Posted by admin on May 15, 2010 in Articles | 0 comments
Examining a critical and analytical approach of the sources, it is almost possible to clarify that the fortress of Alamut was situated in rocky and infertile region, and its physical condition during occupation was very much rough and coarse. It was embosomed with swamps and muddy tracts, accounting unhealthy atmosphere. Hasan bin Sabbah immediately embarked on the task of renovating the castle, which was in great need of repairs, improving its fortifications, storage facilities and water supply sources. He also improved and extended the system of irrigation and cultivation of crops in the Alamut, where many trees were planted. Thus, a fertile spot emerged out, tending an eye-catching scene in the barren ranges of Elburz Mountain. The fertile tracts of the valley radically began to appear as if an oasis in the desert.
Whenever, the Alamut was threatened, the enemies had to come from Ispahan to Rudhbar after passing through the tedious and barren regions, and pitched their camps at the pastures of Alamut. While retreating, the frustrated forces took their revenge by mutilating and cutting down the luxuriant crops and devastated the smiling fields in order to quench the thirst of hatred and passion. Their temper was also crystallized into romantic stories. Firstly, it was rumored that the valley of Alamut had been transformed into the gardens of paradise, but it proved an ineffectual among the local people. Instead, the enemies contrived another florid story that so-called paradise existed inside the fortress. Since it was difficult to ascertain the story by the local people, it received a less credence in some quarters, whose bits and shreds were sorted out by the later writers to embellish a tale in exaggeration. Thus, the failure to eliminate the Ismailis, begot in its turn the idea of myths and tales. Round a trifling thing has thus grown up a crop of fables, making it a curious hodgepodge. According to Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (London, 1958, 2:140), “Hasan bin Sabbah caused the land surrounding his fortress to be carefully cultivated, and this may have led to the legend of paradise.” It was the Venetian traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324) to have heard from the villagers and narrated in his book. He was accompanied by his father and uncle and embarked on his journey to the court of Kubilai Khan (1260-1294). Macro Polo started from Acre in 1271, and passed through Iran in 1272, about 15 years after the reduction of Alamut when it was almost a heap of ruins. He committed his itinerary to writing through a scribe in 1298 and related what he had heard in Iran concerning the tale of paradise in Alamut. His ridiculous account however cannot be credible. It is inferred that he would have never crossed near the ruins of Alamut, and the description of the castle in Marco Polo’s book was either the stronghold of Girdkuh near Damghan, which was finally surrendered to the Mongols in 1270, about two years before he crossed Khorasan into northern Afghanistan; or, more probably, some fortress in eastern Kohistan. There he evidently had seen a ruined castle of the Ismailis. His itinerary however did not take him to Alamut, which appears to be the castle alluded to in his account. He had heard from some local informants, which he admits in the beginning, and therefore, his account is admittedly not based on personal observation. It also cannot be denied that Marco Polo’s account bears a distinctly occidental imprint, reflecting the influences of different reports, which are ultimately traceable to Burchard of Strassburg, Arnold of Lubeck and James of Vitry. It is therefore possible that Marco Polo had knowingly conflated the information he had acquired some 30 years earlier in Iran, with the legends then prevalent in Europe for the Ismailis of Syria. All this sounds to the conclusion that Marco Polo could not have heard his account in its entirety from his informants in Iran.
Marco Polo applied the term Ashishin (or Assassin) for the Ismailis. It has been asserted that the term Assassin had originally acquired currency in Crusader circles in reference to the Ismailis of Syria, and it was neither originated or prevalent in Iran, and therefore, Marco Polo could not have heard the term Assassins from his informants in Iran. His curious application of the title of Old Man of the Mountain (Vetus de Mountain, or Viel de la Montaigne) to the ruler of Alamut; also suggests a doubtful description. This title has been coined by the Crusaders for the chief of the Ismailis of Syria, and it was never in usage among the Ismailis of Iran. It is therefore, safe to infer that Marco Polo would have never heard the title of Old Man of the Mountain in Iran, but he used in the light of the then informations prevalent in Europe for the Syrian Ismailis. It will be interesting on this juncture to quote the description of Marco Polo about the secret garden of paradise. He narrates:-
“So he had fashioned it after the description that Mahomet gave of his paradise, to wit, that it should be a beautiful garden running with conduits of wine and milk and honey and water, and full of lovely women for the delectation of all its inmates. He kept at his court a number of the youths of the country, from 12 to 20 years of age, such as had a taste for soldiering, and to these he used to tell tales about paradise, just as Mahomet had be wont to do, and they believed in him just as the Saracens believe in Mahomet.. The prince would then ask whence he came, and he would reply that he came from paradise! and that it was exactly such as Mahomet had described it in the law.”
