In Islam, the ḥūr or ḥūrīyah (Arabic: حورية‎) are described as "(splendid)^[1] companions of equal age (well-matched)^[2]", "lovely eyed"^[3], "voluptuous",^[4] "pure beings" or "companions pure" of paradise, denoting humans and jinns who enter paradise after being recreated anew in the hereafter.^[5]. There are graphical descriptions of physical pleasures in heaven, but also clear references to a greater joy that exceeds the pleasures of flesh: the acceptance from God, or good pleasure of God (ridwan) (see 9:72). Islam also has a strong mystical tradition which places these heavenly delights in the context of the ecstatic awareness of God.^[6] Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing Arabic and various other languages, together with various closely related scripts that typically differ in the presence or absence of a few letters. ... Voluptuous (January 2006) Voluptuous is an American pornographic magazine depicting curvaceous female models with large breasts, which was first published in the mid-1990s. ... GEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS (now GXS) that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mustikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (musteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is one...

Etymology

According to classical Arabic usage in the time when the Qur'an was revealed, Hur'in is made of two words Hur and In. The word 'Hur' is the plural of both Ahwar (Masculine) and Hawra (Feminine) which literally translates into persons distinguished by Hawar, signifying "intense whiteness of the eyeballs and lustrous black of the pupils." (ref: Qamus ), hence 'the purity' (ref: Tafsir al'Tabari, and Tafsir al-Razi in 3:52). And as for the phrase, "In it is the plural of both 'Ayan' (Masculine) and 'Ainao' (Feminine)",^[7] it was used to refer to the beautiful eyes of the wild-cow whose eyes are blond. In general, this word implies 'most beautiful eye' irrespective of the person's gender. Thus, the most appropriate English endering of the compound word Hur'In will be: "Companions pure, most beautiful of eye." (ref: Muhammad Asad, Message of the Quran in 56:22 [2]); and it is applicable to both male and female [3]

Qur'an

Here are some selections where Hur are mentioned in the Qur'an. These verses are from the English translation by Muhammad Asad. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ...

"Thus shall it be. And We shall pair(zawajnahoom: pair them, marry them). Note zawj (lit., “a pair” or - according to the context - “one of a pair”) applies to either of the two sexes, as does the transitive verb zawaja, “he paired” or “joined”, i.e., one person with another)^[8]them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye."[Chapter (Surah) Ad-Dukhan (The Smoke)(44):54]

"In these [gardens] will be mates of modest gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then." [Chapter (Surah) Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent(55):56]

"[There the blest will live with their] companions pure and modest, in pavilions [splendid] [Chapter (Surah) Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent(55):72]

"reclining on couches [of happiness] ranged in rows!” And [in that paradise] We shall mate them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye [Chapter (Surah) At-Tur (The Mount)(52):20]

Here is verses that refer to one’s spouse renewal to a pure state :

"And [with them will be their] spouses, raised high: for, behold, We shall have brought them into being in a life renewed, having resurrected them as virgins [Chapter (Surah) Al-Waqi'a (The Event)(56):34-36]

And among His wonders is this: He creates for you mates out of your own kind [min anfusikum azwajan, Lit. “from among yourselves mates (spouses, one of the pair)”] so that you might incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think! … And He it is who creates [all life] in the first instance, and then brings it forth anew: and most easy is this for Him, since His is the essence of all that is most sublime in the heavens and on earth, and He alone is almighty, truly wise. [Chapter (Surah) Ar-Rum (The Romans)(30):21…27]

A verse regarding both genders explicitly:

God has promised the believers, both men and women (Lit., waalmuminoona (male believers) waalmuminatu (female believers), gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual bliss: but God's goodly acceptance is the greatest [bliss of all] -for this, this is the triumph supreme! [Chapter (Surah) At-Taubah (The Repentance) (9):72]

A verse regarding other companionship:

“And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the gardens of perpetual bliss which Thou hast promised them, together with the righteous from among their forebears, and their spouses, and their offspring - for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise [Chapter (Surah) Ghafir (The Forgiver)(40):8]

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

Hadith

The Islamic belief in an afterlife replete with hur is reinforced in the following hadith (source: [4]): This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Collected by Imam at-Tirmidhi in "Sunan" (Volume IV, Chapters on "The Features of Heaven as described by the Messenger of Allah", Chapter 21: "About the Smallest Reward for the People of Heaven", hadith 2687) and also quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Koranic Commentary) of Surah Rahman (55), ayah (verse) 72:

"It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham 'Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudhri [Abu Sa'id al-Khudhri is quoted as the first (hearing directly from the Prophet) in the chain of narration, whose reports for the last rewarded person in paradise (i.e. the smallest reward) are mentioned in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim confirming Abu Hurairah and by himself in one of the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the last person to enter paradise)], who heard the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) saying, 'The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are eighty thousand servants and seventy two wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San'a.

