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Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) look at the faces or eyes of women when directly interacting with them?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There are no prophetic texts specifically defining where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would look when addressing women. This is inferred from Quranic verses and Hadiths that command lowering the gaze. This is further supported by the view of those who hold that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had the unique permissibility to look at non-mahram women due to his infallibility, unlike others. The Hadith of Al-Fadl ibn Abbas indicates that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, turned Al-Fadl's face away from looking at the woman, which suggests that it is not permissible for a man to look at a non-mahram woman if it is with lust, or even without lust according to some. A Muslim must lower his gaze from non-mahram women, and avert it if a glance happens suddenly. There is no harm in looking when there is a need to identify her in transactions, such as for safeguarding rights.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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