, it means he is capable of understanding the Qur'an. They are also quick to dismiss anyone who has a point to make about the Qur'an's verses, if they are not an Arab or do not speak Arabic. A consistent feature of these sorts of people is that they themselves know little about the Qur'an because they never attempt to research the Qur'an directly. This is because of an intentionally induced inferiority complex of not knowing Arabic which gives them the excuses they need to stay distant from the Qur'an, as well as due to some other vain excuses. They never attempt to understand the verses of the Qur'an themselves. All of their views on the Qur'an are formed entirely by following other people and texts written by those whose trust they assume. They have only read the Qur'an's verses in text books in the context created by their trusted writers, or otherwise read the Arabic verses in ritualistic recitation, or in prayer without understanding them. Sometimes, he feels he has done enough by reading the translation of the few verses he recites frequently in prayer.

As stated above, their excuse is that the Qur’an is not in their language and only an Arab or an Arabic speaker can understand the Verses. The truth is however far from their mistaken beliefs. A believer can understand the Qur'an and live by it even while possessing little or no Arabic knowledge.

History is witness to many people who are proficient in the Arabic language, yet made very twisted and perverted interpretations of the Qur'an, all while they are accepted to be well skilled by the majority. The majority being the group we have identified above. These interpreters of the Qur'an consider themselves Muslims, yet made countless erroneous interpretations - even while knowing Arabic. This begs the question, does knowing Arabic mean one can understand the Qur’an? The disbelievers of Makkah were expert in the language of the Qur'an, but they did not understand many of the concepts and similitudes of the Qur'an. They thus rejected it as being words of a madman.

What one needs to comprehend is that understanding the Qur'an means to understand correctly what is being told in the Verses, the concepts, lessons, signs, admonitions metaphors and imagery. All of these aspects of the Qur'an hold true regardless of the language used. When one does not understand the Qur'an, that is, makes erroneous interpretations, he is incapable of understanding these lessons, admonitions and true purposes of the Verses. One may even be in possession of great Arabic skills, yet be incapable of understanding the Verses due to his or her lack of comprehension of what is being told in the verses. We can compare this with the following scenario. Imagine you are explaining a concept to someone in perfect English. The person you are explaining to can also understand English perfectly. However, due to a lack of comprehension on their part, that person fails to understand what you are explaining to them despite your perfect explanations in English and their ability to understand the language. Likewise, the same can be said about the Qur'an. Even an expert Arabic speaker may well be incapable of understanding and interpreting the Verses correctly as a direct result of that missing comprehension. This comprehension is given by Allah to whoever He pleases. One may be very intelligent but can lack this God-given ability to understand the Qur'an. A verse identifies this:

"...But the disbelievers say, 'what does Allah mean by such a similitude?' Through it, Allah misguides many and He also guides many. But He misguides only the rebels." (Qur'an 2:26)

The comprehension we have mentioned is actually a gift from Allah to His sincere believers only. A believer who does not know Arabic may be endowed with this ability to understand the Qur'an. When the verses of the Qur'an are explained to him by another true believer in his language, he grasps them correctly, even though he does not know Arabic. And it is probable that a person fluent in Arabic could not understand the same Verses correctly even in his own language. Skill in the Arabic language did not afford him the true interpretations of Allah’s Verses, and so he remained bereft of Allah’s guidance. Another person who is a more sincere believer could understand the Verses, even though he did not speak the language of the Qur'an. Allah explains this 'veiling of perception' in a verse:

"When you recite the Qur'an, we place an invisible barrier between you and those who do not believe in the life to come. We have put covers on their hearts that prevents them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears." (Qur'an 17:46)


That is why a true believer can live by the Qur'an without knowing Arabic. It is true that a non-Arabic speaking believer will need to overcome the obstacle of language, but with his sincerity and motivation, he overcomes them without difficulty. Today, there are many translations of the Qur'an available in almost any language. It is possible to draw a fairly accurate understanding of the Qur'an by studying different translations.

