What Do Women Receive in Paradise According to Quran and Hadith?
Question: In the Quran, Houris are mentioned in various places for men, but there is no mention for women. So, what will women receive in Paradise? And a woman who was not married, or was married to more than one man in the world, or whose husband went to Hell—who will she be with in Paradise?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah:
The human mind is a hotbed of curiosity and questions. Questions continuously arise, and if they are not answered, doubts begin to take their place. Many people have asked this question: men will get Houris in Paradise, but what will women get? Wouldn’t it be an injustice if there is no one for them? We will try to answer this question concisely in light of the Quran and Hadith.
Islam is a complete religion, so complete that it has laid out for us the rights of humans and even the rights of animals. The status and rank that Islam has given to women, no other religion could provide.
If you are asking how many men a woman will get, while a man gets many women and Houris, then this is an extremely absurd notion, and I know that none of you could possibly mean this. However, let us clarify this point as well.
Is it acceptable in any civilized society in the world for a woman to have multiple husbands? Although this practice, i.e., polyandry, has existed in some form in very old societies in Africa and also in Hinduism, can any person with even a little sense and honor (ghayrah) form an opinion in its favor???… Absolutely not, absolutely not…
Then who is more honorable and protective (possessing more ghayrah) than Allah?
Who is more dignified than Allah?
Can such a thing be tolerated by Allah???
Secondly,
The Quran does not mention Houris in “various places.” Rather, it mentions the blessings of Paradise, which will be equally available to every believing man and woman. The mention of Houris is in only about four places in the Quran. As for your question about what women will get in Paradise, it should be clear that the word the Quran has used with complete clarity in this regard is “Zawj” (Azwaj), which means a pair or a “spouse.” This means there will be spouses for both men and women.
The word “Hoor,” which is used in four different places in the Holy Quran:
أَعـوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْـطانِ الرَّجيـم
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
كَذٰلِكَ وَزَوَّجۡنٰهُمۡ بِحُوۡرٍ عِيۡنٍؕ
"Thus it will be, and We shall marry them to fair women with large, beautiful eyes."
(Ad-Dukhan: 54)
مُتَّكِـــِٕيۡنَ عَلٰى سُرُرٍ مَّصۡفُوۡفَةٍ ۚ وَزَوَّجۡنٰهُمۡ بِحُوۡرٍ عِيۡنٍ
"Reclining on thrones arranged in rows. And We will marry them to fair women with large, beautiful eyes."
(At-Tur: 20)
حُوۡرٌ مَّقۡصُوۡرٰتٌ فِى الۡخِيَامِ
"Fair ones, reserved in pavilions."
(Ar-Rahman: 72)
وَحُوۡرٌ عِيۡنٌۙ
كَاَمۡثَالِ اللُّـؤۡلُـوٴِالۡمَكۡنُوۡنِۚ
"And [for them are] fair women with large, beautiful eyes, like unto pearls well-protected."
(Al-Waqi’ah: 22-23)
The Meaning of “Hoor”
Many translators of the Holy Quran, especially in Urdu translations, have translated the word “Hoor” as beautiful maidens or girls. In this case, they would be only for men. So what will be there for the women who enter Paradise?
The word “Hoor” (حُوْر) is in fact the plural of both “Ahwar” (أَحْوَرْ), applicable to men, and “Hawra'” (حَوْرَاء), applicable to women. It refers to a person whose eyes are characterized by “Hawar,” which is a special quality bestowed upon the righteous souls of men and women entering Paradise, and it signifies the intense whiteness of the white part of the spiritual eye.
In several other verses, the Holy Quran states that in Paradise, you will have “Azwaj,” i.e., spouses, and you will be given your mate or pure companion.
Allah the Almighty says:
وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡa وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ اَنَّ لَهُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُؕ ڪُلَّمَا رُزِقُوۡا مِنۡهَا مِنۡ ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزۡقًا ۙ قَالُوۡا هٰذَا الَّذِىۡ رُزِقۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ وَاُتُوۡا بِهٖ مُتَشَابِهًا ؕ وَلَهُمۡ فِيۡهَآ اَزۡوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۙ وَّهُمۡ فِيۡهَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ
Translation:
"And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, 'This is what we were provided with before.' A1nd it will be given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally."
(Surah Al-Baqarah: 25)
وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ سَنُدۡخِلُهُمۡ جَنّٰتٍ تَجۡرِىۡ مِنۡ تَحۡتِهَا الۡاَنۡهٰرُ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَاۤ اَبَدًا ؕ لَـهُمۡ فِيۡهَاۤ اَزۡوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَّنُدۡخِلُهُمۡ ظِلًّا ظَلِيۡلًا
Translation:
"But those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. For them therein are purified spouses, and We will admit them to deepening shade."