It is important to note that it was the tendency of the occidental sources to propagate that the Koran was not a heavenly revealed book, but it was designed by the Prophet, and whatever the misconception of Islam was popular in Europe at that time, is evidently echoing in the narration of Marco Polo. It gives further gravity to the conclusion that Marco Polo could not have heard such tendency from his Iranian informants. Peter de Venerable (1094-1156) had the Holy Koran translated for the first time from Arabic into Latin. Peter de Cluny (d. 551/1156) and Robert of Ketton also produced the Latin translation of the Koran in 538/1143, and it was followed by the translation of Mark of Toledo (1190-1200) under the title of Alcorani Machomati Liber. Joinville and Pedro de Alfonso and other followed them in the 12th century, had dwelled polemically on the hedonistic delights of the Islamic garden of paradise. Pedro de Alfonso’s account became much popular, and was treated, according to Islam and the West (Edinburgh, 1960, p. 148) by Norman Daniel, “the standard mediaeval version of the Quran’s promised paradise, that is, a garden of delights, the flowing waters, the mild air in which neither heat nor cold could afflict, the shady trees, the fruits, the many-coloured silken clothing and the palaces of precious stones and metals, the milk and wine served in gold and silver vessels by angels, saying, `eat and drink in joy’; and beautiful virgins, `untouched by men or demons’.” Norman Daniel also adds, “In spite of the enormous influence of the “Liber Scalae”, it must be said that the Quran itself was the chief source of the picture of the Islamic paradise familiar to so many mediaeval writers.” (Ibid.)
The most famous writers in Europe who produced a colourful tale of the Islamic garden of paradise were Pedro de Alfonso, San Pedro, Marino Sanudo, Varagine, Higden, Simon Simeon, Ricoldo da Monte Croce, William of Tripoli, John Mandeville, Jacques de Vitry, Alan of Lille, Sigebert, Guido, etc. In time, the European conceptions of the Islamic paradise, based on the Koranic description in a literal sense, were incorporated into the alleged paradise of Alamut, culminating in Marco Polo’s detailed account to this effect. Norman Daniel further writes, “It must be said that it was usual for Christians to allow themselves a rather purple rendering of the gardens and precious metals of paradise, though usually not of the virgins so beloved of later romanticism.” (Ibid.)
Thus, Marco Polo enhanced a further lease of life to the anti-Ismaili propaganda in Europe. Later on, the account of Friar Odoric of Pordenous (d. 731/1331), who visited China during 1323-27, is perhaps the earliest occidental account of the Ismailis, based entirely on Marco Polo, on his homeland journey to Italy in 1328. Odoric passed through the Caspian coast land in northern Iran, and heard there about the Ismailis, but his description almost resembles the account of Marco Polo. Charles E. Nowell writes in The Old Man of the Mountain (cf. Speculum, Mass., October, 1947, 12:517-8) that, “It is easy to understand how some parts of the Marco-Odoric legend were started. Various eastern historians say that the original Old Man, Hasan Sabbah, for purely economic and strategic reasons, had conduits built and encouraged planting around Alamut. This gave rise to the stories of the garden and the fountains of wine, milk and honey.”
Mirza Muhammad Saeed Dehlvi writes in Mazhab aur Batini Talim (Lahore, 1935, pp.296-7) that, “Whenever, the villagers looked the view of the beautiful gardens, green fields and heaths from the surrounding walls of Alamut, they thought it a model of a paradise of the Nizari Ismailis on the ranges of mountain. It is possible that the legend of paradise must have been originated by the illiterate and narrow-minded villagers from whom Marco Polo had heard and recorded it during his journey.”
It is also a striking feature that not a single Muslim source, notably Ata Malik Juvaini had ever mentioned about the legend of paradise, who was very aggressive in his narratives and was in search of such stories against the Ismailis. Marshall Hodgson writes in The Order of the Assassins (Netherland, 1955, p.135) that, “Juvaini, when investigating the history of Alamut on the spot after its fall did not look for such a garden as Polo heard tell of.”
The modern scholars express great doubts as to the historicity of the stories of paradise narrated by Marco Polo. Carl Brockelmann writes in History of the Islamic Peoples (London, 1959, p. 179) that, “What the Venetian world traveller Marco Polo reported, who some two hundred years later (1271 or 1272) passed through the territory of Alamut, may be mere a legend.” Dr. Abbas Hamadani writes in The Fatimids (Karachi 1962, pp. 50-51) that, “A myth was circulated in much later times to the effect that Hasan used to give hashish, an intoxicating drug, to his followers, and in their state of unconsciousness they were transferred to a false paradise. The legend of paradise was circulated by the European traveller Marco Polo, and it is obviously false.” Athar Abbas Rizvi writes in Iran – Royalty, Religion and Revolution (Canberra, 1980, p. 72) that, “The romantic stories of the order of assassins and of the Old Man of the Mountain are familiar to Western readers through the pages of Marco Polo, but the legends surrounding events in Alamut, although fascinating, are far from truth.” According to The Arabs (by the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, New York, 1978, p. 94) that, “Stories of the terrorists’ use of hashish before setting out to commit murder and face martyrdom are doubtful, and there is no Ismaili source to confirm tales of an artificial paradise into which drugged members were taken as a foretaste of eternal bliss.” Duncan Forbes also writes in The Heart of Iran (London, 1963, p. 29) that, “It is difficult to believe that the Alamut valley, austere and rocky as it is today, ever contained the delicate gardens described in the Middle Ages.” Lastly, in falsifying the tale of paradise, William Marsdon writes in The Travels of Marco Polo (London, 1818, p. 117) that, “We may affect to smile at his (Macro Polo’s) credulity.”
