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Houri (Heavenly Virgin): Difference between revisions
Automated script replacing USC-MSA hadith numbering system for Bukhari, Muslim, and Abu Dawud
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|title=Houri (Heavenly Virgin) | |||
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[[Image:72-houris.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An artist impression of the 72 virgins.]] | [[Image:72-houris.jpg|right|thumb|250px|An artist impression of the 72 virgins.]] | ||
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Orthodox Muslim theologians such as [[al-Ghazali]] (1058 - 1111 CE) and al-Ash'ari (874 - 935 CE) have discussed the Houris as being rewards and pleasures found in heaven. Al-Ghazali, in particular, refers to a hadith that describes heaven as a [[Slavery|slave]] market where there will be "no buy and sale, but... If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do at once."<ref>"''Ali reported that the Apostle of Allah said, "There is in Paradise a market wherein there will be no buying or selling, but will consist of men and women. When a man desires a beauty, he will have intercourse with them.''" - Mishkat al-Masabih (edited by Maulana Fazlul Karim), Vol. 4, p. 172, No. 34</ref><ref name="Religious_Sciences3">{{cite web|url=http://www.nderf.org/islamic_views_death.htm |title=Ihya Uloom Ed-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) Vol. 4 |author=Al Ghazzali|quote=A man asked the Prophet : 0 Prophet of God, will the inmates of Paradise have sexual intercourse ? He said: Anybody among them will be given sexual strength of seven, persons among you. The Prophet said : An inmate of Paradise will have five hundred hurs, four thousand unmarried women and eight thousand widowed women. Each of them will keep embracing him for the duration of his whole worldly life time. He also said: There will be markets in Paradise in which there will be no buy and sale, but there will be men and women. If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do at once. The Hurs will sing in Paradise on divine purity and praise-we are most beautiful Hurs and we are for the honoured husbands.|series=Death and Subsequent Events 430 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.nderf.org/islamic_views_death.htm&date=2012-12-03 |archivedate=2012-12-03 |deadurl=no}}</ref> The same hadith is quoted by Ibn Kathir, in his [[Tafsir|Qur'anic Commentary]], the Tafsir ibn Kathir<ref>[http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir_ibn_kathir/55.51771.html These two gardens are lower, in virtue and in status than the two before them, as supported in the Qur'an]</ref>. The houris are also described graphically by Qur'anic commentator and polymath, Al-Suyuti (died 1505), who, echoing a [[Sahih]] [[hadith]]<ref name="SP 4828">Shaykh Gibril Haddad - [http://www.webcitation.org/64zXNO08I How Many Wives Will The Believers Have In Paradise?] - SunniPath, Question ID:4828, July 3, 2005</ref> from Ibn Majah,<ref name="Ibn Majah 39">"''Abu Umama narrated: "The Messenger of God said, 'Everyone that God admits into paradise will be married to 72 wives; two of them are houris and seventy of his inheritance of the [female] dwellers of hell. All of them will have libidinous sex organs and he will have an ever-erect penis.' ''" - Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd (Book of Abstinence) 39</ref> wrote that the perpetual virgins will all "have appetizing vaginas", and that the "penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal."<ref name="Al-Suyuti">"''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 [i.e. Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetizing vaginas.''" - Al-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an, p. 351</ref> | Orthodox Muslim theologians such as [[al-Ghazali]] (1058 - 1111 CE) and al-Ash'ari (874 - 935 CE) have discussed the Houris as being rewards and pleasures found in heaven. Al-Ghazali, in particular, refers to a hadith that describes heaven as a [[Slavery|slave]] market where there will be "no buy and sale, but... If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do at once."<ref>"''Ali reported that the Apostle of Allah said, "There is in Paradise a market wherein there will be no buying or selling, but will consist of men and women. When a man desires a beauty, he will have intercourse with them.''" - Mishkat al-Masabih (edited by Maulana Fazlul Karim), Vol. 4, p. 172, No. 34</ref><ref name="Religious_Sciences3">{{cite web|url=http://www.nderf.org/islamic_views_death.htm |title=Ihya Uloom Ed-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) Vol. 4 |author=Al Ghazzali|quote=A man asked the Prophet : 0 Prophet of God, will the inmates of Paradise have sexual intercourse ? He said: Anybody among them will be given sexual strength of seven, persons among you. The Prophet said : An inmate of Paradise will have five hundred hurs, four thousand unmarried women and eight thousand widowed women. Each of them will keep embracing him for the duration of his whole worldly life time. He also said: There will be markets in Paradise in which there will be no buy and sale, but there will be men and women. If any man will wish to have sexual intercourse with a woman, he will do at once. The Hurs will sing in Paradise on divine purity and praise-we are most beautiful Hurs and we are for the honoured husbands.