(An-Nisa: 57)
Therefore, the word “Hoor” is not specific to any particular gender. Allama Muhammad Asad translated the word “Hoor” as spouse (husband or wife), while Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali translated it as “companion.”
Thus, according to some scholars, the “Hoor” a man will receive in Paradise will be a beautiful maiden with large, shining eyes, while the companion a woman entering Paradise will receive will also have large, bright eyes.
Some scholars believe that the word “Hoor” used in the Quran refers only to females because the address is directed towards men. The answer to this, which should be acceptable to all kinds of people, is given in a blessed Hadith.
In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a Hadith:
قَالَ اللہ تَبَارَکَ وَتَعَالی: اَعْدَدْتُّ لِعِبَادِیَ الصَّالِحِینَ مَا لَا عَیْنٌ رَاَتْ، وَلَا اُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلَا خَطَرَ عَلَی قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ
Allah the Almighty says:
“I have prepared for My righteous servants what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor has it occurred to the heart of any human.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, At-Tafsir, Hadith: 4779)
The word ‘ibad (servants) in the Hadith includes both men and women. Therefore, men will be paired with women, and women will be paired with men.
And the word “Zawj” (spouse) is used in the Quran because to say that “men will be given to women” would have been contrary to modesty (haya).
As for the specific mention of Houris, every student of human psychology knows that in this matter, men’s psychology has been somewhat different from women’s. It is not possible to detail that psychology here. However, if you want a glimpse of it, look at the advertising industry in the modern media and the use of women in it, or read the details of the harems of powerful men in the pages of history.
Due to this psychology, the Quran also mentions Houris in some places. Otherwise, its principled stance on the blessings of Paradise that are desired by human nature is stated by Allah the Almighty:
"And you will have therein whatever your souls desire, and you will have therein whatever you request."
(Surah Fussilat: Verse 31)
Whenever a question arises regarding the blessings of Paradise, you should read this verse of the Quran. The answer to every question is hidden in this short verse.
And you must know that Allah has said in His book: "And your Lord does not wrong anyone." (Al-Kahf: 49)
And in another place, He says:
"Indeed, Allah does not wrong [anyone], even by the weight of an atom. And if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward."
(Surah An-Nisa: 40)
Allah has revealed this Shariah equally for men and women. Wherever men are addressed in the Holy Quran, women are also included, and wherever men are addressed in a command, women are also included, unless there is evidence that makes a distinction between men and women, such as in the rulings on jihad, menstruation, and guardianship, etc.
The proof that where the masculine form is used, the feminine (i.e., women) is also included is the following Hadith from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about a man who finds moisture [on his clothes] but does not remember having a wet dream. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “He should perform ghusl (ritual bath).” He was also asked about a man who has a wet dream but finds no moisture. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “Ghusl is not required for him.” Then Umm Sulaim (may Allah be pleased with her) asked, “If a woman sees this, is ghusl required for her too?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Yes, for women are the counterparts of men.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Hadith No. 236). And in another narration, the words are: “Women are indeed the counterparts of men [in religious rulings].” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 113) (Sahih al-Jami’, Hadith No. 2333)
As for what reward a woman will get in the Hereafter, some verses and Hadith are presented below.
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), “O Messenger of Allah, I have not heard Allah mentioning women in the matter of Hijrah (migration).” So Allah revealed this verse:
"And their Lord responded to them, 'Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed - I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah, and Allah has with Him the best reward.'"2
(3Surah Aal-Imran, Verse 195) (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3023)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) in his commentary on this verse says: “The statement of Allah ‘And their Lord responded to them’ means their Lord accepted. And Allah’s statement ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female’ is an explanation of this acceptance. That is, Allah informed them that He will not let the deeds of any of them go to waste; rather, He will give every worker, whether male or female, a full and just reward. And Allah’s statement ‘you are of one another’ means you are all equal in reward.”
And Allah’s statement:
"And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed."
(Surah An-Nisa, Verse 124)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on this verse: “In this verse, Allah’s grace, His generosity, and His mercy in accepting the deeds of His servants, whether male or female, are mentioned. However, the condition is that the servants must be believers, and Allah will surely admit them into Paradise and will not wrong any of them regarding their good deeds, not even by the amount of a ‘naqir,’ which is the groove on a date seed.”
And the statement of the Lord:
"Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do."
