‘Dangerous not to lower one’s gaze’ – Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu

 By Daniya Afroz

GOMBAK, 10 November 2023: Prominent IIUM scholar, Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu, shared his keynote address in the Auditorium of Kulliyah of Engineering, IIUM on the deleterious consequences of not abiding to the practice of lowering the gaze.

The address was presented in a seminar entitled “Deception of Gaze: Dangers of Senses” and took place on 3 November 2023 hosted by Revivers IIUM to enlighten the students with the positives of lowering our gaze and preserving our senses in the presence of a plethora of audiences from the IIUM.  

Revivers is one of the oldest societies at the IIUM which runs parallel to the motto of the university that is “Garden of Knowledge and Virtue.” According to the IIUM website, the society hosts talks and Tarbiyah training for the youth.

In the opening ceremony, Sheikh Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu delineated the significance of following the Shariah Law to make our life simple and decent.

Through his compelling speech, he emphasized the mafasid (disadvantages) of not lowering the gaze, which he said is zinnah of the eyes and in order to overcome our desires we should endeavour to connect to Allah SWT.

“By not lowering our gaze, one loses smartness and intelligence as well as loses the light of Allah in the heart and there is the addition of stress in one’s life which leads to depression,” he said.

The President of Revivers, Faza Sophian, provided valuable insight to the issue. He expressed his gratitude of being part of the organisation, which is a beacon to Islamic knowledge for students and for accommodating up to 300 people who shared positive response after the event.

“The topic covers the dangers of not lowering the gaze and practical solutions on how we can solve problems relating to it. In a rapidly changing world where issues pertaining to our gaze are increasing, it is important to remind the Ummah, and especially young people on the harms of it,” he added.

The President then highlighted the Qur’anic Ayah from Surah Al-Nur, 24:30 submitting that the topic gave practical solutions for ways to lower the gaze. He also praised the speaker Dr. Ibrahim Nuhu for the groundbreaking lecture.

Upon being asked about the impacts of the lecture on participants, the President stated that bringing oneself closer to Allah would lead to improvements in other aspects of life.

“Sheikh Ibrahim mentioned that a decrease in lowering the gaze and constantly looking at things that are forbidden causes worsening of the function of Aql. Thus, if we were to discipline ourselves in this manner, with Allah’s permission, we would be able to see an improvement in our academic and social lives,” Faza Sophian emphasized further.

The event organiser, Shafa Tasneem, expressed her deep satisfaction for the coordination among the 70 to 80 volunteers and the successful management of the event to serve the purpose of spreading Dawah as a responsibility among youth.

She underscored the significance of hosting such events for the sake of Allah and the unwavering interest of audiences because of creative activities like quizzes, rewards given to winners and the didactic topic itself. ***