Regarding the above it has been stated: “The narration, which claims that everyone would have seventy-two wives has a weak chain of narrators” .^[9] Al-Tirmidhi, full name Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Musa ibn al-Dahhak al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi (824-892, ie 209 AH - 13 Rajab 279 AH) was a medieval collector of hadith (sayings of Muhammad), who wrote the Sunan al-Tirmidhi, one of the six canonical hadith compilations used... Sunan al-Tirmidhi is one of the six most authentic canonical hadith collections of the Sunnis, collected by al-Tirmidhi. ... Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Tafsir ibn Kathir is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir (commentary of the Quran) by Ibn Kathir. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ... A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman, born January 6, 1967 as A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, India, is a popular Indian film music composer. ... Ayah ( , plural Ayat ) is the Arabic word for sign or miracle. ... For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... Peace be upon him (Arabic: صلى الله عليه وسلم ;ï·º; salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, also transliterated as sallalahu aleyhi wasallam) is a phrase that Muslims are required to say after mentioning the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Abraham and all the other prophets cited in the Quran. ... 72 is the natural number following 71 and preceding 73. ... Strand of akoya pearls from China Pearl farm, Seram, Indonesia A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ... Aquamarine Aquamarine (Lat. ... Ruby is a red gemstone. ... Damascus ( transliteration: , also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital. ... Sana (Arabic: , romanized as , and also known as Sanaa or Sanaa), population 1,747,627 (2004 census), is the capital of Yemen and the center of Sana Governorate. ...

It should be pointed out that the above hadith comes from Imam at-Tirmidhi's Sunan, whose compilation of hadith, which while considered by most Sunni Muslims to be one of the six major compilations and canonical, is not considered sahih (authentic) in its entirety as the sahih compilations of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim do not authenticate the claim of seventy-two wives in their Sahih books, the Sahih Bukhari[5]and the Sahih Muslim[6], even though there is a multitude of narration from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri authenticated in their Sahih Books, none of which contain the one mentioned above [see below the next hadith from Sahih Muslim where Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reports the last person to enter paradise (ie.:the smallest reward)]. The Science of Hadith is whole field on which many scholars have worked and continue to work on. Irregularities in isnad (chain of naration) and texts are well-known among scholars. Al-Shafi'i states that a shadhdh ("irregular") hadith is one which is reported by a trustworthy person but goes against the narration of a person more reliable than him."^[10] Ibn Hajar states if a narration which goes against another authentic hadith is reported by a weak narrator, it is known as munkar (denounced).^[11] Al-Khatib (d. 463) quotes al-Rabi' b. Khaitham (d. 63) as saying, "Some ahadith have a light like that of day, which we recognise; others have a darkness like that of night which makes us reject them." He also quotes al-Auza'i (d. 157) as saying, "We used to listen to ahadith and present them to fellow traditionists, just as we present forged coins to money-changers: whatever they recognise of them, we accept, and whatever they reject of them, we also reject."^[12] It should be noted that if some texts of hadith contain addition by a reporter to the text of the saying being narrated is termed mudraj (interpolated).^[13] See Sunni view of Hadith. The text of the hadith mentioned above, it does not exist in the Qur'an either, which is used as the basis for all mainstream sects of Islam. Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. ... Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردز&#1576... Abul Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj Qushayri al-Nisaburi (Arabic: أبو الحسين مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري) (born 204... Sunni Muslims are the largest denomination of Islam. ... The religion of Islam has many divisions, sects, schools, traditions, and related faiths. ...

