Imam Ibnul Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:
“There are numerous benefits to lowering one’s gaze:
1) Relief from the pain of longing and regret.
When a person lets his eyes wander freely, his heart is never at rest. The gaze shows him what he passionately desires, but cannot reach or be patient without—and this constant yearning becomes the cause of his deepest pain and torment.
2) It fills the heart with light and radiance
This light becomes visible upon one’s eyes, face, and entire being. Just as the one who restrains his gaze is blessed with inner illumination, the one who indulges his eyes is marked by darkness that manifests upon his face and limbs.
3) It grants true spiritual insight (firāsah)
Insight is born of light and clarity. When the heart shines with divine light, one’s perception becomes keen—like a mirror that reflects reality as it is.
But when a person’s gaze is unrestrained, it clouds this mirror, dimming the heart’s brightness.
Allah rewards people in kind: whoever lowers his gaze from the unlawful, Allah grants him penetrating vision and the light of discernment. When he restrains his sight for Allah’s sake, Allah opens for him the eyes of his heart; and whoever lets his eyes wander toward the forbidden, Allah blinds his inner vision.
4) It opens the doors of knowledge and understanding
A heart filled with light perceives truths quickly and deeply. Lowering the gaze clears the mind, allowing knowledge to flow easily.
But when the eyes are left unchecked, the heart becomes disturbed and dark, and the doors of understanding are shut tight.
5) It strengthens the heart with courage and firmness
Lowering the gaze empowers the soul, granting both the strength of spiritual insight and the authority of reasoned proof.
In contrast, those who follow their desires live in humiliation and weakness—disgraced and debased, for such is the fate of those who prefer their whims over the pleasure of Allah.
6) It brings joy and delight to the heart.
This happiness is far greater than the fleeting pleasure of a sinful look.
Why? Because the believer defeats his enemy—his own self and its desires. When he restrains his lust for the sake of Allah, Allah replaces it with a purer, deeper joy.
One of the righteous said:
“By Allah, the pleasure of chastity is greater than the pleasure of sin.”
Indeed, when the soul opposes its base desires, it experiences a lasting joy far surpassing the brief sweetness of indulgence.
Here is where intellect distinguishes itself from desire.
7) It frees the heart from the captivity of lust.
The true prisoner is the one enslaved by his passions. When lust and desire capture the heart, the enemy gains full control over it, tormenting it endlessly.
Like a small bird in a child’s hand,…. tossed about playfully toward death while the child laughs and plays.
cool It closes one of the gates of Hell.
The gaze is the gateway to desire, which leads to sinful action.
Allah’s divine prohibition acts as a protective veil—once that veil is torn, the soul rushes headlong into the forbidden and never stops.
The lustful soul is never satisfied; its pleasure lies only in what is new. Thus, lowering the gaze shuts a door that even kings have been unable to close completely.
9) It strengthens and sharpens the intellect
Unrestrained looking is born of a light and foolish mind that ignores consequences. But the essence of reason is to consider outcomes before acting.
The poet said:
The wisest of men is he who never embarks upon a deed…. until he reflects on what its consequences will bring.
10) It sobers the heart from the intoxication of lust and awakens it from heedlessness.
Letting the gaze roam freely leads to heedlessness of Allah and the Hereafter. It intoxicates the soul with passion, as Allah said about the lovers of worldly beauty:
لعمرك إنهم لفي سكرتهم يعمهون
“By your life, they were in their drunkenness, wandering blindly.” [Al-Hijr 15:72]
A single glance is like a sip of wine, and infatuation is its intoxication.
But the intoxication of passion is far worse than that of wine,
The drunkard of wine may awaken — But the drunkard of desire rarely wakes except among the dead.
The benefits of lowering the gaze—and the harms of letting it go—are far greater than can be counted. We have only hinted at some of them here.
Especially dangerous is looking at those whom Allah has not permitted one to desire, such as handsome youths—for gazing at them is a deadly poison and a destructive disease.
[Rāwdat al-Muḥibbīn — by Imam Ibn ul-Qayyim.]
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