Quran 24:30,interpretation

[Sstikstof]

Can someone interpret the verse 24:30 with proper meaning? I need a good interpretation.

[Hassan A]

Salaam,

Verse 24:30 reads as followed:


My understanding of this verse, borrowed in part from a site which I will cite below, is a follows:

When Allah instructs men and women to lower their gaze this should not be seen/accepted as an instruction for the genders to stay (clear/away) from one another or to avoid complete eye contact with the opposite gender, rather what it means is that 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 Quranic understanding. The other occasions the root word "غض (to lower/reduce)" has been used in the Qur'an are as follows:

"It is those who lower 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, by looking at the above expression, say that the verse is suggesting not to speak to the messenger at all just because it says to lower their voice (which compares with lower their gaze). Rather, what is expressed here 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 it means to carry a modest, humbleness when dealing with one another. In other words, both sex should not wonder their eyes (and stare at the others private parts). But it’s not only the eyes which should be lowered, the minds-eyes must also be lowered; in other words you should not sexually undress, with your mind, the opposite gender in your presence/whom you’re conversing with. One way to do this is to view/imagine the opposite gender (whom you are conversing with and is not your spouse) to be your own mother (or father depending on the gender), thus placing a psychological barrier between yourselves. In other words, one would not sexually stare at his/her mother/father (either with the eyes or the minds-eyes) when in their presence/speaking to them. Similarly, one should not sexually stare at the opposite gender when in their presence/speaking to them.

-To further elucidate this point, consider how Allah, in 33:6, refers to the wives of the prophet as the mothers of the believers. Allah, in such verse (33:6), by referring to the wives of the prophet as the mother of the believers, is calling/instructing the believing men to put up a psychological barrier between themselves and the prophet's wives - and therefore to view them as they would their own mothers, rather than as ordinary believing women with whom marriage is eligible (i.e. to not develop a liking with the intention of marrying them) . After all, a man is most close to his mother in a unique way, and speaks (to her) face to face and hence a physical barrier is not rational.

http://www.quranicpath.com/misconceptions/lowering_gaze.html

[Sstikstof]

Thanks for a valuable interpretation which contains all answers in a breath.