(Surah An-Nahl: 97)
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) says in his commentary on this verse: “This is a promise from Allah to the one who does righteous deeds, and these deeds must be in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), whether this deed is from a man or a woman, and there must be belief in Allah and His Messenger in their heart. And this deed, which has been commanded, is prescribed by Allah. Based on this, Allah will provide them a good life in this world and will give them a good reward for their deeds in the Hereafter, and a good life encompasses comfort in every respect.”
Allah the Almighty says:
"Whoever does an evil deed will not be recompensed except by the like thereof; but whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - those will enter Paradise, being given provision therein with4out account."
(Surah Ghafir, Verse 40)
Here is a Hadith that will, by Allah’s command, eradicate all doubts from your heart regarding the mention of women.
Umm Ammarah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that she came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, “I see that everything is for men, and I do not find any mention of women.” Then this verse was revealed:
"Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women..."
(Surah Al-Ahzab, 35) (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 3211)
And in Musnad Ahmad, it is narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her):
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “I said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), ‘O Messenger of Allah, why is it that we are not mentioned in the Quran in the same way as men are?'” She narrates, “Nothing frightened me on any day except his voice from the minbar (pulpit) as he was saying, ‘O people!'” Umm Salamah said, “I was arranging my hair, so I wrapped my hair and came close to the door and put my ear to the threshold. I heard him saying, ‘Indeed, Allah has said:
“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.”
(Surah Al-Ahzab, Verse 35)
Women who enter Paradise will be recreated by Allah, and they will enter Paradise as virgins and will remain virgins forever. Whenever their husbands have relations with them, they will find them virgins each time. They will be of the same age as their husbands, and the women of Paradise will be deeply in love with their husbands.
All these things are described in the Quran as follows:
اِنَّاۤ اَنۡشَاۡنٰهُنَّ اِنۡشَآءًۙ @ فَجَعَلۡنٰهُنَّ اَبۡكَارًاۙ @ عُرُبًا اَتۡرَابًاۙ
"Indeed, We have produced the women of Paradise in a [new] creation. And made them virgins, devoted [to their husbands] and of equal age."
(Surah Al-Waqi’ah, Verses 35-37)
There will be no special treatment for men among the believers; rather, every soul will be granted blessings according to its deeds, and there will be no distinction between male and female. The joys of Paradise will be completed in the companionship of women.
Allah says:
اُدۡخُلُوا الۡجَنَّةَ اَنۡتُمۡ وَاَزۡوَاجُكُمۡ تُحۡبَرُوۡنَ
"Enter Paradise, you and your spouses, in happiness."
(Surah Az-Zukhruf, Verse 70)
Tafsir (Commentary): There are two interpretations of this. One is that it refers to people who were their companions and associates in the world. The second is that it refers to their wives who supported them in righteous deeds. Both can be meant simultaneously, but interpreting it as wives is more likely, because they are mentioned repeatedly in the Quran, and the pleasure and joy of entering with them is not the same as with other companions. (See also Surah Ya-Sin (55, 56), Ad-Dukhan (54), Al-Waqi’ah (22, 23), Ar-Rahman (70-72), As-Saffat (48), and Surah Sad (52)).
In Paradise, a righteous woman will have a higher status than the Houris. A man will be given Houris, but the righteous wife of a righteous man will be their leader.
It is narrated from Hazrat Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, tell me, is a woman of this world superior or a Hoori of Paradise?'” He (peace be upon him) replied, “A woman of this world has the same superiority over a Hoori of Paradise as the outer garment has over the inner lining.” (Tabarani, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, Part 10, pp. 417-418)
This is a very small fraction of the rewards that will be bestowed upon women in Paradise. The women of Paradise will be unparalleled in beauty, charm, and character. A woman naturally has more modesty than a man, and her loyalty and love are purely for one. She loves beauty, charm, and adornment. In accordance with all these things, they will enjoy bliss in Paradise, and righteous women will be superior to the Houris.
As for the issue of a woman who had more than one husband in the world, which husband she will be with in Paradise, there are three scholarly opinions on this matter:
- Such a woman will be with the husband who treated her best.
- Such a woman will be given the choice to choose a husband there.
- She will be the wife of her last husband.
The closest and most correct opinion on this matter is the last one: that a woman in Paradise will be the wife of her last husband from the world. There is also a marfu’ (ascribed to the Prophet) hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) on this.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Any woman whose husband dies, and she marries after him, then she will be for her last husband [in the Hereafter].”
This hadith was declared Sahih (authentic) by al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) in Sahih al-Jami’ (2704) and Silsilah as-Sahiha (1281).
