Ana Muslim

The Question

Objection to the fact that a man will have hoor al-’ayn who will share her husband with her

What happens in paradise, with a couple who have been married ? I have heard that the wife will be with her husband, but that the husband will in addition to her, have 70 women (hoor al-’ayn) at his service.

This to me does not seem like a fair concept for the women, to share their husbands in this way.

The Answer

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly :

The believer must submit to the rulings and decrees of Allaah (SWT). Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allaah (His Words, Al-Qur’an) and His Messenger, to judge between them, is that they say: ‘We hear and we obey’. And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise)

[ al-Noor 24 : 51 ]

If the believer is confused about anything in the rulings of Allaah (SWT), and he does not know what it means or what the reason behind it is, then he must say as those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say:

We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord

[ al-‘Imraan 3 : 7 ]

It is not permissible for the believer to say that one of the rulings of Allaah (SWT) is not fair; exalted be Allaah (SWT) far above that. Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves

[ al-Fussilat 41 : 46 ]

There is no rule that is better than the rule of Allaah (SWT). Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

Is not Allaah the Best of judges?

[ at-Teen 95 : 8 ]

Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance ? And who is better in judgement than Allaah for a people who have firm Faith ?

[ al-Maa’idah 5 : 50 ]

Secondly :

In this question there are two mistakes and a misunderstanding. The first mistake is where the questioner says that in Paradise a man will have seventy hoor al-’ayn. What is proven in the saheeh Sunnah is that the martyr (shaheed) will have seventy-two hoor al-’ayn. The least of the people of Paradise will have two wives, and some will have more than that.

Narrated by al-Miqdaam ibnu Ma’di Yakrib (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said,

The martyr has six blessings with Allaah :

• he will be forgiven from the first drop of blood shed;
• he will be shown his place in Paradise;
• he will be protected from the torment of the grave; he will be safe from the greater terror;
• a crown of dignity will be placed on his head, one ruby of which is better than this world and everything in it;
• he will be married to seventy-two wives from al-hoor al-‘ayn;
• and he will intercede for seventy of his relatives.

[ at-Tirmidhi, 1663; Ibn Maajah, 2799; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi ]

And more than that has been narrated. Abu Na’eem narrated in Sifat al-Jannah from Abu Hurayrah (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said :

A man will go to one hundred virgins in one day – i.e., in Paradise.

[ Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 367 ]

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said :

The lowest of the people of Paradise in status will be a man whose face Allaah will turn away from the Fire towards Paradise, and make a shady tree appear before him. Then he will enter his house and his two wives from among al-hoor al-‘ayn will enter after him. They will say: ‘Praise be to Allah Who has created you for us and us for you.’ And he will say: ‘No one has been given the like of that which I have been given.’

[ Narrated by Muslim, 188 ]

Al-Haafiz said : The apparent meaning is that the least that will be given to each of them will be two wives.

Thirdly :

The second mistake is the questioner’s saying that hoor al-‘ayn will serve the man. This is not correct, rather the ones who will serve the people of Paradise will be boys of everlasting youth. Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

And round about them will (serve) boys of everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them scattered pearls

[ al-Insaan 76 : 19 ]

Hoor al-‘ayn will be wives of the men in Paradise, in addition to their wives from among the people of this world. Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

So (it will be). And We shall marry them to Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes

[ ad-Dukhaan 44 : 54 ]

They will recline (with ease) on thrones arranged in ranks. And We shall marry them to Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes

[ at-Thoor 52 : 20 ]

Fourthly :

The misunderstanding is when the questioner says: “This to me does not seem like a fair concept for the women, to share their husbands in this way.”

Fairness or justice is to be found in the rulings of sharee’ah, not in what a person thinks who does not know sharee’ah and its rulings, let alone the reasons behind them.

The sister who is asking this question thinks that the jealousy in her heart, and what it leads to of depression and sorrow will remain with her in Paradise, but this is not correct, and this is why there is this misunderstanding in her question.

Allaah (SWT) says (interpretation of the meaning) :

And We shall remove from their breasts any (mutual) hatred or sense of injury (which they had, if at all, in the life of this world); rivers flowing under them, and they will say: ‘All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, Who has guided us to this, and never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allaah had guided us! Indeed, the Messengers of our Lord did come with the truth.’ And it will be cried out to them: ‘This is the Paradise which you have inherited for what you used to do’

[ al-A’raaf 7 : 43 ]

There is nothing but joy and happiness in Paradise; there is no room for hatred and rancour in the hearts of the people of Paradise. Hoor al-‘ayn are something which Allaah (SWT) has created to honour the people of Paradise and to increase their delight. Moreover a man will be given the strength of one hundred men for intercourse, so the large number will not have any effect on a woman, and her feelings towards her co-wives and her husband’s concubines will not be like her feelings in this world.

It was narrated that Zayd ibnu Arqam (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said to me :

A man in Paradise will be given the strength of one hundred men in eating, drinking, desire and intercourse.

A Jewish man said :

The one who eats and drinks will need to relieve himself.

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said to him :

The way in which one of them will relieve himself will be by means of sweat which will come out through his pores, and thus the food in his stomach will be digested.

Do they then seek the judgement of (the days of) Ignorance ? And who is better in judgement than Allaah for a people who have firm Faith ?

[ al-Maa’idah 5 : 50 ]

[ Narrated by Ahmad, 18827; classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 16/443; and by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1627 ]

It was narrated from Anas (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said :

The believer in Paradise will be given such-and-such strength for intercourse.

It was said :

O Allah’s Messenger, will he really be able to do that ?

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said :

He will be given the strength of a hundred (men).

[ Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2536; classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 16/413; and by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 8106 ]

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Narrated by al-Miqdaam ibnu Ma’di Yakrib (RA) :

Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said,

The martyr has six blessings with Allaah (SWT) :

• he will be forgiven from the first drop of blood shed;
• he will be shown his place in Paradise;
• he will be protected from the torment of the grave; he will be safe from the greater terror;
• a crown of dignity will be placed on his head, one ruby of which is better than this world and everything in it;
• he will be married to seventy-two wives from al-hoor al-‘ayn;
• and he will intercede for seventy of his relatives.

[ at-Tirmidhi, 1663; Ibn Maajah, 2799; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi ]

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of Jannah (the Paradise) and the delights that it contains :

And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who’s taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be traveled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-’Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorify, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everything but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call :

O People of Paradise ! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him !

So they will say :

We hear and obey !

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls:

O People of Paradise ! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you !

So they will say :

And what is that reward ? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire ?

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold : the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said :

O People of Paradise ! Peace be upon you !

So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than :

O Allaah ! You are Peace, and from You is Peace ! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor !

So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say :

O People of Paradise ! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me ? This is the Day of Increase !

So, they will all give the same response :

We are pleased, so be pleased with us !

So, He will say :

O People of Paradise ! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise ! So, ask of Me !

So, they will all give the same response :

Show us Your Face so that we may look at it !

So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say:

Do you remember the day that you did this and that ?

and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say:

O Lord ! Will You not forgive me ?

So, He will say :

Of course ! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by My forgiveness.

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife.

Some faces that Day shall be Nadirah (shining and radiant). Looking at their Lord (Allaah)

[ Surat Al-Qiyaamah (The Resurrection), 75:22-23 ]

[ excerpt from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, page 193 ]