It must be borne in mind that a less informed Ismaili historian, called Dehkhoda Abdul Malik bin Ali, who was appointed the commander of the fortress, later on became known as the Maimundiz in Rabi I, 520/April, 1126; gives few important details under the year 536/1142, as cited by Rashiduddin’s Jamiut Tawarikh (Tehran, 1959, pp. 149-163), and Abul Kassim Kashani’s Zubdat al-Tawarikh (1964, pp. 171-4) that the Khurramiya, a sect of the Kaysania, had greatly borrowed the teachings of the Mazdakites and Zoroastrians. To sum up, by Khurramiya means the whole wide movement which operated through out Iran, with a possible focus in Azerbaijan and Tabaristan. The very meaning of Khurramiya appears uncertain to the authors dealing with it. It is usually related to the meaning of the Iranian term khurram (joyful, delightful or pleasing), so as to stigmatize the movement as “licentious” and justify its dependence on Mazdakism, which was considered as too tolerant from the point of view of ethics. This dependence, however, was occasionally related to Mazdak’s wife, Khurrama, held to have given her name to Mazdak’s followers after his death. There is also a geographical explanation of the name from a village, called khurram, which is the least likely interpretation.
It appears that most of the followers of Khurramiya espoused Ismailism in Jabal al-Badain at Azerbaijan, and asserted that: “this is the true faith, we accept it.” Hasan bin Sabbah deputed Dehkhoda Kaykhosrow, who had formerly belonged to them; to teach them the true Ismaili doctrines. When the latter died in Muharram, 513/May, 1119, his sons Abul Ala and Yousuf took his place as their da’is. Both were greedy of wealth and power, and in pursuit, they neglected their newly faith of Ismailism. Hasan bin Sabbah exhorted and warned them, but to no avail. After Hasan bin Sabbah’s death in 518/1124, a weaver named Budayl arose among them, and renounced Ismaili faith. He taught his followers that: “The law of the Shariah is only for those adhering to the exterior of religion. There is no reality to what is declared lawful or forbidden in religion. Prayers and fasting must therefore be abandoned.” Curiously, Budayl also taught them that: “Women were the water of the house. Dowry and marriage contract had no meaning. Daughters were lawful for their fathers and brothers.” Hence, they thought all forbidden things licit, and believed that the paradise and hell were on earth and that every one who recognizes the divinity of Abul Ala and Yousuf would return to earth in human shape, while those failing to do so would return in the form of wild beasts. In sum, these were the people whose doctrines consisted in rolling up the carpet of obligations of the Shariah, so as to render men free to follow all their pleasures and passions in permitting freedom of sexual relations and declaring as permitted all sorts of things prohibited by the religious laws.
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Posted by admin on May 5, 2010 in Articles | 0 comments
Praise be to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa’ Ta’aalaa);
Intoduction to hoors of Jannah (Paradise):
*Definition of Houris (also called: hoor al-Ayn/hur ul-Ayn/hoors/hurs) from Noble Quran:
“Very fair females created by Allah as such not from the off-spring of Adam, with intense black irises of their eyes and intense white scleras”. [Noble Quran; Glossary; Houris]
The Houris (hoors/hoor al-Ayn) have variously been described as being “chaste females”, “restraining their glances”, “modest gaze”, “wide and beautiful/lovely eyes”, “untouched / with hymen unbroken by sexual intercourse”, “like pearls”, “virgins”, “voluptuous/full-breasted”, “with large, “non-menstruating/urinating/defecating and childfree”, round breasts which are not inclined to hang”, “companions of equal age”, “transparent to the marrow of their bones”, “eternally young”, “hairless” , “pure”, “beautiful”, “white”, “revirginating”, “splendid beauty”.
