While commenting on the calamity of sight, he further writes:

To stare with lustful eyes is Haraam. Some people while taking it as an ordinary issue neglect it and this ogling unintentionally and unconsciously pollutes them with sins.

A Taaba’ee says:

I think that an ascetic (Zaahid) and devout (Aabid) young man will not be harmed by a beast as much as he will be by the company of a juvenile.

A very famous Muhaddith—Sufiyaan-i-Thouri (RA) says:

If a person plays with the finger or two of a juvenile’s feet with sexual passion, he will be considered a sodomist.

It is quoted from some grand predecessors that there will be three types of sodomists in this Ummah. One—those who will only ogle, two—those who will limit themselves with just touching and handshaking, three—those who will indulge in the sinful act. This proves that the calamity of sight is most severe than any other calamities. (Ihya-ul-Uloom, Vol-3)

May Allah save His slaves from this wicked calamity. It is necessary for a Muslim to adopt chastity and virtuousness and save himself from everything contrary to this, because this is what the Imaan demands and in this lies the prosperity. At this juncture, I would like to quote the summary of a topic from the book ‘Ihya-ul-Uloom’ of Hujjatul Islam Imaam Ghazali (RA), in which he has explained the virtues of saving oneself from the adultery of sex organ and that of eye, and also narrated few episodes. He says:

Know that from among all the passions, the most overwhelming passion on a man is sexual passion, and at the time of excitement, the most disobedient to intellect. Besides, the repercussions of this act are very bad up to the limit of disgracefulness and the one who indulges in it feels shame and fear. Most of the people who don't indulge in this act is because of their weakness, fear, shame or safety of their body. None of these reasons can become a means of Thawaab (reward), because to stay away from indulging in adultery on account of these reasons is to give precedence to one pleasure out of the two. This is better than committing a sin but that pleasure is not in itself worth of Thawaab. The virtue and Thawaab is on that safety whose driving force is the fear of Allah, and this fear should evolve at such a situation when one has full control and ability to do the act, no obstacle of any kind exists and especially when he is in a state of true sexual passion. This is the status of Saadiqeen (truthful people). This is why Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

من عيش فكتم و عفّ فمات فهو شهيد (جامع صغير)

“He who fell in love, then concealed it and adopted virtuousness and then died, he is a Shaheed (martyr)”. (Jaam’e Sageer)

It is narrated in a Hadith that seven persons are such on whom Allah Ta’ala will provide a place under the shade of Arsh on the day when there will be no other shade i.e., the day of Qiyaamah. The one among these seven as narrated in the Hadith is:

وَرَجُلٌ دَعَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ مَنْصِبٍ وَجَمَالٍ فَقَالَ إِنِّى أَخَافُ اللَّهَ (بخاري)

“A man who is invited by a beautiful and respectable woman towards herself and he refuses her invitation by saying, I fear Allah”. (Bukhari)

The incident of Hadhrat Yousuf (AS) is very famous, who while having full control along with the desire and wish of Zulaikha, did not take even a step forward. This supreme character of Hadhrat Yousuf (AS) has been appreciated in the Holy Qur’an. As far as the chastity and virtuousness is concerned, he was the Imaam of whole mankind.

Few incidents

It has been narrated that Hadhrat Sulaimaan bin Yassar (RA) was a very handsome man. A wonderful and surprising incident is related about him that once he along with his companion went to perform Haj from Madina. On reaching a place namely Abwa, they made a stay. His companion took a bag and went to the market for some purchasing and left Hadhrat Sulaimaan in the tent. A woman from certain village while passing through that place saw the good looking face of Hadhrat Sulaimaan and wholeheartedly fell in love with him. The tent of Hadhrat Sulaimaan was tied at the foot of a hill while that woman was at its peak. When she saw him, she came down and went straight into his tent. She had a veil on her face and her hands were in gloves. When she removed her veil, it appeared as if moon had come out of a cloud. She was extremely beautiful and attractive and asked Hadhrat Sulaimaan to give her something. He thought that she was asking for some food. He got up and took the left over from the dining cloth and offered it to her. She said, “I am not in need of any food, I only want that which takes place between a husband and a wife”. Hadhrat Sulaimaan said, “Did the devil bring you here after seducing you?”. He lowered his head into his knees and wept loudly. When she saw him weeping like this, she felt ashamed and left. After few moments, the companion of Hadhrat Sulaimaan came back from the market, he saw that the eyes of Hadhrat Sulaimaan had swelled up because of weeping. On asking the reason, Hadhrat Sulaimaan said that he badly missed his daughter. Not believing him, his companion said, “before this you never missed your daughter, what happened all of a sudden”. When his companion stressed to know the reason, Hadhrat Sulaimaan narrated the whole episode to him. After listening, his companion started weeping. Hadhrat Sulaimah asked him the reason and he said, “I am weeping because had I been at your place, I would not have been able to reject her demand and thereby committed a sin”. For some time they both wept and then again started their journey. When he reached Makkah and after performing Tawaaf (circumambulation of Ka’ba) and Sa’ee (running between Safa and Marwa), he wrapped up his garments and sat near Hajr-i-Aswad (the black stone). While staying there he was overwhelmed by sleep and had a dream in which he saw a tall handsome man from whose body a beautiful fragrance was erupting. He asked, “Who are you?”. The young man replied, “I am Yousuf (AS)”. He again asked, “Yousuf-i-Siddiq?” (the truthful Yousuf (AS)). He replied in affirmation. Hadhrat Sulaimaan said that your incident with Zulaikha is wonderful. On this, Hadhrat Yousuf (AS) said that your incident with the woman of Abwa is more wonderful than mine.

This is the status of a person who saves himself from adultery even when being in full control to commit it. Next to him is that person who saves his eyes from indulging in this crime (i.e., avoids to gaze at Gair-Mahram). It should be noted that the eye is a gateway that leads to adultery, and since it very difficult to stop it from looking, it become more than necessary to save it. People have become careless in this regard and believe it of trivial nature. We don't consider it so important though it is the basis of all the calamities. One is forgiven and wont be held accountable if he casts a look at someone the first time without any purpose or intention, but it is not so if he looks again.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

لك الأولى و عليك الآخرة (كنز العمال ج 5 ص 468)

“You will not be held accountable for the first gaze bur for the second, you will be answerable” (Kunzul Ummal)

Allaama Ibn Ziyaadah (RA) says, “Don't cast your looks on a woman’s veil because this act will sow the seeds of lust in your eyes. It seldom happens that a person will not look again at a woman or a good looking juvenile after the first sight. If you unintentionally had the first look and then your temperament shows its desire for the next, establish this notion into you heart that to look again is foolishness because it will not liberate you even after that. In these situations it can happen that, either you may like that face or you may not like it. In the first case i.e., if you will like that face, your Nafs (inner self) will demand sex, and when you will not be able to fulfill it, nothing will fall into your hands except regret and deprivation. In the second case, the purpose itself will expire for which you had cast the second look i.e., to obtain enjoyment. You will not feel any attraction in an ugly face, but still there would be an addition of sin in your record book (i.e., Nama-Ae’mal). These type of sins are termed as joyless sins. So to say that by casting a second look either you will get regret or deprivation of enjoyment, and both these are useless and cause wrongdoing”.