Women's lives in Paradise

2-6-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

In the Qur'an it says much about person who live according to Islamic Shariah will go to Paradise, and Allah promises men will have the most beautiful women there. What about women? Is there any promise from Allah to women? Can women choose to live with her husband without any other women? This is because I heard that men can have more than 20 wives in Paradise and they are going to be as his servant!

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

 

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said about the people of Paradise: "Every person has two wives of Hur al-Ayn (the women of Paradise), the marrow of their legs can be seen through their flesh and bones." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim, and this is the wording of Bukhari]

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said about the Shahid (martyr) in the way of Allah, the Most-High: "He will have 72 wives of Hur Al-Ayn (women of Paradise)." [Reported by Tirmizi and Ibn Majah, and Sheikh Al-al bani classified it as a Sahih Hadith]

The woman in Paradise will have only one husband.  She will not see in Paradise something more beautiful than her husband, and she will not desire to have another husband.

In Tafseer Ibn Katheer: 'Maidens chaste and restraining their glances 'meaning fresh and tender, absolutely and exclusively reserved for their husbands, and they will not see anything more handsome than their husbands.'

It is also reported that one of the Hur-Al-Ayn will say to her husband: "I swear by Allah that I do not see anything in Paradise more beautiful than yourself, and there is nothing more beloved to me in Paradise than yourself.  Praise be to Allah, Who created me for you and created you for me."

It is further reported that Huthaifah (Radiya Allahu Anhu) said that a woman in Paradise will be for her last husband in this life.

In Sunan Al-Bayhaqi, it is reported that Huthaifah said to his wife, 'If you wish to be my wife in Paradise, do not marry after me (after my death) as the woman in Paradise will be for her last husband in the worldly life.'

That's why Allah has forbidden the wives of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) to remarry after his death because they will be his wives in Paradise.

Al-Tabarani reported in his Mu'jam (book of Ahadith) that Um Salamah narrated that: 'If a woman marries several men in this life, and if all of them enter Paradise, then she will choose the best of them in conduct and moral qualities.'  However, this Hadith is objectionable, as classified in Dhaeef Al-Targheeb and Tarheeb.

The servants of the people of Paradise will be young people, and not women, as Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {And round about them will (serve) boys of everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them scattered pearls. }[76:19].

Ibn Katheer interpreting the above verse: 'It means that youth will be serving the people of Paradise, and they are the youth of Paradise; and 'eternal': means that they will remain on one state, they do not change or grow up, their ages will remain the same.'

A Muslim has to do good in this life and seek Taqwa so that Allah will be pleased with him, and grant him what he has preferred for the pious people.  He (a Muslim) should also not be fully preoccupied by the pleasures of this life.

Allah knows best.