Now you can read some verses of the Holy Quran mentioning the attributes of Houris (Hoor al-ayn/Hurs):
“And with them will be chaste females, restraining their glances (desiring none except their husbands), with wide and beautiful eyes; (Delicate and pure) as if they were (hidden) eggs (well) preserved.” [Sura As-Sâffât (37):40-48]
“And beside them will be chaste females (virgins) restraining their glances only for their husbands, (and) of equal ages.” [Sura Sâd (38):52]
“So (it will be), and We shall marry them to Houris (female fair ones) with wide, lovely eyes.” [Sura Ad-Dukhân (44):51-55]
“They will recline (with ease) on thrones arranged in ranks. And We shall marry them to Houris (female, fair ones) with wide lovely eyes.” [Sura At-Tûr (52):20]
“Wherein both (gardens) will be those (maidens) restraining their glances upon their husbands, whom no man or jinn yatmithhunna (has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse) before them. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? (In beauty) they are like rubies and coral.” [Sura Ar-Rahmân (55):56-58]
“Therein (gardens) will be fair (wives) good and beautiful; …Houris (beautiful, fair females) restrained in pavilions; …Whom no man or jinn yatmithhunna (has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse) before them.” [Sura Ar-Rahmân (55):70,72,74]
“And (there will be) Houris (fair females) with wide, lovely eyes (as wives for the pious), Like unto preserved pearls.” [Sura Al-Wâqi'ah (56):22-23]
Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation. And made them virgins; Loving (their husbands only), equal in age. [Sura Al-Wâqi'ah (56):37-40]
And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age; [Sura An-Naba' (78):33]
Now you can read some Hadiths regarding the attributes of Houris (Hur ul-ayn/Hoors):
Allâh (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
“Houris (beautiful, fair females) restrained in pavilions
…With Whom no man or jinn “yatmithhunna” (has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse) before them.” [Sura Ar-Rahmân (55):72,74]
“The statement of Allah in above mentioned ayah, Beautiful fair females restrained in pavilions. Narrated Qaisi, Allah’s Apostle said, ‘In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner there are wives (houris) who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers (Muslims) will visit and enjoy them.’” [Al-Bukhari vol.6:402 and prior p.374]
According to Ibn Kathir (died 1373 CE) in his Holy Quranic commentary (Tafsir) of the above mentioned Surah Al-Rahman (55), verse 72: “The Prophet Muhammad was heard saying: ‘The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives (houris), over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana’a [Yemen]’.” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
The Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said, “If a houri looks down from her abode in heaven onto the earth, the whole distance (space) shall be filled with light and fragrance. A houri’s face is more radiant than a mirror, and one can see one’s image in her cheek. The marrow of her shins is visible to the eyes.” [Mishkat, volume 3,pg 83-97]
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “The first batch (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like the full moon, and the batch next to them will be (glittering) like the most brilliant star in the sky. Their hearts will be as if the heart of a single man, for they will have neither enmity nor jealousy amongst themselves; everyone will have two wives from the houris, (who will be so beautiful, pure and transparent that) the marrow of the bones of their legs will be seen through the bones and the flesh.” [Al-Bukhari vol.4, book 54, number 476]
Narrated Anas (R.A.): The Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said, “A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah’s Cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is better than all the world and whatever is in it. A place in Paradise as small as the bow or lash of one of you is better than all the world and whatever is in it. And if a houri from Paradise appeared to the people of the earth, she would fill the space between Heaven and the Earth with light and pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the world and whatever is in it.” [Al-Bukhari volume 4, book 52, number 53]
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon and those who will follow them, will glitter like the most brilliant star in the sky. They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit, or have any nasal secretions. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centers. Their wives will be houris. All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Adam (in statute), sixty cubits tall.” [Al-Bukhari vol.4, book 55, number 544]
The Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: “A houri is a most beautiful young woman with a transparent body. The marrow of her bones is visible like the interior lines of pearls and rubies. She looks like red wine in a white glass. She is of white color, and free from the routine physical disabilities of an ordinary woman such as menstruation, menopause, urinal and offal discharge, child bearing and the related pollution. A houri is a girl of tender age, having large breasts which are round (pointed), and not inclined to dangle. Houris dwell in palaces of splendid surroundings.” [At-Tirmizi, volume 2, pg 35-40]
In book by the great Imam Ghazzali: Ihya Uloom Ed-Din. Volume 4, Page-4.430;
“According to Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) the Hurs (Houris) of Paradise will be pure women—free of menstruation, urine, stool, cough and children. The Hurs will sing in Paradise on divine purity and praise—we are most beautiful Hurs and we are for the honored husbands. Muhammad also said that an inmate of Paradise will have the sexual strength of 70 men. Muhammad said, “An inmate of Paradise will have 500 Hurs, 4,000 unmarried women and 8,000 widowed women. Each of them will keep embracing him for the duration of his whole worldly life.”
Volume 4, Page-4.428 of the same book: The Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said once to Jaber: “Shall I not give you the news of the windows of Paradise ? We said: 0 Messenger of God give us that information. He said: Those are made of emeralds and jewels. Their inner parts will be seen from their outer parts. Therein there will be such enjoyments, amusements and joys as no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has conceived. I said: 0 Messenger of God, who will be the owners of those windows? He said: Those who spread peace, give food, keep fasts, pray at night when the people remain asleep. We asked: 0 Messenger of God, who will be able to do that? He said: My people will be able to do that. I am saying it to you. He who meets his brother, salutes him and replies to his salute,’ spreads peace; and he who gives food to his wife and members of his family to their satisfaction gives food. He, who keeps fast of Ramazan and three days every month, keeps fast as it were for the whole year. He who prays Isha and Fajr in congregation prays as it were the whole night when the people remain asleep. God says: The fine buildings in Eden Paradise.’ The Prophet said regarding its meanings: These places are builts of emeralds and jewels and in each building there will be 70 rooms of red colour and in each room 70 sub-rooms of green colour and in each sub-room there will be one throne and over each throne 70 beds of varied colours and on each bed a hoor al-ayn (houri- a girl having wide lovely eyes with intense black irises). There will be 70 dining cloth in each room and 70 kinds of food in each dining cloth. There will be seven girls in each room.Each believer will be given such strength in the morning as he can cohabit with them”.