|series=Death and Subsequent Events 430 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.nderf.org/islamic_views_death.htm&date=2012-12-03 |archivedate=2012-12-03 |deadurl=no}}</ref> The same hadith is quoted by Ibn Kathir, in his [[Tafsir|Qur'anic Commentary]], the Tafsir ibn Kathir<ref>[http://www.islam-universe.com/tafsir_ibn_kathir/55.51771.html These two gardens are lower, in virtue and in status than the two before them, as supported in the Qur'an]</ref>. The houris are also described graphically by Qur'anic commentator and polymath, Al-Suyuti (died 1505), who, echoing a [[Sahih]] [[hadith]]<ref name="SP 4828">Shaykh Gibril Haddad - [http://www.webcitation.org/64zXNO08I How Many Wives Will The Believers Have In Paradise?] - SunniPath, Question ID:4828, July 3, 2005</ref> from Ibn Majah,<ref name="Ibn Majah 39">"''Abu Umama narrated: "The Messenger of God said, 'Everyone that God admits into paradise will be married to 72 wives; two of them are houris and seventy of his inheritance of the [female] dwellers of hell. All of them will have libidinous sex organs and he will have an ever-erect penis.' ''" - Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd (Book of Abstinence) 39</ref> wrote that the perpetual virgins will all "have appetizing vaginas", and that the "penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal."<ref name="Al-Suyuti">"''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 [i.e. Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetizing vaginas.''" - Al-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an, p. 351</ref> | ||
The sensual nature of the houri awarded to believers are also confirmed by the two Sahih collections of hadith, namely [[Sahih Bukhari]]<ref name="Bukhari455544">"''Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon... Their wives will be houris ...''" - {{Bukhari| | The sensual nature of the houri awarded to believers are also confirmed by the two Sahih collections of hadith, namely [[Sahih Bukhari]]<ref name="Bukhari455544">"''Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon... Their wives will be houris ...''" - {{Bukhari|||3327|darussalam}}</ref> and Sahih Muslim,<ref>Citation and new article needed</ref> which state that the houris will be virgins so beautiful and pure that there flesh will, in effect, be transparent: "the marrow of the bones of their legs will be seen through the bones and the flesh"<ref name="Bukhari454476">"''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.''" - {{Bukhari|||3254|darussalam}}</ref>. "The believers", another hadith in Bukhari continues, "will visit and enjoy them [the houris]".<ref>"''Allah’s Apostle (The blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner of which there are wives who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers will visit and enjoy them.''" - {{Bukhari|||4879|darussalam}}</ref> | ||
==Authenticity== | ==Authenticity== | ||
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Although suicide is clearly forbidden in Islam<ref>''"Do not kill yourselves. Verily, Allah is merciful to you. And, whoever does that, out of animosity and , We shall burn him in a Fire. And that is easy for Allah."'' Qur'an, 4:29-30</ref>, the matter of deliberate/pre-meditated [[Martyr|martyrdom]] in battle (e.g. suicide bombing) has, as is typical with [[Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)|legal rulings]], left Islamic scholars divided. | Although suicide is clearly forbidden in Islam<ref>''"Do not kill yourselves. Verily, Allah is merciful to you. And, whoever does that, out of animosity and , We shall burn him in a Fire. And that is easy for Allah."'' Qur'an, 4:29-30</ref>, the matter of deliberate/pre-meditated [[Martyr|martyrdom]] in battle (e.g. suicide bombing) has, as is typical with [[Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)|legal rulings]], left Islamic scholars divided. | ||
In 2018, a book detailing a fatwa against suicide bombings was issued on behalf of 1,800 Pakistani clerics.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-religion-idUSKBN1F50L3 Pakistan clerics issue fatwa against suicide bombings] Reuters 16 January 2018</ref> In 2010 a Pakistani-Canadian cleric, Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, issued a 600 page [[w:Fatwa on Terrorism|Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings]] in Urdu and English to refute the ideology of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and was endorsed by the prestigious al-Azhar University in Cairo | In 2018, a book detailing a fatwa against suicide bombings was issued on behalf of 1,800 Pakistani clerics.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-religion-idUSKBN1F50L3 Pakistan clerics issue fatwa against suicide bombings] Reuters 16 January 2018</ref> In 2010 a Pakistani-Canadian cleric, Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri, issued a 600 page [[w:Fatwa on Terrorism|Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings]] in Urdu and English to refute the ideology of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and was endorsed by the prestigious al-Azhar University in Cairo. | ||
