How can the command to lower the gaze be reconciled with the meaning of the noble verse in Surat Al-Ahzab (33:52): "It is not lawful for you [to marry other] women after this, nor for you to exchange them for [other] wives, even if their beauty should please you"?

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the master of creation, the one who feared Allah the most, and the most pious among them. His admiration for a woman's beauty could have stemmed from being informed about it, or from a permissible glance for someone intending to marry her. This is not exclusive to him, but is general, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "If one of you proposes to a woman, and he is able to look at what would encourage him to marry her, then let him do so." It is also recommended to look at the face of the woman one intends to marry, and this is the view of the majority of scholars.