The following are some steps that can be taken to help you gain control of your gaze:

To begin, let us reach a consensus on a matter that plays a significant role in the way you direct your attention, namely, the problem of the relative nature of beauty.

The standards of what constitutes beauty change from person to person and depend on a person’s particular sensibilities. For instance, you might find that certain articles of clothing are your favorites and that you find them to be the most attractive. On the other hand, some people might think that these garments are not attractive enough, or even that they are ugly.

Permit me to illustrate this point by pointing out that the vast majority of people who are addicted to drugs think that drugs are the best thing that could possibly exist in this world. You, on the other hand, are aware of the truth about drugs; consequently, it is impossible for you to assert that drugs might be beneficial simply because some individuals hold the opinion that they are beneficial.

As a result, the prohibited scenes that you see and believe to be beautiful, along with many others, are not so in reality; what is the beauty in a woman who publicly angers Allah the Exalted and defies His Commandments openly?

Where is the allure in a scene that a great number of other people have enjoyed before you and where a great number of other people will enjoy after you?

Where is the allure in a woman who displays her physical attractiveness in the hope of attracting potential purchasers so that she can sell herself as a commodity?

Where is the elegance in something that is, in point of fact, the devil’s handiwork?

The Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention) gave the following description of the woman who exits her home while applying perfume and displaying her adornment, saying,

The woman is an Awrah (part of the body that must be concealed). Whenever she goes outside of her house, the Devil makes her look more attractive to men.

Sunanut-Tirmidhi: 1173

Is the woman who, in your eyes and the eyes of a great number of other men, is made more beautiful by Satan himself considered beautiful, despite the fact that her actual appearance may be less than desirable?

You need to be aware of the truth behind what you are witnessing in order to have contempt for it and prevent yourself from looking at it.

Mastering the ability to control the eye and its movement:

Some individuals, particularly those who are not accustomed to looking slightly below eye level, allow their eyes to direct them rather than taking the initiative to direct their eyes. People like that let their eyes wander aimlessly without exercising any kind of control over them. You can get around this challenge, however, by training your eyes to focus on a particular location for a set amount of time and then gradually increasing that amount of time until you reach the point where you have complete control over your eyes and can stop them from looking at anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

If you find that you have lost control of your gaze even once, you must immediately follow this look with an act of worship such as asking Allah, the Most Powerful, for forgiveness one hundred times, making Tasbeeh (saying “Subhan-Allah” one hundred times), or giving charity. This strategy is one of the most effective treatments because it allows you to defy the devil and make him regret leading you astray by committing the sin in question, provided that you then proceed to repent of your actions and perform additional acts of goodness.

If you allow yourself to lose control of your gaze even once, you should punish yourself by performing an action that is beneficial and has a positive result. As an illustration, a sufficient amount of deterrence can be achieved by donating a particular sum of money to charity, and it is recommended that the amount be quite sizeable.

Set a goal for yourself and make a commitment to see it through to completion. For instance, make an effort to lower your gaze for a period of a week or two. If you are successful in accomplishing this goal, you should treat yourself to something enjoyable, even if it is only a small gesture. You might, for instance, choose to eat one of your all-time favorite meals. After that, this period will be doubled, and the reward will also be doubled.

You should always remind yourself that you have a dignified soul and that it does not befit you to pay attention to these lowly matters. Honorable souls only accept the best things that lead to the best results, and you should always tell yourself that you have a dignified soul. On the other hand, the souls of the lowly hover around lowly things and land on them like flies do when they gather around garbage. As a result, a noble soul is incapable of condoning immorality, theft, treachery, or acts of injustice because it is much too elevated for such behavior.

In addition, a man of magnanimity does not give free rein to his gaze. This is not one of the characteristics of a magnanimous man.

In one of his poems, the pre-Islamic poet ‘Antarah Al-‘Absi said that when his female neighbor appears, he lowers his gaze and waits for her to enter her house before looking at her again. If a poet during the time before Islam held this attitude, then young men who practice Islam today have even more of a reason to adopt the same perspective.

Seek the assistance of Allah, the Most Powerful, supplicate as much as you are able to, and ask Allah, the Most Powerful, to provide you with adherence to chastity and to protect your eyes from looking at what is prohibited. You should never feel embarrassed about asking Allah, the All-Mighty, for assistance in learning how to control your gaze. May Allah, the Most Powerful, shield each and every one of us from every difficulty.