The authenticity of six Ahaadeeth about lowering the gaze
Fatwa No: 281788

Question

As salamu alaykom respected Alim I would like to ask if any of these hadith happen to be authentic as they are rotating on social media without any full reference... “A Muslim who accidentally looks at the beauty of a woman and, instead of continuing to look at her, lowers his gaze, will be rewarded by Allah with such worship, the sweetness of which he will clearly feel.” [Musnad Ahmad]“Be very clear that Allah curses the person who looks at non-Mahrams and exhibits himself/herself in front of them.” [Mishkat]“On the Day of Judgement, molten lead will be dropped in the eyes of a person who lustfully looks at a woman’s beauty.” [Az-Zawajir] “Lower your gaze and protect your honour; otherwise, your faces will be darkened.” [Tabrani]“There are three kinds of men whose eyes will not see Hell-Fire. One, the eye which is busy watching the enemy during Jihad in the path of Allah; second, the eye which cries with the fear of Allah; and third, the eye which is held from looking at what Allah has forbidden.” [Majma’uz-Zawaaid]“Desires and sins sway hearts; and Shaitaan has high expectations of the eye which is raised to look at a non-Mahram.” [Baihaqi]Please forgive me dear shiekh if the hadith are many.. But may Allah reward you greatly and reward you and those whom you love with the grandens firdaws

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

 

The answer to your questions will be in the following points:

1- The Hadeeth which reads: "A Muslim who accidentally looks at the beauty of a woman and, instead of continuing to look at her, lowers his gaze, will be rewarded by Allaah with such worship, the sweetness of which he will clearly feel." This Hadeeth was reported by Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad and by others, from Abu Umaamah . Al-Albaani and Al-Arna’oot both classified its chain of narrators as Dha‘eef (weak).

2- The Hadeeth which reads: "Know that Allaah curses one who looks at non-Mahram women and exhibits himself/herself in front of them." We did not find a Hadeeth with this wording. If by "Mishkaat" you mean the Mishkaat Al-Masaabeeh, then we did not find this Hadeeth in it.

3- The Hadeeth which reads: "On the Day of Judgment, molten lead will be dropped in the eyes of a person who lustfully looks at a woman’s beauty." Ibn Hajar said in Ad-Diraayah about this Hadeeth: "I have not come across it. This warning is reported about one who listens to people while they do not like him (to listen), then molten lead will be poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection." [Al-Bukhari from Ibn ‘Abbaas] We have not come across it in Az-Zawaajir.

4- The Hadeeth which reads: "Lower your gaze and protect your honor; otherwise, your faces will be darkened." [At-Tabaraani in Al-Mu‘jam Al-Kabeer; Al-Albaani classified it as Dha‘eef in Dha‘eef At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb]

5- The Hadeeth which reads: "There are three types of people whose eyes will not see Hellfire: the eye which is busy watching the enemy during Jihaad in the path of Allaah, the eye which cries from fear of Allaah and the eye which turns away from what Allaah has forbidden." [At-Tabaraani in Al-Mu‘jam Al-Kabeer from Mu‘aawiyah ibn Haydah; the Hadeeh is Dha‘eef but Al-Albaani classified it as Hasan (good) on the strength of all its chains of transmission]

6- The Hadeeth which reads: "Desires and sins sway hearts and Satan has high expectations of the eye which is raised to look at a non-Mahram." We did not find any Hadeeth or statement of a Companion with this meaning in the books of Al-Bayhaqi which we have at hand or in other books of Hadeeth.

Allaah Knows best.

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