Houri

In Islam, the word Houri (Arabic: حورية,‎ also ḥūr or ḥūrīyah) refers to celestial angels, heavenly beings or virgins who await the saved in heaven after death (or, alternatively, the term designates delicious white grapes found in the Qur'anic account of paradise).

Islam teaches that heavenly delights await believers in paradise. Usually translated as "virgins," the Houri appear frequently in Muslim writings. Their various accounts and descriptions have been the source of much speculation and debate concerning the role of sexual intercourse in heaven. The topic of the Houri raises interesting soteriological issues regarding the nature of the body and flesh in the afterlife, views of gender relationships, and the literal or figurative nature of sexuality in heaven.

Etymology

In classical Arabic, Hur'in is made of two words Hur and In. The former word literally means 'most beautiful eye' irrespective of the person's gender, while the latter word means "companion." Thus, the most appropriate English rendering of the compound word Hur'In is "Companions pure, most beautiful of eye." and it is applicable to both male and female. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi observes that inasmuch as a person’s eye reflects his soul more clearly than any other part of the human body in Qur'an 52: 20.

However, the modern philologist Christoph Luxenberg has argued that the word houri does not mean wide-eyed virgins but actually means white grapes. He suggests that the word is actually a misread from its actual meaning of "white grapes," a word often found in many Christian descriptions of Paradise as abounding in pure white grapes. This sparked much joking in the Western press; Muslim suicide bombers would be expecting beautiful women and getting grapes. 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." However, the frequency with which descriptions of Houri appear seem to suggest that the word does not refer to grapes but suggests sexual partners (albeit literal or metaphorical sense can be debated).

Nevertheless, the word "houri" has entered into several European languages with a meaning of a "voluptuous, beautiful, alluring woman"

Description

The houri have variously been described as being "chaste females", "restraining their glances", "modest gaze", "wide and beautiful/lovely eyes", "untouched / with hymen unbroken by sexual intercourse", "like pearls", "virgins", "voluptuous/full-breasted", "with large, round breasts which are not inclined to hang", "companions of equal age", "non-menstruating/urinating/defecating and childfree", "60 cubits [27.5 meters] tall", "7 cubits [3.2 meters] in width", "transparent to the marrow of their bones", "eternally young", "hairless" with "appetising vaginas", "pure", "beautiful", "white", "revirginating", "splendid" and much more besides.

Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir, writes that verse Quran 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.'"

Muhammad Asad has added:

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.

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"

Muslim writings about the Houri

The Qur’an contains several references to the Houri (Qur'an 44:54, 52:20 ,55:72, 56:22). Some of these descriptions are included below:

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

"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)

"Thus shall it be. And We shall pair(zawajnahoom: pair them, marry them). ... or “joined,” i.e., one person with another)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 [qasirat at-tarf: Lit., “such as restrain their gaze,” i.e., are of modest bearing and have eyes only for their mates (Tafsir Razi). This phrase applies to both genders.], 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 ranged in rows!” And We shall mate them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye [Chapter (Surah) At-Tur (The Mount)(52):20]

Here are 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]

The Islamic Hadith(traditions of the Prophet) also mention the houries (although not all hadits are equally trustworthy). Some hadiths on the matter are as follows:

Muhammad al-Bukhari (810 - 870 C.E.) was a famous Sunni Islamic scholar known for authoring the most authentic hadith collection named Sahih Bukhari:

• "Everyone will have two wives ([in a version of this hadith: 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.][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"); 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;) ( (i.e. Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)] 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)[5])

• "They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit, or have any nasal secretions. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centers. Their wives will be houris. All of them will look alike and will resemble their father Adam (in statute), sixty cubits tall."'

Imam Muslim (821 - 875) was a famous Sunni Islamic scholar most known for authoring the authentic hadith collection named Sahih 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 (or Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)](houris: inferred from Sahih Muslim, hadith 6795 through another chain of narration) 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)[6]

Ibn Kathir mentions Muhammed saying that men in heaven would have sex with one hundred virgins in one day. In another version of the hadith, Muhammad is reported to have said, "In Paradise, the believer will be given such and such strength for women." Anas said, "I asked, `O Allah's Messenger! Will one be able to do that' He said, "He will be given the strength of a hundred (men)". Some companions of Muhammad are reported to have said that men in heaven will be "busy in deflowering virgins". Ibn Kathir says that the houri "are delightful virgins of comparable age who never had sexual intercourse with anyone, whether from mankind or Jinns, before their husbands." by commenting,"in the other life, after they became old in this life, they were brought back while virgin, youthful, being delightfully passionate with their husbands, beautiful, kind and cheerful."

Al-Tirmidhi (824 - 892) was a medieval collector of hadiths, some deemed controversial and unreliable.

• Al-Hasan Al-Basri says that an old woman came to the messenger of Allah and made a request, O’ Messenger of Allah make Dua that Allah grants me entrance into Jannah. The messenger of Allah replied, O’ Mother, an old woman cannot enter Jannah. That woman started crying and began to leave. The messenger of Allah said, Say to the woman that one will not enter in a state of old age, but Allah will make all the women of Jannah young virgins. Allah Ta’aala says, Lo! We have created them a (new) creation and made them virgins, lovers, equal in age. (Surah Waaqi’ah, 35-37).