This is the brief answer. The detailed discussion and evidence for the three aforementioned opinions are as follows:
Evidence for the first opinion:
Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “Abu Bakr bin Najad mentioned that Ja’far bin Muhammad bin Shakir narrated to us, who said that Ubaid bin Ishaq al-Attar narrated to us, who said that Sinan bin Harun narrated to us from Humaid from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that: Umm Habibah, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! If a woman has two husbands in the world, and then she dies and they all gather in Paradise, to which of the two will she belong? The first or the second?’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: ‘(O Umm Habibah!) She will belong to the one who had the best character towards her. Good character takes the goodness of this world and the Hereafter.'” (At-Tadhkirah fi Ahwal al-Mawta wal-Akhirah 2/278), (Tabarani, An-Nihayah li-Ibn Kathir fi al-Fitan wal-Malahim, Part 2, p. 387).
This hadith is severely weak, and the reason for its weakness is two narrators:
- Ubaid bin Ishaq al-Attar: He is a very weak narrator.
- Sinan bin Harun: He is weak.
Therefore, it is not correct to use this hadith as evidence because it is severely weak. Thus, the first opinion (that the woman will be with the husband of the best character) is dismissed.
Evidence for the second opinion:
Meaning: Such a woman will be given the opportunity to choose a husband there.
I have not found any evidence from the proponents of this view. However, in “At-Tadhkirah fi Ahwal al-Mawta wal-Akhirah” (2/278), after mentioning this issue, the author said: “It has also been said that if she had [another] husband, the woman would be given a choice.” End quote.
Al-Ajluni (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “…It is also said that such a woman will be with the husband of better character! And it is also said that the woman will be given the choice to be with either of the two.” “Kashf al-Khafa” (2/392).
However, this is the position that Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him) deemed to be the strongest, as is present in his Fatawa (2/53).
Evidence for the third and correct opinion:
Imam Abu al-Shaykh al-Asbahani (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Jawhari narrated to us, who said that Isma’il bin Zararah narrated to us, who said Abu Malih ar-Raqqi narrated a hadith to us, from Maymun bin Mihran, from Umm Darda (may Allah be pleased with her), that Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that: ‘A woman [on the Day of Resurrection] will be for her last husband.'” “Tabaqat al-Muhaddithin bi Asbahan” (4/36).
The narrators of this hadith are well-known and trustworthy (thiqah), except for Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Jawhari, whose biography I could not find. However, Abu al-Shaykh [the author] himself counted this hadith among his hasan (good) hadiths, and if this is indeed the case, then this chain of narration is the highest regarding this issue. (And Allah knows best).
There is also an athar (narration from a companion) on this, which Ibn Asakir narrated (19/193/1) from ‘Ikrimah that: “Asma bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) was married to Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, and Zubayr was very harsh with her. So she went to her father [Abu Bakr] and complained about this. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘O my daughter, be patient! For if a woman has a righteous husband, and he dies, and she does not marry anyone after him, they will be reunited in Paradise.'”
Sheikh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “All the narrators of this athar are trustworthy, but there is an interruption (inqita’) in it, because ‘Ikrimah did not live in the time of Abu Bakr. However, it is possible that ‘Ikrimah heard this from Asma bint Abi Bakr. And Allah knows best.” “Silsilah as-Sahiha” (3/276).
In summary:
The statement that such a woman will be with the husband who treated her best has no authentic proof.
The statement that she will be given a choice to be with whomever she wishes is baseless and without proof.
The statement that a woman will be with her last husband from the world is the position closest to the truth, because the marfu’ narration from Umm Darda could be of hasan (good) grade. Furthermore, this hadith is supported by the mawquf (stopped at the companion) narrations from Hudhayfah and Asma, both of which are capable of strengthening the marfu’ narration. From these two athars, it is also known that there is credible evidence for this position. In any case, Sheikh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared the marfu’ hadith as Sahih (authentic) in “Silsilah as-Sahiha” (1281).
From this, it is understood that a woman who was married in this world will be with her husband in Paradise as well. However, just as the woman will be young, beautiful, and captivating in Paradise, her husband in Paradise will also be free from all flaws, handsome, and young. And for the one who had multiple husbands in the world, she will be placed with her last husband. As for those who were not married, or whose husbands were disbelievers, or whose husbands did not enter Paradise, they will be married in Paradise to men of their desire and choice. The evidence for this are the verses mentioned above which speak of receiving desired rewards in Paradise.
And Allah the Almighty knows best what is correct.
Reference: https://alfurqan.info/problems/779
