Here’s a situation..

By: Labeeb Ibrahim

We the Muslim men and women are supposed to lower our gaze whenever necessary. The whenever necessary, I feel has now become, ‘almost always’. That’s how worse the fashion culture(less-ness?) has grown.

Just think about it. Men wearing more clothes than women in a reality where women own more of ‘to be covered areas’ is indeed an irony. Women, (I would say, foolish women) who preach such clothing cultures are knowingly or unknowingly falling as a variable to the men controlled culture destruction algorithm.

Let me clarify. Men wishing to have eye-candies all around in reality are the sponsors of such cultures.

Now think about this. Advertisement hoardings. these mis-leaders are virtually everywhere. the morally unwatchable parts of female body is zoomed and shown with HD clarity. Why? Just to sell paints, cars, sanitary-wares etc and even schools advertise this way nowadays. I’ve seen it. I dunno what these glorified strippers (forgive me if I’m not up to the mark!) have in reality got to do in selling these. Women Liberation associations and groups do not seem to talk about such things. Rather they seem not to have known about it. Female body is being misused to sell products. And this is yet another plain cheating. This is one one of the third rate techniques(can i call it a technique? I doubt) of capitalism. They have no respect for humanity nor womanhood in particular. Women fall to such professions as Modelling and become tools to destroy cultures. Don’t they?

There are male models too. And from a female perspective; I dunno what are the men in underwear zoomed 10X doing above the buildings! Are they really asking men to buy the brand of underwear?  I dunno…

The other trouble for female Muslims would be the lower waist clothing. By the way they here, in Kerala call themselves as freaks (indeed they are!!). I still don’t understand the ‘greater’ purpose of it.

the above mentioned are the necessary evils we will have to surpass. I know I will have missed some. As you know, I’m writing this up from a Keralite male perspective. It will differ from place to place and person to person.

Some other troubles appear when we are trying to be ‘good’ television watchers or a ‘good’ movie enjoying Muslim. I really did have troubles of this sort when watching classic kind of movies. No wonder why some people call such film festivals as opportunities for good(?) people and intellects to watch ‘almost’ porn.

That’s how people have vulgarized the cinema. They call sex an art. And that’s where we differ. We call it an act of worship if  we obey Allah and transgression when we disobey Him.

Now the question is how are we to lower our gaze in such situations?

A complete abstinence from ALL these cannot be a practical solution, and hence not a solution at all. It’s only a strong and firm Iman that will help us.

The best way to lower our gaze in my opinion is marriage. That is exactly how Allah’s messenger (SA) has taught us. Marriage completes half of one’s Deen. As a child I found it hard to understand the Hadith. But as I grow up, every second I learn why is marriage so necessary in my life.

But the scenario is worse. Capitalism has injected so much of desperation in our youth that they say “I can think of marriage only when I get a better job”. getting job is a convincing excuse, but getting a better job is rather lame an excuse. It is Allah Who gives you a job and a better job as well. Believe in Allah. There is definitely some unforeseeable wisdom in the words of His Messenger (SA).

I’m not trying to say that all married men are free from the ‘zina’ of their eyes. So are married women. I would say that if you are still getting ruined, you are undergoing a brain wash by another agenda of something beyond capitalism which preaches that “the institution of marriage is obsolete in this global village”. They will say that there’s no problem at all in ‘open sex’ or ‘free sex’. The word sounds as cool as open source. Alarming and funny. The more alarming part is that they are in a way ideologically aiding premarital sexual relationships. No father will love their son or daughter to be in one though.

These are not found after serious researches. I just had these thoughts after thinking about the matter so much. You may disprove me with proofs.

A lesser impact solution is that at least we Muslims do not follow such clothing cultures. We may make sure that what is to be covered is well covered. And that is just that much. Most of the Muslims now seems to have understood the value of Islamic clothing and are following it.

Muslim psychologists around the world can find psychological solutions to this. This is a request to them. They ought to respond to social commitments.

I’ve got not much solutions than these. I would like to get your views on this issue so that the readers and I myself can implement it in our lives.

After all, it is the institution of marriage, Love between husband and wife and faith among them, the soul of Islamic society. The more there are vents in the soul, the harder is the truth that Satan is enjoying and our Deen is getting jeopardized.

I take my pen off, asking Allah to save us. Aoozu billah. I seek refuge in Allah.