• "[Muhammad] was heard say: "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 [Damascus] to San'a".(This hadith has a weak chain of narrators)

• "A houri is a most beautiful young woman with a transparent body. The marrow of her bones is visible like the interior lines of pearls and rubies. She looks like red wine in a white glass. She is of white color, and free from the routine physical disabilities of an ordinary woman such as menstruation, menopause, urinal and offal discharge, child bearing and the related pollution. A houri is a girl of tender age, having large breasts which are round (pointed), and not inclined to dangle. Houris dwell in palaces of splendid surroundings."

Ibn Maja (824 - 887) was a medieval hadith collector, not all authentic. His collection is named the Sunan Ibn Maja.

• "Houris do not want wives to annoy their husbands, since the houris will also be the wives of the husbands in the afterlife. "Mu’adh bin Jobal (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘A woman does not annoy her husband but his spouse from amongst the maidens with wide eyes intensely white and deeply black will say: Do not annoy him, may Allah ruin you.” He is with you as a passing guest. Very soon, he will part with you and come to us."

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 (Qur'anic Commentary) of Surah Rahman (55), ayah (verse) 56:

"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]."

In relation to the mention of virgins in Quran, several translators like Hilali-Khan, Arberry, Palmer, Rodwell and Sale have translated Quran 78:33 to refer to "swelling breasts"

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."

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). And when it is finished she will return pure and virgin again.'"

Ibn Kathir relates concerning the following verses:

Verily, the dwellers of the Paradise, that Day, will be busy with joyful things. They and their wives will be in pleasant shade, reclining on thrones. They will have therein fruits and all that they ask for.[Chapter (Surah) Ya Seen (O Thou Human Being)(36):55-57]

Although Ibn Kathir relates the opinion of some companions of Muhammad being reported to have said concerning "will be busy with joyful things" that means in heaven people will be "busy in deflowering virgins", he continues to relate other alternate meanings. Another companion, Ibn Abass has said that it refers "listening to stringed instruments". Others such as Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Isma`il bin Abi Khalid have said, "they will be too busy to think about the torment which the people of Hell are suffering." Qatadah implied "with the delights which they are enjoying." Ibn Abas said, "this means that they will be rejoicing.". While Mujahid said, "Their spouses,(will be in pleasant shade) means, in the shade of trees."Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Muhammad bin Ka`b, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, As-Suddi and Khusayf said, "beds beneath canopies."

Interpertations

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 Quran 55:72, it is stated that:

"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.

Muslim commentarors have written:

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari mentions that all righteous women, however old and decayed they may have been on earth, will be resurrected as virginal maidens and will, like their male counterparts, remain eternally young in paradise.

Ibn Kathir says that the houri "are delightful virgins of comparable age who never had sexual intercourse with anyone, whether from mankind or Jinns, before their husbands." by commenting,"in the other life, after they became old in this life, they were brought back while virgin, youthful, being delightfully passionate with their husbands, beautiful, kind and cheerful."

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.

Another interpretation of the relevant passages of the Qur'an 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.

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."

Misconceptions

The English word "whore" (Danish "hore," Swedish: "hora," Dutch: "hoer," Gothic: "hors," Proto-Germanic: "khoron," Indo-European: "*gar") comes from an original meaning of "lover" and is not etymological related to the Arab non-indo-European word "houri"

polemical

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. However, contrary to the view often expressed in the western press, Houri are made available to all Muslims, not just martyrs.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Asad, Muhammad. The Message of the Qur'an,Publisher: The Book Foundation; Bilingual edition (December 2003), Language: English, ISBN 1904510000
• Fischer, Wolfdietrich. A Grammar of Classical Arabic, Third Revised Edition, Translated from German by Jonathan Rodgers, Yale University Press, New Haven & London, 2002.
• Kathir, Ibn. Tafsir ibn Kathir (Qur'anic Commentary),"The Delight of Those Who have Taqwa (God-Consciousness) in Paradise," [Chapter (Surah) Ar-Rahman (The Most Gracious)(55):56], Dar-us-Salam Publications,2000, ISBN 1591440203,
• Luxenberg, Christoph. Die syro-aramaeische Lesart des Koran; Ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Qur’ānsprache. Berlin, Germany: Das Arabische Buch, First Edition, 2000. ISBN 3-86093-274-8.
• Yusuf, Salahuddin. Riyadhus Salihin, Commentary on Nawawi, Chapter 372, (Dar-us-Salam Publications, 1999). ISBN 159144053X

External links

All links retrieved October 23, 2007.

• "Quranic Description of The Paradise" by Dr. Israr Ahmad Khan, Dept. of Quran & Sunnah Studies, IRKHS, International Islamic University of Malaysia
• 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.
• Afterlife and the Quran
• The Marriage of a Muslim Woman in this World and Hereafter - Answering-Christianity.com
• Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Houri in Paradise? - Answering-Islam.org
• British martyrs 'promised 72 virgins' - BBC
• '72 Black Eyed Virgins': A Muslim Debate on the Rewards of Martyrs - Memri.org
• Ibn Warraq, “Virgins? What Virgins?” The Guardian, January 12, 2002
• Alexander Stille. "Scholars Are Quietly Offering New Theories of the Koran", New York Times, 2002-03-02, pp. A1.

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