the Qibla (9). However, the sound view regarding Ibn Abbas is that he used to lead [others] in prayer while he was blind, as did Utban ibn Malik, Qatada, and Jabir. Anas said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the people in prayer while he was blind." Recorded by Abu Dawud (10). From al-Sha'bi, he said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) went on thirteen military expeditions, and in all of them, he would put forward Ibn Umm Maktum to lead the people in prayer." Recorded by Abu Bakr (11). This is because blindness is a loss of a sensory faculty that does not invalidate any of the acts or conditions of the prayer, so it resembles the loss of the sense of smell. If this is established, then a sighted person is more deserving than a blind person, because he is more complete and honorable than him, and he leads the Friday and Eid prayers, unlike the slave. Abu al-Khattab said: "A sighted person is more deserving than a blind person, because he faces the Qibla through his knowledge [of it] and avoids impurities by his sight." Al-Qadi said: "They are equal, because the blind person has more khushu' (humility/focus), as he is not distracted (12) in prayer by looking at what might divert him, so this counters the [virtue of sight] (13) he possesses, making them equal." The first [view] is more correct, because if a sighted person were to close (14) his eyes (15), it would be disliked (makruh), and if that were a virtue, it would have been recommended (mustahabb), because he would achieve by closing his eyes what the blind person achieves. Furthermore, if a sighted person lowers his gaze while it is possible for him to see, he receives reward for it, because he leaves what is disliked while being able to do it by choice, whereas the blind person leaves it out of necessity, so he is in a lower state and has less merit (16).