Abu ‘Umama (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: “Allah will not admit anyone in the Paradise but Allah, the Mighty and glorious will marry him with 72 wives, two will be from virgin (houris) with big eyes and 70 will be his inheritance from the people of the Hell-Fire*.” Every one of them will have a pleasant vagina and he (the man) will have sexual organ that does not bend down during sexual intercourse (perpetual erection).” [Ibn Majah, volume 5, number 4337]
*Hashim b. Khalid (R.A.) says, ‘The words “out of his inheritance (due) from the denizens of the Fire”, mean men who will enter the Fire (Hell) and the inmates of the paradise will inherit their wives just as the Faroah’s wife (Asiah A.S.) will be inherited (by the Muslims-believers).
Mention of the hope of maidens of paradise after martyrdom in Al-Tabari vol.19 p.121; “Yet, by God, I feel happy for what we shall soon meet, for, by God, if all there is between us and the maidens of Paradise (hur al-ayn/houri) is that these people should come against us with their swords, then I want them to come against us with their swords.”
Abu Hurayrah (R.A.) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said that: “Every man in heaven will go to 72 of the creatures of Allah (houris) and 2 of the women of mankind, these two women are superior to the creatures of Allah (houris) with their worshipping (good deeds) they had performed in this world.” [Bayhaqi, al-Bas wa’n-Nushur; Tabari, Tafsir; Abu Yala, Ibn Hajar, Fathu’l-Baari, Tabarani and others]
Houris do not want wives to annoy their husbands, since the houris will also be the spouses [i.e. wives] of the Muslim husbands in the afterlife; —”Mu’adh b. Jobal (R.A.) reported that Allah’s Messenger (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said, ‘A woman does not annoy her husband but his spouse from amongst the houris (maidens with wide eyes, intensely white and deeply black irises) will say: Do not annoy him, may Allah ruin you.” He is with you as a passing guest. Very soon, he will part with you and come to us.’” [Ibn-i-Majah vol.3:2014 p.212]
Now from the above mentioned verses of Holy Quran and Hadiths we can summarize the characteristics of Houris (Hoors/Hur al-ayn) as follows;
* A houri is a most beautiful young woman with a transparent body. The marrow of her bones is visible like the interior lines of pearls and rubies. She looks like a red wine in a white glass.
* She is of white color, and free from the routine physical disabilities of an ordinary woman such as menstruation, menopause, urinal and offal discharge, child bearing and the related pollution.
* She is a woman characterized by modesty and flexing glances; she never looks at any man except her husband and feels grateful for being the wife of her husband.
* A houri is a young woman, free from odium and animosity. Besides, she knows the meaning of love and has the ability to put it into practice.
* A houri is an immortal woman, who does not age. She speaks softly and does not raise voice at her man; she is always reconciled with him. Having been brought up in luxury, she is a luxury herself.
* A houri is a girl of tender age, having large rising breasts which are round, and not inclined to dangle.
* Houris dwell in palaces of splendid surroundings.
* If a houri looks down from her abode in Heaven onto the earth, the whole distance shall be filled with light and fragrance
* A houri’s face is more radiant than a mirror and one can see one’s image in her cheek. The marrow of her shins is visible to the eyes.
* Every man who enters Paradise shall be given minimum seventy-two houris; no matter at what age he had died, when he enters Paradise, he will become a thirty-year-old and he will not age any further.
* Their glances, with big eyes (Of wonder and beauty)
* when a man turns his face away from her, she will become 70 times more beautiful in his eyes
* if she were to spit in the salty water of the seven occeans, then all the seven occeans would turn sweater than honey.
Also note that the Muslim women of this world will be superior to Houris (Hoors/Hur al-ayn) in Paradise:
*Definition of Houris (hoors/hur al-ayn) from Noble Quran:
“Very fair females created by Allah as such not from the off-spring of Adam, with intense black irises of their eyes and intense white scleras”. [Noble Quran; Glossary; Houris]
So it is obvious that houris (hoor al-Ayn) will be different from the off-springs of the Prophet Adam (A.S.), and as humans are the most superior creation of Allah (SWT) so Muslim women are superior to houris just like we as humans are superior to Jinns, Angels and all other creatures of Allah (SWT) that exist. So a hoori who is one of the delights of Paradise, she has only been created in Paradise for the sake of someone else, and has been made the reward for the believing man for his righteous deeds.
But for Muslim women, they themselves are from the off-springs of Adam and the rewards of Paradise are created for them and on the contrary houris (hoors/hur al-ayn) themselves are from the rewards of Paradise.
Therefore it is clear that Muslim women will not feel jealous of the houris (hoor al-Ayn) as righteous women of this world will be much more superior and beautiful than houris (hoor al-Ayn), in Jannah (Paradise). Thus the Muslim women of this worldly life have superiority over houris (hoor al-Ayn) due to the acts of worship and obedience that they performed in this world. Therefore, the believing (Muslim) women will enter Paradise just like the believing men. If a Muslim woman had a number of husbands, she, upon entering Paradise with them, would choose among them the one with the best character and behavior.