Notable scholars such as Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the world's most quoted independent Islamic jurist,<ref name="Faisal">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/28/comment.israelandthepalestinians |title=Bombing for God (Special report: Israel and the Middle East) |publisher=The Guardian |author=Faisal Bodi |date=August 28, 2001 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/28/comment.israelandthepalestinians&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and Dr. [[Zakir Naik]], known for his advocacy of "[[Islam and Science|Qur'anic science]]", have justified the use of suicide bombing in Islam.<ref>Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi - [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545134 Palestinian Women Carrying Out Martyr Operations] - Islam Online, November 6, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZxNqxpb8s Is Suicide Bombing allowed in Islam? By Dr. Zakir Naik] (a YouTube video posted by PeaceTVUK on September 20, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/9627-pakistan-ulema-permits-suicide-attacks |title=Pakistan Ulema Permits Suicide Attacks |publisher=TOLOnews |author=Abdul Haq Omari |date=March 2, 2013 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/9627-pakistan-ulema-permits-suicide-attacks&date=2013-03-05 |archivedate=2013-03-05 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Opinion polls following 9/11 found that an extremely large number of persons in Muslim-majority countries supported the practice.<ref name="Faisal" /><ref name="JP">Michael Freund - [http://web.archive.org/web/20070210015156/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467849587&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Right On: The straightforward arithmetic of jihad] - The Jerusalem Post, January 31, 2007</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040412010339/http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2004/march/79639.htm |title=65% Pakistanis support Osama, says report |publisher=Mid Day |author=Khalid A-H Ansari |date=March 27, 2004 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040412010339/http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2004/march/79639.htm&date=2012-02-11 |archivedate=2012-02-11 |deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/one_in_eight_uk_muslims_support_terrorist_attacks_1_517610 |title=One in eight UK Muslims 'support terrorist attacks' |publisher=Scotsman.com |author= |date=March 15, 2004 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/one_in_eight_uk_muslims_support_terrorist_attacks_1_517610&date=2012-02-04 |archivedate=2012-02-04 |deadurl=no}}</ref> However, a decade or more since then, surveys have found a trend of increasing majorities who disapprove of al Qaeda and suicide attacks against civilians in most Muslim countries.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2013/09/10/muslim-publics-share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/ Widespread concerns about extremism in Muslim nations, and little support for it] Pew Research Centrue, 2015</ref><ref> | Notable scholars such as Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the world's most quoted independent Islamic jurist,<ref name="Faisal">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/28/comment.israelandthepalestinians |title=Bombing for God (Special report: Israel and the Middle East) |publisher=The Guardian |author=Faisal Bodi |date=August 28, 2001 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/aug/28/comment.israelandthepalestinians&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and Dr. [[Zakir Naik]], known for his advocacy of "[[Islam and Science|Qur'anic science]]", have justified the use of suicide bombing in Islam.<ref>Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi - [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545134 Palestinian Women Carrying Out Martyr Operations] - Islam Online, November 6, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZxNqxpb8s Is Suicide Bombing allowed in Islam? By Dr. Zakir Naik] (a YouTube video posted by PeaceTVUK on September 20, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/9627-pakistan-ulema-permits-suicide-attacks |title=Pakistan Ulema Permits Suicide Attacks |publisher=TOLOnews |author=Abdul Haq Omari |date=March 2, 2013 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/9627-pakistan-ulema-permits-suicide-attacks&date=2013-03-05 |archivedate=2013-03-05 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Opinion polls following 9/11 found that an extremely large number of persons in Muslim-majority countries supported the practice.<ref name="Faisal" /><ref name="JP">Michael Freund - [http://web.archive.org/web/20070210015156/http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467849587&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Right On: The straightforward arithmetic of jihad] - The Jerusalem Post, January 31, 2007</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040412010339/http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2004/march/79639.htm |title=65% Pakistanis support Osama, says report |publisher=Mid Day |author=Khalid A-H Ansari |date=March 27, 2004 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://web.archive.org/web/20040412010339/http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2004/march/79639.htm&date=2012-02-11 |archivedate=2012-02-11 |deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/one_in_eight_uk_muslims_support_terrorist_attacks_1_517610 |title=One in eight UK Muslims 'support terrorist attacks' |publisher=Scotsman.com |author= |date=March 15, 2004 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/one_in_eight_uk_muslims_support_terrorist_attacks_1_517610&date=2012-02-04 |archivedate=2012-02-04 |deadurl=no}}</ref> However, a decade or more since then, surveys have found a trend of increasing majorities who disapprove of al Qaeda and suicide attacks against civilians in most Muslim countries.<ref>[https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2013/09/10/muslim-publics-share-concerns-about-extremist-groups/ Widespread concerns about extremism in Muslim nations, and little support for it] Pew Research Centrue, 2015</ref><ref> | ||
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[[Category:Supernatural beings]] | [[Category:Supernatural beings]] | ||
[[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | [[Category:Criticism of Islam]] | ||
[[ar:الحوري]] | |||