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==Sensual Paradise== | ==Sensual Paradise== | ||
In Islam, the concept of 72 virgins (houri) refers to an aspect of Jannah ([[Heaven|Paradise]]). This concept is grounded in Qur'anic text which describe a sensual Paradise where believing men are rewarded by being wed<ref name="Sura 44 54"></ref> to virgins with "full grown", "swelling" or "pears-shaped" breasts.<ref>Several translators like Hilali-Khan ([http://al-quran.info/default.aspx#&&sura=1&trans=en-hilali-khan&show=both,quran-uthmani&format=rows&ver=1.00 Noble Quran, translated by Hilali-Khan]), Arthur John Arberry, Abdul Daryabadi, Umm Muhammad, Edward Henry Palmer, Ahmed Ali, John Medows Rodwell, Ali Ünal, George Sale, Muhammad Sarwar, and Tahir-ul-Qadri ([http://www.quranbrowser.com/ Quran browser], {{Qtt|78|33}}) have translated {{quran|78|33}} as referring to "full grown", "swelling" or "pears-shaped" breasts.</ref><ref name="Kathir7833">"''This [Qur'an 78:33] 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.''" - {{cite book |url=http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=78&tid=56825 |author=Ibn Kathir |title=Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10 Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an |pages=333-334}}</ref> | In Islam, the concept of 72 virgins (houri) refers to an aspect of Jannah ([[Heaven|Paradise]]). This concept is grounded in Qur'anic text which describe a sensual Paradise where believing men are rewarded by being wed<ref name="Sura 44 54"></ref> to virgins with "full grown", "swelling" or "pears-shaped" breasts.<ref>Several translators like Hilali-Khan ([http://al-quran.info/default.aspx#&&sura=1&trans=en-hilali-khan&show=both,quran-uthmani&format=rows&ver=1.00 Noble Quran, translated by Hilali-Khan]), Arthur John Arberry, Abdul Daryabadi, Umm Muhammad, Edward Henry Palmer, Ahmed Ali, John Medows Rodwell, Ali Ünal, George Sale, Muhammad Sarwar, and Tahir-ul-Qadri ([http://www.quranbrowser.com/ Quran browser], {{Qtt|78|33}}) have translated {{quran|78|33}} as referring to "full grown", "swelling" or "pears-shaped" breasts.</ref><ref name="Kathir7833">"''This [Qur'an 78:33] 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.''" - {{cite book |url=http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=78&tid=56825 |author=Ibn Kathir |title=Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10 Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an |pages=333-334}}</ref> Conversly, [[Islam and Women|women]] will be provided with only one man, and they "will be satisfied with him".<ref name="Jibreen">{{cite web|quote=This number is only for men. A woman will have only one husband in Paradise, and she will be satisfied with him and will not need any more than that. The Muslim woman – who is not influenced by the claims of those who propagate permissiveness and knows that she is not like men in her make-up and nature, because Allaah has made her like that – does not object to the rulings of Allaah or feel angry. Rather she accepts what Allaah has decreed for her. Her sound nature tells her that she cannot live with more than one man at a time. So long as she has entered Paradise, she will have all that she desires, so she should not dispute now about the delights and rewards that her Lord has chosen for her, for your Lord does not treat anyone unjustly.|url= http://islamqa.info/en/11419|title= The female martyr and the male martyr’s reward of seventy-two hoor al-‘iyn|publisher= Islam Q&A|author= Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen|date= |series= Fatwa No. 11419|archiveurl= http://archive.is/IN1WL|deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
Contemporary mainstream Islamic scholars, for example; [[Gibril Haddad]], have commented on the erotic nature of the Qur'anic Paradise, by saying some men may need ghusl ([[ablution]] required after sexual discharge) just for hearing certain verses.<ref name="LI June 2003">{{cite web|url=http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/f/Sex_w.slaves.a.women.html |title=Sex with slaves and women's rights |publisher=Living Islam |author=Shaykh Gibril Haddad |date=June 2, 2003 |quote=Qur'an does mention that for the inhabitants of Paradise - male and female - {There wait on them immortal youths} (56:17), {There serve them youths of everlasting youth, whom, when you see them, you would take for scattered pearls} (76:19). If this does not make a believing woman happy then, as Imam al-Shafi`i said to the one who is not moved by erotic poetry, "You have no feelings." As for the believing men, as one of the Awliya said, some of them will need ghusl just for hearing the verse {Same-age young-bosomed girls} (78:33). As for us hard-hearted analphabets we may read it and read it without effect. |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/f/Sex_w.slaves.a.women.html&date=2011-05-22 |archivedate=2011-05-22 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | Contemporary mainstream Islamic scholars, for example; [[Gibril Haddad]], have commented on the erotic nature of the Qur'anic Paradise, by saying some men may need ghusl ([[ablution]] required after sexual discharge) just for hearing certain verses.<ref name="LI June 2003">{{cite web|url=http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/f/Sex_w.slaves.a.women.html |title=Sex with slaves and women's rights |publisher=Living Islam |author=Shaykh Gibril Haddad |date=June 2, 2003 |quote=Qur'an does mention that for the inhabitants of Paradise - male and female - {There wait on them immortal youths} (56:17), {There serve them youths of everlasting youth, whom, when you see them, you would take for scattered pearls} (76:19). If this does not make a believing woman happy then, as Imam al-Shafi`i said to the one who is not moved by erotic poetry, "You have no feelings." As for the believing men, as one of the Awliya said, some of them will need ghusl just for hearing the verse {Same-age young-bosomed girls} (78:33). As for us hard-hearted analphabets we may read it and read it without effect. |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/f/Sex_w.slaves.a.women.html&date=2011-05-22 |archivedate=2011-05-22 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
