Continuing the response to the doubt of those who permit looking at women in magazines and on television.

The Shaykh : ... and listening to a woman's voice and her singing is not permissible because of the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) that follows from it. This is a valid ruling, just like the first ruling regarding looking at a woman's person and her 'awrah (the part of the body that must be covered). But if a man hears a woman's singing from behind a radio, that is permissible! Why? Because he does not hear her voice, for example... rather, he hears the echo of the voice! The echo of the voice, not the voice! And this happened in our city of Damascus about twenty years ago. The mufti (a scholar who issues fatwas) went up to Mount Qasiyun where the radio and television are, so they took up with him an employee from our brothers there, a bearded man, to entertain him on the station's channels. The mufti was more forgetful than our friend was wise, so he wanted to pretend that he wanted to benefit from his knowledge. He did not know him because he was the mufti, whereas this man was a mechanic. He said to him, "I want to ask you: this voice that you broadcast in the country, which is heard; is it the voice itself or is it the echo of the voice?" He said, "No, it is the voice itself." This man was a specialist in this field. Notice that our friendThe Shaykh : doubted this answer and saw that this voice was not the voice itself, but rather its echo. Our friend argued about that. Our friend realized and rushed to ask: "O honorableThe Shaykh : , is there a difference between it being the voice itself or being its echo?" He said, "Of course, there is a great difference; because if it is the echo of the voice, it is permissible for us—men—to listen to the singing of Umm Kulthum, for example; because we do not hear her voice, but rather we hear its echo. But if the voice is the voice... then it is haram (forbidden) for us to listen to it." He mentioned to him a fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) ruling that we had read in the books of the Hanafi scholars. They mentioned it in the chapter on sujud al-tilawah (prostration of recitation)—and they hold the view that the prostration of recitation is obligatory. He said to him: "A man was in a valley and heard the echo of a man's voice reciting a prostration verse; is it obligatory for him to prostrate?" They said, "No." Why? They said, "Because he did not hear the voice, but rather he heard the echo of the voice."
So the jurist here—the one referred to—wants to derive now, based on that ruling written down from ancient times, a ruling that suits this matter that has occurred in this time, which is the voice of the radio. Do you think that if we hear from it women's songs, musical instruments, and music, is that permissible or not? There are two opinions in the issue: if that is the echo of the voice, it is permissible! And if it is the voice itself, it is not permissible.
This is, in fact, a negligence of the chapter on sadd al-dhara'i' (blocking the means to harm). What is the difference between it being the voice itself or the echo of the voice? Why did the jurists say that listening to a woman's voice is forbidden? They said, "Out of fear of fitnah (trial, discord or temptation)." This fear exists whether we philosophize in explaining the reality of our hearing of this voice; is it the voice itself or the echo of the voice? The fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) exists.
We return to the first issue; it is not permissible to look at a woman's person; because there is fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) in it. But if you look at her in a picture, this is permissible; because you are looking at an image! And not at a reality. Knowing that it also follows from looking, and this is observed among the youth who rush to buy magazines that contain naked women. Why? Because they satisfy the greed of their desire by looking at these naked pictures. And there is no doubt that this is one of the causes of the spread of masturbation, which they call "the secret habit" to soften the impact of the haram (forbidden) masturbation religiously. Until some of this philosophy, which is deviant from the rules of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), reached the point of saying: if a man sees the image of a woman in a mirror in front of him; then this is permissible; because he is looking at an image. And it is known in reality that the image of the woman that appears in front of the man looking in the mirror is behind him, so a funny and sad joke results. That or that is that if this philosopher looks in front of him in the mirror, it is permissible, but if he turns around like this, it is haram (forbidden)! Why? Because here he is looking at a reality, and here he is looking at an image. This is how Islamic fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) has reached such a farce!! And the reason is not holding fast to the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) rules.
This is what I wanted to draw attention to regarding the previous explanation.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh: You have done well. The hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds) of the Abyssinians, you reminded me of something. The question moved from looking at the picture to arguing with the Abyssinians. Looking at the Abyssinians is looking at persons; so what is the relation of looking at the picture? The picture is the same research, or the question is not related to the picture, but to the photographed ones, who are the persons. So the look of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) at the play of the Abyssinians is a matter permitted for her and for others; because she was alone in looking at the play and not at the persons. The play is like a woman looking at a battle; it does not cross the woman's mind at that time what Satan might whisper to her to let her gaze fly to the person who might be stirred by his beauty and form. So here the look was permitted; because the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) is safe, in that the look is directed—not to the person or persons—but to their play with the spears. In addition to that, this play—and it was in the mosque—is from the chapter of taking means to prepare for meeting the enemies. Otherwise, it is not permissible to have any play in the mosque, as we heard from some of the pretenders to knowledge saying in our city of Damascus, a mosque known as the Mosque of Banu Umayyah, the Great Mosque. It has a very large courtyard, of course open, usually in the size of football fields or wider. This philosopher also says: if he had any authority in the matter, he would make this courtyard of the mosque a local playground! A playground for football. It is not permissible to make mosques playgrounds. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the Abyssinians to play in the mosque with spears; because it is from the chapter of His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): to the end of the verse.
This is the answer regarding the issue of Aisha's look, and Aisha's look in the same hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds) at the play of the Abyssinians. So looking at the play of the Abyssinians—and it is a prescribed play—is not like a woman looking at a man and a man looking at a woman personally. On this basis, we can classify the hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds) of the play, and in that case, it does not conflict with the Qur'anic text that came in the Qur'an: , and also . So there is no room at all in ta'wil (interpretation) of the verse to the meaning that heThe questioner : referred to, that here the intention is looked at, the intention is looked at. So if the look is with a bad intention; then that is what is intended by the verse. But if the look is with a good intention; then it does not fall under the prohibition in the verse. This is from the chapter of ta'wil (interpretation) that entered the Khalaf (the later generations) contrary to the way of the Salaf (the earliest generations); because the way of the Salaf (the earliest generations) is to interpret the verse with the verse if found, or otherwise to interpret the verse with the hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds). And here there are many hadiths (reports of the Prophet's words or deeds) that clarify to us that the first look is for you, and the second is against you. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Who is the one who can say that he is more chaste and more restrained and more controlled of his desire and his self than Ali? Who of these later ones, like you, can say, "I look with a clean, pure look"? And this pure, noble-souled man was told by him (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly: , meaning: whoever repeats the look at a woman's person... then that is from the fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) of Satan. And therefore it came in the hadith (a report of the Prophet's words or deeds) of al-Khath'amiah in "Sahih al-Bukhari" (an authentic hadith) when she stood to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about her father, and the obligation of Allah, Hajj (the major pilgrimage), had overtaken him, and he was an old man who could not stay on the mount. She said, "Shall I perform Hajj (the major pilgrimage) on his behalf?" He said to her: . And the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas, so he was looking at her, and she was looking at him, and they were two young people. And he was handsome, and she was beautiful. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would turn al-Fadl's gaze to the other side, so that Satan would not enter between them. So who is the one who can say: "I have control over my self that al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas did not have over his self, until the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) stopped him with his hand from repeating the look at al-Khath'amiah?!"
The Shaykh: So, lower your gaze. It is as he (peace be upon him) said in another hadith when he was asked about the sudden glance: . The sudden glance is the first look. As for repeating the look again and again, we have been commanded to avert it: . The hadith is in *Sahih Muslim*. Therefore, it is not permissible for a woman to repeat looking at a man, just as it is not permissible for a man to repeat looking at a woman, except in one case: the case of a marriage proposal, .
And this is sufficient, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.