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| Ramadan Parenting Challenge 2014 |
Tell the believing men
to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity; this will be most
conducive to their purity, and Allah is aware of all that they do. And tell the
believing women to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity, and not
to display their charms beyond what may be apparent, hence let them draw their
head covering over their bosom. (Qur’an24:30-31)
Just as you fast your
stomach and tongue you must also fast your eyes. What this means is to not look
at forbidden things such as under-stressed people and the opposite sex. By
lowering your gaze you are protecting it from indecencies.
When you lower your
eyes you protect yourself from licentious thoughts. These licentious thoughts
lead to desire and desire will eventually lead to action. By stopping it at its
source you close off all avenues leading to sin. As Prophet Muhammad (s) said,
if we can protect what is between our mouth and legs he can guarantee us a
place in Paradise.
When I was younger my siblings
and I watched television and every time there were kissing or skimpy-clad body
scenes, my mum would always tell us to quickly look away or shut our eyes. This
reaction became automatic to this day and not just for television but for
wherever we go. This is what I taught my children to do as well. If we’re at
the beach, on a hot day, at a park or wherever we may be and there happens to
be a prohibited scene, I’d say, “Look away or shut your eyes!” They would say,
“Yes, we are!” And even though I know that they are I’d still say it so that it
becomes so ingrained into their psyche that they’d never forget or lapse.
Challenge for today is
to:
- Fast your eyes by lowering your gaze.
- Teach your children to be chaste by lowering their gaze.
Do these and continue
to do them throughout Ramadan.
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