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:* Splendid <ref name="Muhammad Asad -Kawa'ib"> Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur'an, Publisher: The Book Foundation; Bilingual edition (December 2003) Language: English, ISBN 1904510000,Chapter (Surah) An-Naba (The Tiding)(78):33, note 16</ref> | :* Splendid <ref name="Muhammad Asad -Kawa'ib"> Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur'an, Publisher: The Book Foundation; Bilingual edition (December 2003) Language: English, ISBN 1904510000,Chapter (Surah) An-Naba (The Tiding)(78):33, note 16</ref> | ||
:* Pure <ref name="Bukhari454476"></ref> | :* Pure <ref name="Bukhari454476"></ref> | ||
:* Non-menstruating / non-urinating/ non-defecating and childfree <ref name=Sunan_al-Tirmidhi_v2/><ref name=" Religious_Sciences2">{{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=The Prophet said: If a woman of Paradise would have peeped up into this world everything therein would have been illuminated and filled up with fragrance. Every hair of her head is better than than the earth and its treasures. God says : They are like Eakut and Marjan. If their faces are seen within screen, they will be more clear than mirrors and the smallest jewel therein will illuminate what is in the heaven and earth. The Prophet said : In the night in which I was taken to heaven, I entered a place in Paradise named Baidakh whose camps are of emeralds and green pearls and red Eakut. They asked : 0 Prophet of God, Salam to you. I asked : 0 Gebrail, whose sound is there ? He said : of the beautiful women in camps. They seek your permission to salute you. So give them permission. They will be saying : We are pleased therewith. We will never be dissatisfied. We will remain here forever, we will never travel. Then he recited the verse : The beautiful damsels detained in camps. In another verse : Pure women. Muzaher explained this by saying that they will be free menstruation, urine, stool, cough and children. |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}} | :* Non-menstruating / non-urinating/ non-defecating and childfree <ref name=Sunan_al-Tirmidhi_v2/><ref name=" Religious_Sciences2">{{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=The Prophet said: If a woman of Paradise would have peeped up into this world everything therein would have been illuminated and filled up with fragrance. Every hair of her head is better than than the earth and its treasures. God says : They are like Eakut and Marjan. If their faces are seen within screen, they will be more clear than mirrors and the smallest jewel therein will illuminate what is in the heaven and earth. The Prophet said : In the night in which I was taken to heaven, I entered a place in Paradise named Baidakh whose camps are of emeralds and green pearls and red Eakut. They asked : 0 Prophet of God, Salam to you. I asked : 0 Gebrail, whose sound is there ? He said : of the beautiful women in camps. They seek your permission to salute you. So give them permission. They will be saying : We are pleased therewith. We will never be dissatisfied. We will remain here forever, we will never travel. Then he recited the verse : The beautiful damsels detained in camps. In another verse : Pure women. Muzaher explained this by saying that they will be free menstruation, urine, stool, cough and children. |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> | ||
:* Never dissatisfied <ref name=" Religious_Sciences2"></ref> | :* Never dissatisfied <ref name=" Religious_Sciences2"></ref> | ||
:* Will sing praise <ref name=" Religious_Sciences3"></ref><BR><BR> | :* Will sing praise <ref name=" Religious_Sciences3"></ref><BR><BR> | ||
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==Authenticity== | ==Authenticity== | ||
Whilst there are numerous sources, including the Qur'an, which tell us believing males will be rewarded with virgins, many who are concerned about the [[Authenticity of 72 Virgins Hadith|authenticity of the 72 virgins concept]] are under the misconception that there is only one weak ([[List of Fabricated Hadith|da`if]]) reference to the exact number of houri given to them. These narrations are in fact found in many hadith collections with varying levels of authenticity, ranging from hasan (good) to | Whilst there are numerous sources, including the Qur'an, which tell us believing males will be rewarded with virgins, many who are concerned about the [[Authenticity of 72 Virgins Hadith|authenticity of the 72 virgins concept]] are under the misconception that there is only one weak ([[List of Fabricated Hadith|da`if]]) reference to the exact number of houri given to them. These narrations are in fact found in many hadith collections with varying levels of authenticity, ranging from hasan (good) to sahih (authentic). | ||
