Class #8: April 1st Notes

Registration Policy: People have until the 15th of this month to register for Part 2

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Faqih: I want this class to be interactive. Words of advice from his Shaykh’s teacher: Three points. “Lower your gaze, preserve your chastity; no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to avoid it. If you ever see something haraam, then make sure you resort to the remedy or cure for it: tawba and astaghfar.”

Verses 30 - 31

“Say O Muhammad to the believing men to lower their gaze (from the haraam), to guard their private parts (or preserve one’s chastity) at all times. That is most purifying for them (their hearts, souls, their very person) and indeed Allah is well-acquainted with what they do.

Say to the believing women to lower their gaze as well and protext their private parts, and not show their beauty except that which appears of it normally. And let them strike their khimar over their junubiyan, and not expose their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, their brothers’ sons, their sisters’ sons, their women, that which their right hands possess, or children who have not reached puberty. And let not women stamp their feet to show the adornments they have hidden. And turn to Allah, all of you O believers, that you may succeed.”

This is our personal firewall from spiritual viruses. This is meant to enforce a pure environment which will allow us to preserve and maintain haya`.

What is desensitization? It is when something that would be considered shocking, due to overexposure, becomes commonplace and normal. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala knows that we have this weakness, and He knows that if we are constantly exposed to wrong, it will mean we will no longer know what is right and what is wrong. It is part of our innate nature, part of our fitra, to cover our private parts and not look at other people’s private parts. Haya` is part of our fitra. But through constant exposure, we can get desensitized and lose our sense of haya` - and this can become widespread throughout society. This means we can no longer have a virtuous society.

Example: Ted Bundy who is a mass killer and rapist. It all started one day when he was driving home from work and he saw a magazine with a half-naked person on the cover and bought it -> addicted to porn -> mass rapist/killer. That’s how it all started.

When one lowers their gaze, they preserve the purity and innocence of their hearts and spirits. They are able to preserve their chastity and worship Allah. To stare (out of curiosity or lust) is not allowed. In the Shari’ah you cannot look at a person of the opposite gender for a long period of time; you also cannot look at someone from the same gender for a long time if it is out of lust. This message is for he true believers, those who want to reserve this special connection and relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala and maintain their purity. Knowledge is light in the hearts of the believers. It cannot be given to sinners.

Why did Allah (swt) address men and women separately?

Allah is pointing out the danger of not following these acts, and enforcing that this is an issue for believing men and women. It can also be specific instructions to each gender. It may also be that they disobey for different reasons, which is why He addresses them differently.

Allah (swt) told the Believers to also lower their voices while around the Prophet (saws).

Hijab

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala honors women in the Qur’an. The body of a woman should be put on a pedestal – it is where life is made. This includes the bodies of the most sacred people that walked on Earth – they were shaped in the body of a woman. That body should not be exploited or misused or reconstructed; it should be preserved. Which religion honors it the most? Islam. These ayat are one place where Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala honored the bodies of women. Generally speaking, women have a beauty. It is not to be flaunted, except that which normally appears. Does that mean women should not expose their bodies except that which happens in normal situations? What does that mean?

The khimar is a head-covering. The junubiyan is the upper chest area.

Mahram

The husband and wife can see anything of each other. Besides that, there are certain categories of men who can see but the Sunnah defines the limits of what can be seen. So the fathers (which includes grandfathers, great-grandfathers, etc. on the mother and father side), or their father-in-laws, or their sons (grandsons, great-grandsons, etc.), the sons of their husbands (step-sons), or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons (nephews whether from half or full or foster siblings), or from the believing women, or their right hand’s possessions, or men who do not desire – old men or mentally-handicapped men, or children who have reached an age where they can distinguish beauty. We are not only responsible for ourselves, we are also responsible for those we affect – we will be asked about tempting others. (In Surat an-Nisa, the uncle is part of the mahram).

Lowering The Gaze

Bad images – one glimpse – is an arrow from Shaytan that is aimed at your heart.

When Can People See Each Other (Hair, etc.)

* Emergency situations and for medical treatment.
* During an engagement, when both parties are ready to get married (like seriously right away).
* For security reasons or criminal/legal reasons
* Women who understand the rule of not exposing a Muslim woman, can see you without hijab.
o You should not take off your hijab in public places, like bathrooms, where there are non-Muslim women.
o If you violate this ruling, this will be considered a sin.

A foster child can be breastfed anytime in two years for it to be considered a foster child.