Ibn Kathir, who is mentioned above, compiled the works of many collectors of hadith, including Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, and Imam at-Tirmidhi, thus lending all of them countenance. [7] Some regard this as 'proof' of the hadith, disregarding the actual beliefs of the vast majority of Muslims, including Sunni Muslims. Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردز&#1576... Abul Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj Qushayri al-Nisaburi (Arabic: أبو الحسين مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري) (lived 810-70), Muslim Author of the second most widely recognized collection of Hadith in Sunni Islam, Sahih Muslim, Muslims authentic (collection). He is largely known as simply Al-Muslim. ... Al-Tirmidhi, full name Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Musa ibn al-Dahhak al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi (824-892, ie 209 AH - 13 Rajab 279 AH) was a medieval collector of hadith (sayings of Muhammad), who wrote the Sunan al-Tirmidhi, one of the six canonical hadith compilations used...

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet Muhammad said: "The lowest of people in status in Paradise will be a man whose face Allah turns away from the Fire towards Paradise, and shows him a tree giving shade. He will say, 'O Lord, bring me closer to that tree so that I may be in its shade... Then he will enter his house (in Paradise) and his two wives (dual form connotation - which can also be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name)[8]) from among Al-Hur Al-`ain (same hadith mentioned by Abu Harairah does not include "the two wives". When Abu Hurairah was narrating, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri present at the time, did affirm to the text as true and when he added to the text transmitted, it was not the "two wives"^{[14] [15]}) will come in and say to him, 'Praise be to Allah who brought you to life for us and brought us to life for you.' Then he will say, 'No one has been given what I have been given.'" (Reported by Muslim) (source: [9]) (see book 1, number 0362 for Imam Muslim's complete hadith [10]) Sahih Muslim (Arabic: صحيح مسلم, ṣaḥīḥ muslim) is one of the Sunni Six Major Hadith collections , collected by Imam Muslim. ...

Muhammad (Ibn Sirin) reported that some (persons) stated with a sense of pride and some discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more women. It was upon this that Abu Huraira reported that Abu'l Qasim (the Holy Prophet) (may peace be upon him) said: The (members) of the first group to get into Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their faces as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and everyone will have two wives [zawjatan: dual connotation (Classical Arabic Idiom: sometimes the word with the female gender is chosen to make the dual form) - which can be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name (i.e. Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)][11](houris: inferred from Sahih Muslim, hadith 6795 through another chain of narration, also refer to Sahih Bukhari for the narration of the same hadith, see below) and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none without a wife in Paradise. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40 “Pertaining to Paradise, Its Description”, Hadith 6793)[12]

Again, it should be pointed out that the above hadiths come from Imam Muslim, whose compilation of hadiths is considered by most Sunni Muslims to be secondary to those compiled by Imam Bukhari. Bukhari authenticates the claim of houri wife for every man in paradise in his work, the Sahih Bukhari[13]. From this link, Imam Bukhari, you will find: Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردز&#1576... Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari محمد بن اسماعيل بن ابراهيم بن المغيرة بن بردز&#1576...

"His (Imam Bukhari's) book is highly regarded among Sunni Muslims, and considered the most authentic collection of hadith (a minority of Sunni scholars consider Sahih Muslim, compiled by Bukhari's student Imam Muslim, more authentic).

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 [in a version of this hadith^[16]: waa li kul-li wa ahidin minhoom zawjataani = and to every single (everyone) among them zawjataani. The expression kulli wa hadin-each one (everyone) includes both males and females. Note: the feminine ending -at(un) (feminine ta-marbuta, -ah in modern Arabic language) is also added to distiguish a person in an exemplary manner as in allamun = scholar, allamatun (-ah) = distinguished scholar [not "female scholar"], or as in rawin = narrator, rawiyatun(-ah) = narrator(of poems) [not "female narrator"]. These forms ending in -at(un) (modern -ah), as they designate the individual, are treated as masculines.]^[17][zawjatan: dual connotation (Classical Arabic Idiom - which can be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name: two paired persons or things can be expressed by the dual of one of them (eg. abawaani [dual of aba (father)] = parents (father and mother, not "two fathers"; qamarani [dual of qamar (moon)] = sun and moon (not "two moons")^[18]; usage in "Qur'an in Surah Al-Furqan(25):53" bahrayn [dual of bahr (sea)] = sea "salty and bitter" and river "sweet and thirst-allaying" (not "two seas"); sometimes the word with the female gender is chosen to make the dual form, such as in the expression "the two Marwas", referring to the two hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwa (not "two hills, each called Al-Marwa") in Mecca^[19];) ( (i.e. Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)][14]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." (Sahih Bukhari, Book 54 "The Beginning of Creation", Hadith 476)[15]

