Hoor Al Ayn Issue

                                          (Do not own image)
                                             
I know that this subject has been discussed numerous times but I want to add my two cents. " Houris " are usually describes as beautiful maidens of heaven that are one of the rewards of Muslim men. These " Houris" are "azwaj" or partners of Muslim men they are there to serve them. There are some ahadith and verses from Quraan that refers to " Houris".

These are some of the ahadith referring to "Houris":
1. 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]

2. 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]

3. 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]

Other than these ahadith are explicit they are also very weird and in appropriate. I don't know what is meant by the marrow of their legs will be seen through the bones and the flesh because that sounds like an x-ray image and I don't know how is that suppose to be attractive. I really do not think that the prophet Mohammed who is very respectable and shier than a virgin would say something like a man will have sexual organ that does not bend or every one of them will have a pleasant vagina! 

These are some verses from the Holy Quran that refers to "Houris": 

1. "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]

2. 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]

3. "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]

These are the most used interpretation of the above verses, I would also like to add that words between the brackets are added by the interpreter. Although there are scholars who claim that houris are not just female but can be male too this interpretation is opposed by many other scholars. 
 Gender-less interpretation is like the following, "But as for those who have faith and do right actions, We will admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever and ever. In them, they will have spouses of perfect purity..."(Surat an-Nisa', 57) . However the dominant interpretation of "Houris" remains to be female maidens. 
I think that "Houris" can be male or female, if there are verses that lean towards "Hooris" being female there are other verses that do not. Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that most interpretations of Quran through out Islam's history was interpreted by men and thus appealing to a male audience. 

Does this affect Muslim women's faith?     

I do think generally speaking yes it does. There are many questions about the subject of "Hooris" asked online and offline to scholars and imams as well as Muslim intellects and naturally the vast majority of the questions are coming from Muslim women. A lot of the interpretations are male oriented especially when it comes to sexuality, specifically the ahadith, it seems to place much more importance on male sexuality and fantasies of multiple women, youth and virginity. Yet there is no equivalent to that for females and there is no known Quranic verse or hadith that specifies something just for women who enter heaven and not men. This makes it harder to accept such interpretations and makes it seem that men are always getting something more although both are worshiping Allah and trying to please him. Also, the replies usually given do not answer the question asked about why do men get "Hooris" while women don't. It gives a list of how men feel about women and how women should just stop thinking about it but does not give a definite answer because simply there is really no answer which leads me to think that the reward is for both men and women. 

How should Muslim women deal with it?  

I think it is important to put faith in Allah and trust that he will never wrong you or be unfair. It can be hard at times especially when a lot of people are against you even people that share the same faith. Accepting gender-less interpretation about "Houris" will also help and give you more stability both mentally and emotionally. Moreover, it will strengthen your relationship with Allah as you are more at peace. 

In conclusion,  the issue of Hoor Al Ayn can effect a lot of Muslim women negatively. It is important for religious men and women to appeal for both Muslim men and women to create a unified ummah, not one that can be easily divided. It is also human to want to have your own partner and not wanting to share, why suppress that even in heaven? Why lie and say women want to share their husbands with 72 hooris? Why be one from many when you can be one and only? Everyone yearns to have someone for them either their spouse or a partner from heaven and acknowledging that is crucial.        

Comments

  1. Amazing post and very smart, sister. I get soooooooooo angry when Muslim men say "Oh men will get their big dreams in heaven of lots of sexual partners, and women will just have their thoughts and emotions taken away so they don't feel anything, so heaven will be better for the men." Where is the woman's heaven???? And then they say "Oh the women from earth will be more beautiful than hoor, and they will have gold and diamonds and nice food and nice clothes..." who cares about all that, when you are watching the man you love have an orgy with other women??? and why do women get our emotions taken away so we don't feel??? I say take away the men's greed and lust, and that way, all marriages will be happy! lol. I just think its crazy that we get our dreams of a faithful husband, and our thoughts and emotions taken away... But the men get whatever they want. That's not right. I don't care how you explain it or look at it. Its just not right.