Translations however, are not the actual Qur'an and can be erroneous in translating certain words and expressions. Again, with the sincerity and enthusiasm to find the truth, the believer can undertake the research to find a word or expression's real meaning in the Qur'an. For example, when he encounters a certain word in the translation which seems unfitting with the Qur’an’s overall message, he looks into other Verses of the Qur’an where the same Arabic word has been used in order to see how the word has been used elsewhere the Qur’an. He may look into other translations and dictionaries to see what the alternative meanings are. He may seek advice of another sincere follower of Allah’s Book.

In conclusion, people who speak Arabic do not automatically posses the comprehension to understand the meanings of the verses of the Qur’an. The comprehension is given by Allah to whom He wills regardless of ones language. All people who consider themselves Muslim must not hide behind excuses from gaining a first-hand understanding of the Book revealed by Allah, which is a guide, mercy and cure for them if they only make the effort to understand it themselves. Allah has held everyone responsible for adhering to the Qur'an, regardless of their spoken languages.

Historical facts about Hadith

"Your friend (Muhammad) was not astray, nor was he deceived.

Nor was he speaking out of a personal desire.

It was divine inspiration."

53:2-4

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These verses in the beginning of Sura 53 (Al-Najm) have been subject to great misinterpretation. We have seen how the followers of hadith when faced with the fact that the hadith and Sunna of Muhammad (PBUH) have no Quranic reference nor legality to be upheld as a second source of law besides the Quran, have twisted the meaning of the word Hikmah (which means wisdon in ANY dictionary), and instead claimed that it speaks of the Sunna of Muhammad.

Similarly, and driven by the same motives, they have also twisted the meaning of verses 2-4 in Sura 53. What they claim is that the words "It was divine inspiration" indicate that every word spoken by Muhammad in his life time (or at least since he started receiving the revelation at the age of 40) is to be regarded as being divine inspiration. As a result of this false claim, they preach that all Muslims must obey every word spoken by the prophet, whether it is Quran or his personal sayings (hadith).

It is the purpose of this research to verify this claim against Quranic and historical evidence:

FIRST:

From a linguistic point of view, we note that God says 'In Huwa ila wahe yuha' 53:4 ..... this literally translates to (It is nothing but inspiration being inspired). the word 'Huwa' is very indicative in this verse, it literally means 'it' .... but that is not all. The word 'it' in English does not give a gender, 'it' could refer to a masculine or a feminine equally. However, in Arabic the word 'Huwa' refers to the masculine (as opposed to the word Hiya which refers to the feminine). The word 'Huwa' here refers to the Quran which is masculine.

What all this means is that in this verse, God is SPECIFICALLY speaking about the inspiration of the Quran to Muhammad. God is NOT speaking about every word uttered by Muhammad!

SECOND:

Among the books of hadith regarded as 'Sahih' (verified to be authentic), we read the following:

Abi Said Al-Khudary said that the prophet said : "Do not write down anything from me except the Quran."[Sahih Muslim Part 18, page 229, also Ahmed, Vol. 1, Page 171]

Abu huraira said that the prophet said, "The 'Ummam' (nations/peoples) that preceded you have gone astary when they wrote books and upheld them besides God's scripture". (Ahmed Ibn Hanbal).

The same message is documented in other Islamic references of repute:

Abu Huraira said : The messenger of God came to us while we were writing his sayings and said: "What is it you are writing?" we said "sayings (hadith) we hear from you messenger of God" he said, "A book other than God's book?" then Abu Huraira said, "so we gathered what we had written and burnt it all". (Taqyeed Al-Ilm, by Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdady) also (Oloom Al-Hadith, by Ibn Salah).

The valid inquiry that results after reading such words from the prophet, is whether the prophet ever regarded his own personal words as dinine or divinely inspired? The fact that the prophet very clearly forbade his followers from writing his sayings and personal words, indicates that he acknowledged the fact that only the inspiration he received from God (the Quran) was to be regarded as revelation and divinely inspired.

In an attempt to counter this strong argument, the followers of hadith explain that it is true that the prophet prohibited the writing of his own hadith, but they also add that this command only applied to the very early years of the revelation. They say that the prophet gave such instructions because the Quran was in its early days of revelation and that he was worried that his own sayings would be mixed with the Quran!