Sahaba

Abu Ubayda [16] said that the recreated women of this life referring to

"We have created [their Companions] of special creation, and made them virgin-pure [and undefiled after their old age in this life] (Qur’an, Surah Al-Waqia(56):35-36)

were mentioned in the previous verse:

"And Hur (fair females) with wide lovely eyes. Like preserved pearls."(Qur'an, Surah Al-Waqia(56):22)

quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Koranic Commentary) of Surah Waqia (56), ayah (verse) 35-36 Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Tafsir ibn Kathir is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir (commentary of the Quran) by Ibn Kathir. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ... Surat Al-Waqia (Arabic: سورة الواقعة ) (The Event, The Inevitable) is the 56th sura of the Quran with 96 ayat. ... Ayah ( , plural Ayat ) is the Arabic word for sign or miracle. ...

Artat bin Al-Mundhir said:

"Damrah bin Habib was asked if the Jinns will enter Paradise and he said,`Yes, and they will get married. The Jinns will have Jinn women and the humans will have female humans.

quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Koranic Commentary) of Surah Rahman (55), ayah (verse) 56: Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Tafsir ibn Kathir is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir (commentary of the Quran) by Ibn Kathir. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ... A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman, born January 6, 1967 as A.S. Dileep Kumar in Chennai, India, is a popular Indian film music composer. ... Ayah ( , plural Ayat ) is the Arabic word for sign or miracle. ...

"In these [gardens - paradise] will be mates of modest gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being [Jinn] will have touched them then [after they have been created again]."

Tabi'een

Al-Hasan Al-Basri [17] said that the word hoor implies the righteous women among mankind who are rewarded with paradise as related in the Tafsir of Tabari [18] quoted by Muhammad Asad [19] in his tafsir "Message of Quran" [20] concenring the following ayah: In Islam, the houri (Arabic , pl. ...

"We have created [their Companions] of special creation, and made them virgin-pure [and undefiled after their old age in this life] (Qur’an, Surah Al-Waqia(56):35-36)

Bahá'í Faith

The Arabic term "huwri" (feminine of "hur") was used in the original Arabic writings of Bahá'u'lláh, but is almost always translated as "Maid of Heaven" rather than the transliteration of "huwri". Bahá'ís generally see her as a symbol of the holy spirit, the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation, or even as his "higher self". While always depicted as comely, she appears as a transcendent spiritual figure representing the Divine [21]; and sexual desire is understood to be a metaphor for spiritual longing.[22][23] Shrine of Baháulláh Baháulláh (ba-haa-ol-laa Arabic: Glory of God) (November 12, 1817 - May 29, 1892), born (Persian: ), was the founder of the Baháí Faith. ... Women as theological figures, have played a significant role in the development of various religions and religious hierarchies. ... Seat of the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel, governing body of the Baháís The Baháí Faith is a religion founded by Baháulláh in 19th century Persia. ...

Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle East history, rendered an un-official translation of the Tablet of the Maiden (Lawh-i-Huriyyih) by Bahá'u'lláh.[24] The translation was described by the Universal House of Justice as "far from adequate, to the point that it is quite misleading and could easily convey a wrong impression to those who study it."[25] In it, Cole uses the transliterated "houri" instead of "Maiden". For a brief overview see John Walbridge's "Erotic Imagery in the Allegorical Writings of Bahá'u'lláh."[26] Juan RI Cole is a professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian History in the History Department at the University of Michigan. ... Seat of The Universal House of Justice For the building, see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Baháí Faith. ...

Round/Swollen breasts

In relation to the mention of virgins in Quran, several translators like Hilali-Khan^[20], Arberry, Palmer, Rodwell and Sale have translated Qur'an 78:33 to refer to "swelling breasts" ^[21][22] The Noble Quran, also known as Hilali-Khan, is a translation of the Quran by contemporary Saudi Sunni Salafi Islamic scholar Muhammad Muhsin Khan (Arabic: محمد محسن خان, muḥammad muḥsin khān) and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali (Arabic: محمد تقي الدين الهلالي, muḥammad taqiyyu-d-dīn al-hilāl... Arthur John Arberry (1905 - 1969) was a respected scholar of Arabic and Islamic studies. ... Edward Henry Palmer (August 7, 1840 - August 1882) was an English orientalist, He was born in Cambridge as the son of a private schoolmaster. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... George Sale (1697? - 1736), orientalist, a Kentish man, and practising solicitor. ... This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ...