The following two Hadiths confirms the fact stated above:
Umme Salamah (Radiahallahu Anha) narrates that she said to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) “O Rasûlullah, are the women of this world superior or the hûrs (of Paradise)?” He replied, “The women of this world will have superiority over the hûrs (houris) just as the outer lining of a garment has superiority over the inner lining.” Umme Salamah R.A then asked, “O Rasûlullah, what is the reason for this?” He answered, “Because they performed salâh, fasted, and worshipped [Allah]. Allah will put light on their faces and silk on their bodies. [The human women] will be fair in complexion and will wear green clothing and yellow jewelry. Their incense-burners will be made of pearls and their combs will be of gold. They will say, ‘We are the women who will stay forever and we will never die. We are the women who will always remain in comfort and we will never undergo difficulty. We are the women who will stay and we will never leave. Listen, we are happy women and we will never become sad. Glad tidings to those men for whom we are and who are for us.’” [Tabrânî]
Al-Qurtubi said: Abu Bakr ibn al-Najjaad said: Ja’far ibn Muhammad ibn Shaakir told us, ‘Ubayd ibn Ishaaq al-‘Attaar told us, Sinaan ibn Haaroon told us, from Humayd from Anas that: Umm Habeebah the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O Messenger of Allaah, if a woman had two husbands in this life, then they all died and came together in Paradise, with which of them would she be – the first or the last?” He said: “With the one whose attitude and conduct with her was best, O Umm Habeebah; a good attitude brings one the best of this world and the Hereafter.”[Al-Tadhkirah fi Ahwaal al-Mawtaa wa’l-Aakhirah, 2/278]
Imam Qurtubi in his “at-Tadhkirah fi-Ahwalil Mawta wa’l-Akhirah (in Remembrance of the Affairs of the Dead and Doomsday)” and Ibn Kathir in his “al-Bidaya wa’n-Nihaya (Kitabu’l-Fitan wa’l-Malahim) the Termination of the Afflictions and Fierce Battles” tell the story of the songs of houri in heaven: “Houri will sing for their own husbands, songs are so marvelous that every hearer will be so pleased. Houri will say: “We are Houri who has not had a sin.” The women of this world will reply them saying: “We are the fasters (who keep fast), and you are not, we are the prayers, but you are not and we are the givers of charity but you are not.”
And there is another narration which is famous with the name “Hadith of Soor” narrated from Abu Hurayrah (R.A.) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said that: “Every man in heaven will go to 72 of the creatures of Allah (houris) and 2 of the women of mankind, these two women are superior to the creatures of Allah (houris) with their worshipping (good deeds) they had performed in this world.” [Bayhaqi, al-Bas wa’n-Nushur; Tabari, Tafsir; Abu Yala, Ibn Hajar, Fathu’l-Baari, Tabarani and others]
Now some people, mostly non-muslims still ask a question that: there will be multiple wives or houris (hoor al-Ayn/hur ul-Ayn/hoors/hurs) in Islamic Paradise for Muslim men then what is for Muslim women?
As stated in above mentioned Hadiths the situation of the believing woman in Paradise will be better than the situation of the houris (hoor al-Ayn); she will be higher in status and more beautiful. If a righteous woman from among the people of this world enters Paradise, then she will do so as a reward for her righteous deeds and as an honor from Allah to her for her religious commitment and righteousness. As for the houri who is one of the delights of Paradise, is an immortal woman, who does not age. She speaks softly and does not raise voice at her man; she is always reconciled with him. Having been brought up in luxury, she is a luxury herself, she has only been created in Paradise for the sake of someone else, and has been made the reward for the believing man for his righteous deeds. There is a great difference between one who enters Paradise as a reward for her righteous deeds and the one who was created as a reward for one who did righteous deeds. The former is a queen and a princess, and the latter, no matter how beautiful she is, is undoubtedly lower in status than a queen, and she (houri) is subject to the command of her believing master (man) for whom Allah created her as a reward.
The main reason why the Quran and Hadith are stressing the fact that men will get Houris (Hoor al-Ayn) is because it more appealing to men than promising virgin men to women. Men are more sexually active and therefore are facing a lot of difficulty (especially in the teenage years) to remain chaste. There are a lot of temptations in this world. That is why that Allah keeps promising these virgin girls to those that remain patient and steadfast. That way, this motivates the unmarried men to remain chaste and be patient because they know they have something better waiting for them in the next life. As if they do not get it legally in the next life then they would get it illegally in this life.
Now with all these proofs you can easily invalidate the argument made by some non-muslims that women will not get any benefits out of the Islamic Paradise. The men and women are equal in the sight of Allah (SWT) except for those whom are more pious. Just because they’re equal doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same. They have physical, mental and emotional differences. Men have superiority over women in certain aspects such as physical strength, while women have more superiority over men from a caring and nurturing perspective. In the same manner, like our differences, they may have rewards that are different from one another, but that in no way suggest inequality. For instance, if you want to reward your son for something, perhaps you’ll let him play a video game for example, whereas if you want to reward your daughter, perhaps you’ll let her invite her friend over, or buy her something nice.