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    1. I think you don't know about male sexual function. Male persons become sexually excited physically or mentally or both whenever they see a beautiful female person. Even if they see a small photograph of beautiful woman, they become excited. But male persons are not guilty for this. Because they have been created in this method. Because Almighty Allah wants to test male persons giving this problem. Sometimes men may be excited with only hearing a beautiful voice of a female person. On the other hand, women become sexually excited only when a male person directly touches her sex organs for minimum 12 minutes. So, it is clearly understood that male persons become sexually excited many times in a day. But female persons naturally become sexually excited once in several years. Don't think that I am writing on behalf of male persons. What I am writing here is the actual truth & reality. If women would become sexually excited so easily like men, then the words "rape case" against men would not exist in the world. Don't think that women are better than men. Actually men have to maintain much more duties than women.

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    2. @Jin pont I think your the one who knows nothing about human sexuality. Females get excited once in several years!!! are you kidding me. The point of this post was how female sexuality is not taken into account and your response clearly demonstrates how ignorant you are.

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    3. @Sofi you have written that I am ignorant. But you have not mentioned how a female become sexually excited.What I have written about male sexuality is absolutely correct. Because being a male person, I have experience about male sexuality. And my experience is similar to other male's experience. So, answer me two questions if you really know about female sexuality. Which matters make a female sexually excited? How do a female person become sexually excited? And obviously female persons don't have visual stimulations.

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    4. Being a women I'm pretty sure I know more about female sexuality than you do. Handsome man makes women sexually excited just like a beautiful women sexually excites men. Also along with physical features personality and the way a man carries him self adds to the attraction. Obviously there is visual stimulation as I have mentioned a fit man is more attractive than a man with a bulging stomach and so on.

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    5. I completely agree.This hoor ul ayn and sex thing is really disturbing me..I don't think it's fair

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    6. I completely agree.This hoor ul ayn and sex thing is really disturbing me..I don't think it's fair

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    7. Actually many things are mentioned, and others are not. Old Arabian society was male dominant, so you will hear more in fovor of men. But Allah, who created both men and women, can't be that unjust. So I am sure that there will be big good surprises for women as well, which are not mentioned in neither in Quraan, nor in hadith.

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    8. Men have sexual desires more than women
      Allah made them like this

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  2. Sister I also trust and believe Allah will have male Hoors for those women in heaven who seek it. Because the Quran clearly states in paradise, men and women will get whatever they want. So if a husband and wife make it to heaven, and the husband wanders off to his Hoors, I believe the wife to will be able to wander off to her Hoors. Neither Husband or Wife will feel jealousy. Just free love and happiness.

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  3. 20th century Islamic scholar Muhammad Asad says in his "The Message of the Qur'an" for his explanation of Ayat 22 of Sūra 56 of the Quran:

    The noun 'hur' - rendered by me as "companions pure" - is a plural of both 'ahwar' (masc.) and 'hawra' (fem.), either of which describes "a person distinguished by hawar", which latter term primarily denotes "intense whiteness of the eyeballs and lustrous black of the iris" (Qamus).
    In a more general sense, 'hawar' signifies simply "whiteness" (Asas) or, as a moral qualification, "purity" (cf. Tabari, Razi and Ibn Kathir in their explanations of the term 'hawariyyun' in 3:52).
    Hence, the compound expression 'hur-in' signifies, approximately, "pure beings [or, more specifically, "companions pure"], most beautiful eye" (which latter is the meaning of 'in', the plural of 'ayan').
    In his comments on the identical expression in 52:20, Razi observes that inasmuch as a person's eye reflects his soul more clearly than any other part of the human body, 'in' may be understood as "rich of soul" or "soulful".

    He also mentions that yet quite a number of the earliest Quran commentators such as Hasan al-Basrii understood it as signifying "the righteous among the women of the human kind"

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  4. I think female also get excited men get excited fast and go fast sometimes they r not able to fulfill females. Allah he will give similar to men in heaven .