In addition, Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir, writes that verse 78:33 in the Qur'an describes the physical attributes of the women. He says the following about the verse: "This means round breasts. They meant by this that the breasts of these girls will be fully rounded and not sagging, because they will be virgins, equal in age.'".^[23]. Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... A tafsir ( (Arabic: تفسير) tafsÄ«r, Arabic explanation) is Quranic exegesis or commentary. ...

Alternative Interpretation

It should be noted that the original wording is:

^[24]وَكَوَاعِبَ أَتْرَاباً

Wakawaiba atraban(Qur'an 78:33)

Muhammad Asad has said regarding the above verse:

As regards my rendering of kawa’ib as "splendid companions", it is to be remembered that the term ka'b -from which the participle ka’ib is derived - has many meanings, and that one of these meanings is "prominence", "eminence" or "glory" (Lisan al-Arab); thus, the verb ka'ba, when applied to a person, signifies "he made [another person] prominent", "glorious" or "splendid" (ibid.) Based on this tropical meaning of both the verb ka'ba and the noun ka'b, the participle ka'ib has often been used, in popular parlance, to denote "a girl whose breasts are becoming prominent" or "are budding" hence, many commentators see in it an allusion to some sort of youthful "female companions' who would entertain the (presumably male) inmates of paradise.^[2]

Then he continues:

...this interpretation of kawa’ib overlooks the purely derivative origin of the above popular usage - which is based on the tropical connotation of "prominence" inherent in the noun ka'b - and substitutes for this obvious tropism the literal meaning of something that is physically prominent: and this, in my opinion, is utterly unjustified. If we bear in mind that the Qur'anic descriptions of the blessings of paradise are always allegorical, we realize that in the above context the term kawa’ib can have no other meaning than "glorious [or "splendid"] beings"^[2]

Sex in paradise

Ibn Kathir says that the houri are delightful virgins of comparable age who never had sexual intercourse with anyone ^[25]. He also mentions Muhammed saying that men in heaven would have sex with 100 hundered virgins in one day.^[26]. Muhammad is also reported to have said that men in heaven will be "busy in deflowering virgins"^[27]. Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ...

Imam Suyuti is reported to have said, "each time we sleep with a houri we find her virgin. Besides, the penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world and were you to experience it in this world you would faint. Each chosen one [ie Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetising vaginas."^[28] Imam Al-Suyuti (849-911 ah) is a respected early scholar of Ahl Al-Sunna Wal-Jamaa. ...

In another place, Ibn Kathir emphasises the literal nature of sexual intercourse in Paradise by another Hadith:

"The Prophet was asked : 'Do we have sex in Paradise?' He answered: 'Yes, by him who holds my soul in his hand, and it will be done dahman, dahman (that is intercourse done with such shove and disturbance^[29]). And when it is finished she will return pure and virgin again.'"^[30]

"72 Virgins"

The concept of 72 virgins in Islam refers to an aspect of paradise. In a collection by Imam at-Tirmidhi in his "Sunan" (Volume IV, Chapters on "The Features of Heaven as described by the Messenger of Allah", chapter 21: "About the Smallest Reward for the People of Heaven", hadith 2687) and also quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Qur'anic Commentary) of Surah 55:72, it is stated that: Al-Tirmidhi, full name Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa ibn Musa ibn al-Dahhak al-Sulami al-Tirmidhi (824-892, ie 209 AH - 13 Rajab 279 AH) was a medieval collector of hadith (sayings of Muhammad), who wrote the Sunan al-Tirmidhi, one of the six canonical hadith compilations used... Sunan al-Tirmidhi is one of the six most authentic canonical hadith collections of the Sunnis, collected by al-Tirmidhi. ... Ibn Kathir (Arabic : بن كثير ) was an Islamic scholar born in Busra, Syria in 1301 CE. He was taught by the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya in Damascus, Syria. ... Tafsir ibn Kathir is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir (commentary of the Quran) by Ibn Kathir. ... See also: Sura (disambiguation). ...

"It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham 'Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudhri, who heard the Prophet Muhammad saying, 'The smallest reward for the people of Heaven is an abode where there are eighty thousand servants and seventy two houri, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as wide as the distance from al-Jabiyyah to San'a.^[31] For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ... 72 is the natural number following 71 and preceding 73. ... Strand of akoya pearls from China Pearl farm, Seram, Indonesia A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as oysters. ... Aquamarine Aquamarine (Lat. ... Ruby is a red gemstone. ... Damascus ( transliteration: , also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital. ... Sana (Arabic: , romanized as , and also known as Sanaa or Sanaa), population 1,747,627 (2004 census), is the capital of Yemen and the center of Sana Governorate. ...