Therefore, men and women have different needs and wants so obviously rewards would differ. But overall the rewards for both men and women will be equal (but not same) as Allah (SWT) says in the following verses of the Holy Quran:
“And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a true believer in the Oneness of Allâh (Muslim), such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a Naqîra (speck on the back of a datestone), will be done to them.” [Surah An-Nisâ' (4):194]
“Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islâmic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).” [Surah An-Nahl (16):97:]
Now following are some Hadiths mentioning the number of the Hoors (houris) that Muslims will get in addition to the wives of this world in Paradise:
According to Ibn Kathir (died 1373 CE) in his Holy Quranic commentary (Tafsir) of the above Surah Al-Rahman (55), verse 72: “The Prophet Muhammad was heard saying: ‘The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives (houris), over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana’a [Yemen]’.” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
The Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: “Every man who enters paradise shall be given 72 (seventy-two) houris; no matter at what age he had died, when he is admitted into paradise, he will become a thirty-year-old, and shall not age any further. A man in paradise shall be given virility equal to that of one hundred men.” [Tirmizi, vol. 2 states on page 138]
Narrated Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “The martyr receives six good things from Allah: he is forgiven at the first shedding of his blood; he is shown his abode in Paradise; he is preserved from the punishment in the grave; he is kept safe from the greatest terror; he has placed on his head the crown of honour, a ruby of which is better than the world and what it contains; he is married to 72 wives of the maidens with large dark eyes (houris); and is made intercessor for seventy of his relatives.” [Tirmidhi:Hadith number 1067; and Ibn Majah]
In a book by the great Imam Ghazzali (R.A.): The Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said once to Jaber: “Shall I not give you the news of the windows of Paradise ? We said: 0 Messenger of God give us that information. He said: Those are made of emeralds and jewels. Their inner parts will be seen from their outer parts. Therein there will be such enjoyments, amusements and joys as no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has conceived. I said: 0 Messenger of God, who will be the owners of those windows? He said: Those who spread peace, give food, keep fasts, pray at night when the people remain asleep. We asked: 0 Messenger of God, who will be able to do that? He said: My people will be able to do that. I am saying it to you. He who meets his brother, salutes him and replies to his salute,’ spreads peace; and he who gives food to his wife and members of his family to their satisfaction gives food. He, who keeps fast of Ramazan and three days every month, keeps fast as it were for the whole year. He who prays Isha and Fajr in congregation prays as it were the whole night when the people remain asleep. God says: The fine buildings in Eden Paradise.’ The Prophet said regarding its meanings: These places are builts of emeralds and jewels and in each building there will be 70 rooms of red colour and in each room 70 sub-rooms of green colour and in each sub-room there will be one throne and over each throne 70 beds of varied colours and on each bed a hoor al-ayn (houri- a girl having wide lovely eyes with intense black irises). There will be 70 dining cloth in each room and 70 kinds of food in each dining cloth. There will be seven girls in each room.Each believer will be given such strength in the morning as he can cohabit with them”. [Ihya Uloom Ed-Din.Volume 4, Page-4.428]
*From above mentioned Hadith a simple calculation will show that each believer will get 343,000 wives from houris (hur al-ayn) i.e: 70*70*70 = 343,000 houris/hoor al-ayn.
Narrated from Abu Hurayra (R.A.) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) was asked: “O RasulAllah (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم)! Will we touch our wives in heaven? He (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) replied: A man will touch 100 virgins a day.” [Tabarani, al-Mucam as-Saghir & Awsat]
Narrated from Anas (R.A.) that the Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: “A believer man will have 73 wives in heaven. We asked him (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم): Will he able to do (i.e. have sex with all of them) this? And He (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) replied: He will be given power of 100(men).” [Abu Na’eem Sifat al-Jannah]
Abu Hurayrah (R.A.) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said that: “Every man in heaven will go to 72 of the creatures of Allah (houris) and 2 of the women of mankind, these two women are superior to the creatures of Allah (houris) with their worshipping (good deeds) they had performed in this world.” [Bayhaqi, al-Bas wa’n-Nushur; Tabari, Tafsir; Abu Yala, Ibn Hajar, Fathu’l-Baari, Tabarani and others]
Doubtless, a believer will have many houris (hoor al-ayn/hoors/hurs) in heaven which are in addition to his wordly wives but exact number is not given.It implies that the people of Paradise will have these wives according to their degree i.e: those who are more pious will get more wives than others but as mentioned in the following Hadiths:
Abu ‘Umama (R.A.) reported that Allah’s Messenger (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) said: “Allah will not admit anyone in the Paradise but Allah, the Mighty and glorious will marry him with 72 wives, two will be from virgin (houris/hoor al-ayn) with big eyes and seventy will be his inheritance from the people of the Hell-Fire*.” Every one of them will have a pleasant vagina and he (the man) will have sexual organ that does not bend down during sexual intercourse (perpetual erection).” [Ibn Majah, vol.v, page 547: Hadis number 4337]
*Hashim b. Khalid says, ‘The words “out of his inheritance (due) from the denizens of the Fire” in above stated Hadith, mean men who will enter the Fire and the inmates of the paradise will inherit their wives just as the Faroah’s wife (Aasiah R.A.) will be inherited (by the believers).