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  5. There r huruleen and there servents r also there if one man get all of them if he goes to his first wife when he will come back to her what she will do she will sit and see her husband going to other womens .One male will have power or strength of 100 men then what about women .Allah is not unjust he will give what ever very want even 100 men like huroleen if this creation is only female

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  6. What you said had strenghtened my faith in allah thank you <3

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  7. Sister, please believe me when I say the issue about hur-al-ayn had drifted me very far from religion. I couldn't accept the idea that Allah in his greatness would allow women to feel such sorrow in this dunya. I went through a phase where I thought to myself , am I even Muslim anymore ? Astafurilla may god forgive me. You are absolutely correct. Which scholar or man would preach the truth that their wives can also have many husbands ? No man would want to preach that because it will cause them distress. And so generations have passed and hadiths have mentioned the lubidious vaginas of females or their never sagging breasts but the Quran is so pure. Men have preached and translated hour al ayns in order to fill their desires. The fact is , sisters , WE CAN GET WHATEVER WE WANT. Please don't listen to all these "you will be happy with one man" no. It is jannah at the end of the day , we can get 1000 men if that's what our hearts desire. if women will have jealousy taken out of their hearts and will accept their husbands with female hours , then SURELY men will also have the jealousy taken out and will accept their wives with beautiful male hurs . Please let's keep our faith strong and remember that so many people have accepted that hours are female because it's what has been said for so many generations. Allah would NEVER cause so much distress to his female creation because Allah KNOWS that we want our husbands to ourselves. If he can change how we look like whenever he feels, he won't feel the need to want someone else lool trust me. Inshalla we all enter jannah

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    1. Wow you are so wrong about hoor

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    2. U can't just deny sahih hadiths which is concrete in Islamic world.There is clear evidence which says that the mu'minaths among the humans will be far superior than any hooris. If a husband and wife had amicable relationship in duniya they will meet in jannah. And if you check tafsirs u can see that even women will be granted such pleasures.this is not explicitly stated because it is not the Adab(manners) of Allah while talking about women. I know this is obselete without quotes.....but check with an Aalim he will clear your doubts.

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    3. These women are not Adam ancestry like human

      They're there for company and nothing else

      You're not allowed to touch them at all

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  8. I think every muslimah should make effort studying the Qur'an deeper and deeper and not giving up praying for the true guidance of Allah. Our Rabb is the Best Guide.
    Remember that we have to find the best understanding of the verses of the Qur'an. We can learn from others, but only take what's good/right and leave what's bad, always trust the God to guide you to the best understanding.
    By the way, so far, I think this video has sound explanation of hoor 'een. Please check it. I hope this is helpful. Peace.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PMHnkQwb3ZQ#

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  9. These women in heaven are for pious males who themselves lower their gaze at women in this world

    These women are virgins and you're not allowed to touch them

    There is no sexual instincts in the other world

    They're there for companionship and that is it

    They just listen to the men

    They have no free will like human women do

    A human female who is pious and a Muslim will get her reward also

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  10. These women in heaven are for pious males who themselves lower their gaze at women in this world

    These women are virgins and you're not allowed to touch them

    There is no sexual instincts in the other world

    They're there for companionship and that is it

    They just listen to the men

    They have no free will like human women do

    A human female who is pious and a Muslim will get her reward also

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  11. I'm not Muslim and I know I should not give my opinion about a topic that I don't understand. But sisters, what kind of heaven is this that everything our heart wants will be given? Our heart is full of sin, and we in our mortal minds can't imagine how heaven will truly be. The heaven I believe my God will give me, is a place where all good people will be happy, where we will understand many secrets from the universe, a place where we will be able to discover new worlds and galaxies, a place where I will be able to fly, sing and live among wild animals that will not hurt me. I will eat tasty fruits and we all will be like a huge family.
    If someone wants to go to heaven to make sex this seems so weird... Because for me heaven is about living with your creator and people that we love.
    Hope one day to meet all of you in heaven my brethen, and we together will discover incredible things about the eternal life!

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