Popularisation

A CBS news report in 2001 contained a translation of a Hamas activist which specifically mentioned the term "72 virgins". Since then, the term has been widely used in the western world by critics of Islam.

Interpretations

Margaret Nydell states that mainstream Muslims regard this belief about 72 virgins in the same way that mainstream Christians regard the belief that after death they will be issued with wings and a harp, and walk on clouds.^[32] A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ...

One radical new interpretation of the relevant passages of the Qur'an, widely rejected as revisionist scholarship by Muslim scholars, is The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Qur'an written by Christoph Luxenberg. In respect of this particular point, Luxenberg argues that the relevant passage actually translates to a portrayal of paradise as a lush garden with pooling water and trees with rare fruit, including white raisins (considered to be delicacies at the time that the Qur'an was written), not virgin maidens.^[33][34] This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ... The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Koran: a contribution to the decoding of the language of the Quran English Edition of 2007 (Die syro-aramäische Lesart des Koran: Ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Koransprache (2000) is a book by German philologist and professor of ancient Semitic and... Christoph Luxenberg is the pseudonym of the author of the 2000 book Die Syro-Aramäische Lesart des Koran: Ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Koransprache (in English: The Syro-Aramaic reading of the Quran: a contribution to the decipherment of the Quranic language). ...

Notable uses of the term

While being disarmed by the Israeli troops in 2004, would-be suicide bomber Hussam Abdo, described by Israeli media as a "mentally challenged" boy, said: "Blowing myself up is the only chance I've got to have sex with 72 virgins in the Garden of Eden."^[35] Hussam Abdo (born 1989) is a Palestinian who made international headlines on March 24, 2004, when he was apparently forced to enter the Hawara Checkpoint, in West Bank, Israel, carrying bombs as part of a suicide attack attempt. ...

Criticism

Regarding the above statement, Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf has said: “The narration, which claims that everyone would have seventy-two wives has a weak chain of narrators” .^[9]

American Visions of the Houri

Nerina Rustomji states:^[36] Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ...

If there is one thing many Americans know about Islam, it is that the hijackers of September 11th believed they would be given seventy-two virgins in Paradise for successfully completing their mission. As a result, the prevailing understanding of the houri is as a reward for terrorist acts. This notion is distorted because it does not acknowledge a broader belief that the houri is considered a reward for righteous behavior: righteous Muslim males are rewarded with houris; one who is not judged righteous gains nothing. Yet, the connection between the houri and political violence is one that is reinforced by certain Islamic political groups.

At the heart of these allusions to the houri is a certain preoccupation — or perhaps even obsession — with sex. Here, sexuality is read into Islamic images even when that reading may be aggressive. What is lost in these media accounts is the historical development of the concept of the houri. It is through the houri, then, that we can see the shaping of an American fantasy of what Islam symbolizes. The common denominator in this fantasy is the element of pleasure...By contrast, in the sensual discourse, the enjoyment of the pleasure of the houri is mere entertainment... The use of the houri, then, reveals that Islamic motifs are used as a way to represent a sensuality that American society enjoys, but refuses to claim as its own.

See also

• Jannah

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ... This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ... Gibril Fouad Haddad (b. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... March 2 is the 61st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (62nd in leap years). ...

External links

• Response from IslamQA team to a Muslim asking about sex with virgins in heaven
• A review of a book by Christoph Luxenberg who claims Aramaic origins for the Quran.
• Description of al-hoor al-‘iyn in the Qur’aan and Sunnah
• Afterlife and the Quran
• Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Houri in Paradise? - Answering-Islam.org
• A humorous look at the Seventy two virgins - From The New Yorker
• Suicide Bombings - Do Beliefs Matter? by Quintan Wiktorowicz
• British martyrs 'promised 72 virgins' - BBC
• '72 Black Eyed Virgins': A Muslim Debate on the Rewards of Martyrs - Memri.org
• Joyce M Davis. "'60 Minutes' quotations fabricated", Knight-Ridder Newspapers as reported by The Muslim News, 2001-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
• Cleric: Zarqawi's wedding with virgins has begun