The Prophet Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) was heard saying: ‘The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana’a [Yemen]’.” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]
So that is the minimmum what every Muslim man in Paradise will get.
Another important aspect in Paradise is that: Not just the reward but the beauty of the people of Paradise will also go on increasing with time as mentioned in the following Hadith:
Narrated Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “In Jannah there is a market to which the people will come every Friday. The northern wind will blow and shower fragrance on their faces and clothes and, consequently, it will enhance their beauty and loveliness. They will then return to their wives who will also have increased in their beauty and loveliness, and their families will say to them: `We swear by Allah that you have been increased in beauty and loveliness since leaving us.’ Thereupon they will reply: `we swear by Allah that you have also been increased in beauty and loveliness since we left you.”’ [Sahih Muslim]
Bazaar, where everything will be available, free of cost. Similarly, people will gather there for a time period equal to that of Jumu`ah (friday), as there will be no sun, nor night and day. Another speciality of Jannah is that the beauty and charm of men and women will go on increasing and so the love and affection between husbands and wives will also keep on progressing and increasing. It will be just the opposite of what happens here in this world.
One Important Note (Must Read):
Some Non-Muslims point out to verses in the Qur’an, which speak about how Muslim men would be able to have sex with the Houris in paradise. Then they exclaim that this is immorality or fornication. However, we must pay close attention to what the Quran actually says…
Allâh (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
“So (it will be), and We shall marry them to Houris (female fair ones) with wide, lovely eyes.” [Surah Ad-Dukhân (44):54]
“But those who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh – Islâmic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), abiding therein forever. Therein they shall have Azwâjun Mutahharatun [purified mates or wives (having no menses, stools, urine, etc.)] and We shall admit them to shades wide and ever deepening (Paradise).” [Sura An-Nisâ' (4): 57]
The word used here is AZWAAJ. In Arabic, it means spouse. Notice, the key word, SPOUSES. The houris (hoors/hurs) will be the wives of Muslim men in Paradise. If a man has sex with his wife, is that fornication? No, of course not, she is his spouse. So, if a man can legitimately have sex with his spouse here on earth, then why can’t a man legitimately have sex with his spouse in paradise.
Having said that, the gretest reward for the Muslim believers, men and women, in Jannah (Paradise) will be to view the Countenance (Apperance) of Allah (SWT). And for the believers there will be nothing more delightful than looking at Him;
This is mentioned in the following Hadiths:
Imam Ahmad recorded from Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi: The Messenger of Allah recited, (the words meaning), “For those who have done good is the best and even more.” [Sura Yunus, 26] He said, “When the people of Paradise enter Paradise, a caller will say: `O people of Paradise, Allah has promised you something that He wishes to fulfill.’ They will reply: `What is it Has He not made our Scale heavy Has He not made our faces white and delivered us from Fire?’ He (the narrater) said: “Allah will then remove the veil (from their eyes), and they will look at the Countenance (Appearance) of Allah, the Mighty, the Majestic.” He said, “By Allah, they have not been given anything dearer to them and more delightful than looking at Him.” [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Muslim]
Narrated Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi: The Apostle of Allah said: “When those deserving of Paradise would enter Paradise, the Blessed and the Exalted would ask: Do you wish Me to give you anything more? They would say: Has You not brightened our faces? Has You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Fire? He (the narrator) said: He (God) would lift the veil (from their eyes), and of things given to them nothing would be dearer to them than the sight of their Lord, the Mighty and the Glorious.” [Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Number 0347]
Doubtless we, the Muslim, men and women, are promissed to have what we want in Paradise (Jannah);
Allâh (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
“Therein you shall have (all) that your inner selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask for.” [Sura Fussilat 41:31-32]
“They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of Muhsinûn (pious-good doers).” [Az-Zumar (39);34]
Therefore in Paradise a Muslim, wether male or female, will have every thing that they wish for and they will abide therein forever. So we should strive for this absolute success by doing good and righteous deeds. There are a lot of temptations in this world (mostly created by satan) from which we have to seek refuge with Allâh alone and fear Allâh much and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden. And for that matter we have put our trust completely in Allah (SWT).
“Verily! he (satan) has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord (Allâh).”
“His (satan’s) power is only over those who obey and follow him (satan), and those who join partners with Him (Allâh) [i.e. those who are Mushrikûn-polytheists].” [Sura An-Nahl (16);99,100]
”ALLAH KNOWS BEST”
Article written by: Yasir Sabir, student of International Islamic University, Islamabad, PAKISTAN.
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Yasir Sabir, student of International Islamic University, Islamabad, PAKISTAN.
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