“Guarding Your Eyes” Masjid ul Haram Friday Sermon 31 July 2026 (17 Safar 1448)
In his Friday sermon at the Masjid Ul Haram Makkah, Sheikh Yassir bin Rashid Al-Dosari spoke about something most of us barely think twice about: our eyes. Sheikh Yassir reminded worshippers that sight is one of Allah’s greatest gifts to us and one we’ll be asked about.
The Gift We Take for Granted
Picture your day without sight. You would lose the ability to tell danger from safety, sickness from health, beauty from ugliness. That’s how much your eyes do for you, quietly, every second.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that whoever loses their sight and bears it with patience earns Paradise. Sight is that valuable.
Sheikh Yassir Dosari also cited this verse. He said Gratitude means using the gift the right way and protecting it from the wrong way:
“And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks.”
How the Eye Talks to the Heart
Here’s the part worth sitting with: the eye acts like a messenger. Whatever it sees, it carries straight to the heart. See something you shouldn’t, and the heart gets attached. Desire follows. Then obsessive thoughts. Then whispers you didn’t ask for.
This is exactly why Islamic law doesn’t just forbid sin. It blocks the road that leads there. Scholars call this Sadd al-Dhara’i: closing the paths before they open.
It’s also why Allah commands believers to lower their gaze before He commands them to guard their private parts. One protects the other.
“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do.” (Quran 24:30)
“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze…” and guard themselves the same way. (Quran 24:31)
Sheikh Yassir Al-Dosari described a forbidden glance as “a poisoned arrow,” one that corrupts the heart and dims the light of faith. Give in to it, he warned, and you become a prisoner of your own desire.
Also read: “Like Holding a Burning Coal” Masjid ul Haram Friday Sermon 24 July 2026 (10 Safar 1448)
A Harder Struggle in the Digital Age
Here’s the part that hits close to home. Screens, apps, and social media have made this fight harder than it’s ever been. Images and scenes now reach into our homes and our minds without asking permission.
Kaaba Imam said that guarding your gaze has become one of the clearest signs of Taqwa, or God-consciousness, in the modern world.
What You Actually Gain
Lowering your gaze is not a loss. Sheikh Al-Dosari was clear on this: it’s protection, not deprivation. And it comes with real rewards:
- A purified heart, more focused on obedience
- Genuine peace of mind and the sweetness of faith
- Clearer thinking and sharper judgment
- Noor — light in the heart
- The ability to focus on what matters, instead of chasing scattered thoughts
Let your gaze wander instead, and you get the opposite: a distracted mind, a weaker will, a heart chasing things that don’t last.
Quoting the Quran, the Sheikh reminded worshippers:
“And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to certain categories of them… the splendor of worldly life by which We test them. And the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.”
Five Steps to Guard Your Gaze
The Sheikh did not leave it at theory. He gave practical steps:
1. Build Taqwa. Fear Allah, and want His reward more than the moment in front of you.
2. Make dua. Ask Allah often for protection and chastity.
3. Fight your own desires. This takes real effort, Jihad al-Nafs, not good intentions alone.
4. Remember Allah sees you first. Before your eyes land on anything, His gaze is already on you.
5. Stay away from temptation. Avoid the places and gatherings where Fitna is more likely to find you.
We Will All Be Asked
The sermon closed with a sobering reminder: every one of us will be questioned about what we heard, what we saw, and what sat in our hearts.
“Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart — all of those will be questioned.”
Sheikh Yassir Al-Dosari ended with prayers for the Muslim Ummah, for the safety and prosperity of Saudi Arabia and its leaders, and for the oppressed people of Palestine, asking Allah to grant them relief and a way forward.
During the prayer, he recited verses from Surah An-Nahl on the blessings of hearing and sight, and from Surah An-Nur on the command to lower the gaze.
Friday sermon and prayer at the Grand Mosque, Makkah, delivered by His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Yassir bin Rashid Al-Dosari on 31 July 2026 (17 Safar 1448).