However, this claim can be exposed due to the following matters:

1- When the revelation first started coming to the prophet he was in Mecca. This continued for thirteen years before the prophet immigrated to Medina to escape the persecution of the idolatrous Meccan leaders. During these 13 difficult years, documenting what the messenger said in conversation was not an issue of prime matter. The believers at the time, who were still a small persecuted minority, were more concerned with securing their personal safety and the safety of the prophet.

Historic indications suggest that the prohibition by the prophet to write his sayings took place in Medina and around the seventh year A.H. (long after the revelations started coming).

2- When we analyse the claim that the prophet prohibited writing his hadith only in the beginning so that it is not confused with the Quran, we note a serious problem. In Sura 15, verse 9 we read that God pledges to preserve the Quran against all corruption. This Sura is a Meccan Sura, or in other words, it was reveled before the immigration to Medina and the subsequent prohibition of writing the hadith.

Here we are facing an inevitable question:

Did Muhammad not believe God's promise to preserve the Quran? If Muhammad did believe God's promise, which is what we excpect a prophet would do, would he still be worried that his own hadith would be mixed or confused with God's revelation which was preserved by God?

3- The claim that the prohibition by the prophet concerned only the early days of Quranic revelation does not explain why all the four Khulafa Al-Rashedeen (Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman and Ali) all mainatined the prohibition after the death of the prophet and allowed no one to write any hadith about the prophet.

The following are some historic accounts:

1- Al-Sayedah A'esha (one of the wives of the prophet) said that her father (Abu Bakr) gathered 500 hadith from people and burnt them all. (Tazkerat Al-Hafez Al-Zahaby part 1, page 5).

2- Orwa Ibn Al-Zubair said that Omar prohibited the writing of any hadith from the prophet and declared "There shall be no book besides God's book" (Ga' me Bayan Al-ilm, part 1, page 65).

3- Both Abu Bakr and Omar used to advise the people to avoid telling tales about the prophet. In one of his speeches Abu Bakr addressed the people saying : "you tell stories about the prophet and you dispute among one another in the details. The people who will come after you will undoubtedly dispute even more, therefore do not tell any tales about the prophet. if you should be asked, say between us and you is God's book, therefore make halal (lawful) what is halal in the book and prohibit what is prohibited therein." (Tazkerat Al-Hafez Al-Zahaby).

4- When Osman became the ruler he maintained the prohibition. The same continued under the leadership of Ali. In one of his speaches Ali said : "I urge any of you who possesses any writings about the prophet to destroy it, verily, the people went astray before you when they upheld the teachings of their scholars and abandoned God's book" (Sunann Al-Darami).

5- The prohibition of writing the hadith stood for a period of two centuries after Hijra. Bukhari was the first to collect the hadith, and he was born in the year 194 A.H. ! Once again, this confirms that the prohibition by the prophet to write his own hadith was a continuos issue and not one related to a certain period of time.

THIRD:

If the claim that all what the prophet uttered was inspired, then why do we find numerous contradictions between hadith and another, and also between hadith and many Quranic verses? Would God inspire to Muhammad contradictions? The following are some of the more obvious contradictions between hadith and Quran:

1- God commands the prophet to declare that he does not know his own destiny nor the destiny of the people:

- "Say (O Muhammad), "I am not different from other messengers. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME OR TO YOU. I only follow what is revealed to me. I am no more than a profound warner." 46:9

- "Say (O Muhammad), "WHETHER GOD DECIDES TO ANNIHILATE ME AND THOSE WITH ME, OR TO SHOWER US WITH MERCY, who is there to protect the disbelievers from a painful retribution?" 67:28

In spite of these clear assurances that Muhammad does NOT know the destiny of anyone, including himself, we read many hadith attributed to the prophet in which it is claimed that he knew the destiny of some of his followers and told them that they are destined to heaven.

2- God also commands Muhammad to declare that he does NOT know the future (Al-Ghaib) and that this knowledge is with God alone:

"Say (O Muhammad), "I do not say to you that I possess the treasures of God. NOR DO I KNOW THE FUTURE. Nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I simply follow what is revealed to me." Say, "Is the blind the same as the seer? Do you not reflect?" 6:50

"Say (O Muhammad), "No one in the heavens and the earth knows the future except GOD. They do not even perceive how or when they will be resurrected." 27:65

In spite of these clear assurances, we read many hadith in which it is claimed that Muhammad went on to describe and predict many future events and also details of the hereafter!

