The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 149
T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH 149 finds attractive, then it is better for him to go home and go to bed with his wife immediately, so no evil thought should enter his mind and the remedy could be administered proactively. It is quite possible that after hearing this hadith, some Companion observed that somewhere the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, came across a young woman, and he also came to know that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, happened to have had intimate relations with his wife around the same time, so he inferred on his own from this coincidence that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had acted in accordance with this hadith. Moreover, even if we were to suppose that the said statement of the Companion was true, it would still be the work of a wicked and vile person to draw a negative conclusion from it. The fact is that the Prophets, peace be upon them, are extremely eager to demonstrate for their followers all good and pious deeds so as to instil a practical example in their minds. Hence, they do some- times condescend to do some good and righteous deeds in which the only intent is to set a practical example, while they have no personal need for it. Such instances are mirrored in the laws of nature among animals too. For example, a hen will peck at a grain with its beak merely to teach its chicks how to pick the grain from the ground. Likewise, it is incumbent upon a perfect teacher to demonstrate a practical example, albeit every action of a teacher doesn’t reflect the state of his heart. Besides, if one inadvertently casts a glance on someone beautiful, there is nothing intrinsically wrong in acknowledging that the person is beautiful. Of course,