Needless to say, the prophet of God would not contradict the commands given to him by God. Consequently, we must discard all these hadith as lies attributed to the prophet and of which he is innocent of.

3- God commands Muhammad to declare that he has no knowledge of the end of the world:

"The people ask you (O Muhammad) about the Hour (end of the world). Say, "THE KNOWLEDGE THEREOF IS ONLY WITH GOD. For all that you know, the Hour may be close." 33:63

Yet, we read numerous hadith where it is claimed that the prophet went on to give detailed prophecies about the coming of the end of the world, e.g. when the sun rises from the west , when the people of the world all walk naked .... etc, etc.

4- God also commands the prophet to declare that there will be no intercession whatsoever on Judgement Day (see 6:51, 6:94, 7:53, 39:44, 2:254).

Yet once again we read numerous hadith that contradict this Quranic truth, and whereby it is alleged that Muhammad declared that he will intercede for his people on Judgement Day!

5- We are told in the Quran very clearly that the authority to make law is exclusively with God:

"Shall I seek other than GOD AS A SOURCE OF LAW, when He has revealed to you this book fully detailed?" 6:114

"They follow idols who decree for them RELIGIOUS LAWS NEVER AUTHORISED BY GOD. If it were not for the predetermined decision, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors have incurred a painful retribution." 42:21

Sadly, we read many fabricated hadith in which it is claimed that Muhammad played the role of the law maker! Examples of this type are many. e.g. the prophet prohibiting gold and silver for men, the prophet prohibiting music and art, the prophet advocating the killing of all black dogs .... etc, etc.

God in His Infinite Wisdom knows that there will come a time when the idol worshippers will make Muhammad a partner with God as a second law Maker, therefore God included the following significant reminder in the Quran:

"O you prophet, WHY DO YOU PROHIBIT WHAT GOD HAS MADE LAWFUL, just to please your wives? God is Forgiver, Merciful." 66:1

In connection to this verse, it has been said that the prophet had once prohibited a certain item following a domestic dispute. Since this item (said to be honey) is not prohibited by God, he was immediately reprimanded by God.

Perhaps the incident or its details is not of significant importance except that it is a good reminder for all sincere believers that God ALONE is the Law Maker, and that Muhammad or any other messenger is not authorised to make law.

Needless to say, all the fabricated hadith that portray the prophet as a law maker must by rejected and exposed as blatant lies against the prophet.

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From all the above examples it becomes evident that the claim that all what the prophet uttered was inspired by God is naive and utterly false. How can the prophet be inspired in all he uttered when it is full of contradictions? How can these fabricated lies ever be attributed to the prophet? How can millions of Muslims worldwide believe these tales that completely contradict Quranic truth?

FOURTH:

We are told in the Quran that the messenger of God is infallible in the message he delivers but that he is fallible in his own personal words:

"Say, "If I go astray, I go astray because of my own shortcomings. And if I am guided, it is because of my Lord's inspiration. He is Hearer, Near." 34:50

The message in this Quranic verse is clear: The messenger is infallible only in the inspiration he receives from God, and he is fallible in his own personal views/sayings ... etc.

What this proves is that NOT everything uttered by the prophet is inspiration. If it were, God would not command him to say that he is likely to have shortcomings.

To further assert this important issue, God has deliberately informed us in the Quran about six different incidents where the prophet was at fault and we read God's reprimand to the prophet in each of these six occasions. Clearly, if everything uttered by the prophet was inspired he would have not have been at fault in any of these occasions. Surely, God would not inspire to the prophet errors!

We must also understand that God does not include these six cases of reprimand for the sake of belittling His own prophet, but God includes these incidents in the Quran so that the reader of the Quran would be asserted that Muhammad was a human being like all of us and that he is thus prone to do mistakes like all of us. Sadly, the ones who are intent on idolising Muhammad and making an infallible god-like figure out of him cannot see the wisdom of these incidents! They continue to diregard clear Quranic truth! They continue to say that every word uttered by the prophet was inspiration!

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PRAISE GOD