For example, in the Sunan Ibn Majah, one of the six major Hadith collections,<ref name="VIRH"></ref> it states in a hasan (good)<ref name="SP 4828"></ref> narration that every male admitted into Paradise will be given eternal erections and wed to 72 wives, all with libidinous sex organs.<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> Similarly in another hadith with multiple narrators that has been graded hasan (good), it states that the martyr ([[shahid]]) will be married to seventy-two of al-hoor al-‘iyn.<ref name="alMiqdaam">''It was reported in the hadeeth of al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’di Karb that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:'' ''“The martyr (shaheed) has seven blessings from Allaah: he is forgiven from the moment his blood is first shed; he will be shown his place in Paradise; he will be spared the trial of the grave; and he will be secure on the Day of the Greatest Terror (the Day of Judgement); there will be placed on his head a crown of dignity, one ruby of which is better than this world and all that is in it; he will be married to seventy-two of al-hoor al-‘iyn; and he will be permitted to intercede for seventy of his relatives.”'' ''According to another report, the martyr has six blessings from Allaah. According to other reports (the number is) six, or nine, or ten'' - Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said it is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah in al-Sunan, by Ahmad, by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in al-Musannaf, by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and by Sa’eed ibn Mansoor in al-Sunan</ref><ref name="QA 8511">{{cite web|url=http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/islamqa/8511 |title=The six blessings of the martyrs |publisher=Islam Q&A|series= Fatwa No. 8511 |author=Shaykh Waleed al-Firyaan |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/islamqa/8511&date=2011-11-21 |archivedate=2011-11-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | For example, in the Sunan Ibn Majah, one of the six major Hadith collections,<ref name="VIRH"></ref> it states in a hasan (good)<ref name="SP 4828"></ref> narration that every male admitted into Paradise will be given eternal erections and wed to 72 wives, all with libidinous sex organs.<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> Similarly in another hadith with multiple narrators that has been graded hasan (good), it states that the martyr ([[shahid]]) will be married to seventy-two of al-hoor al-‘iyn.<ref name="alMiqdaam">''It was reported in the hadeeth of al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’di Karb that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:'' ''“The martyr (shaheed) has seven blessings from Allaah: he is forgiven from the moment his blood is first shed; he will be shown his place in Paradise; he will be spared the trial of the grave; and he will be secure on the Day of the Greatest Terror (the Day of Judgement); there will be placed on his head a crown of dignity, one ruby of which is better than this world and all that is in it; he will be married to seventy-two of al-hoor al-‘iyn; and he will be permitted to intercede for seventy of his relatives.”'' ''According to another report, the martyr has six blessings from Allaah. According to other reports (the number is) six, or nine, or ten'' - Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said it is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah in al-Sunan, by Ahmad, by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in al-Musannaf, by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and by Sa’eed ibn Mansoor in al-Sunan</ref><ref name="QA 8511">{{cite web|url=http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/islamqa/8511 |title=The six blessings of the martyrs |publisher=Islam Q&A|series= Fatwa No. 8511 |author=Shaykh Waleed al-Firyaan |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/islamqa/8511&date=2011-11-21 |archivedate=2011-11-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
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[[Suicide]] is clearly forbidden in Islam, but the [[The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Martyrdom Operations|permissibility of martyrdom operations]] (Istishhad) is an altogether different topic, with scholars being split on the issue. | [[Suicide]] is clearly forbidden in Islam, but the [[The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Martyrdom Operations|permissibility of martyrdom operations]] (Istishhad) is an altogether different topic, with scholars being split on the issue. | ||
Notable scholars and apologists 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> [[Dr.]] [[Zakir Naik]], known for his advocacy of "[[Islam and Science|Qur'anic science]]" | Notable scholars and apologists 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 have further shown that an [[Muslim Statistics - Terrorism|extremely large number]] of Muslims from around the world support the practice.<ref name="Faisal"></ref><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> | ||
The Qur'an states that all Muslim males, not only martyrs, will be rewarded with virgins.<ref name="q56_36">"''Then We have made them virgins''" - {{Quran|56|36}}</ref> However, the Qur'an does also mention that those who [[The Meaning of Qatal|fight]] in the way of Allah ([[jihad]]) and get killed will be given a "great reward",<ref name="Sura4 74">"''Let those (believers) Who sell the life of this world for the hereafter fight in the cause of Allah and whoso fights in the cause of Allah, - and is slain or gets victory, We shall bestow on him a great reward.''" - {{Quran|4|74}}</ref> and there are also hasan (good) hadith<ref name="QA 8511"></ref> which refer to 72 virgins as one of the "seven blessings from Allah" to the martyr.<ref name="alMiqdaam"></ref> This has lead to the 72 virgins concept being widely used as a way to entice other Muslims into carrying out "martyrdom operations" for Islam. | The Qur'an states that all Muslim males, not only martyrs, will be rewarded with virgins.<ref name="q56_36">"''Then We have made them virgins''" - {{Quran|56|36}}</ref> However, the Qur'an does also mention that those who [[The Meaning of Qatal|fight]] in the way of Allah ([[jihad]]) and get killed will be given a "great reward",<ref name="Sura4 74">"''Let those (believers) Who sell the life of this world for the hereafter fight in the cause of Allah and whoso fights in the cause of Allah, - and is slain or gets victory, We shall bestow on him a great reward.''" - {{Quran|4|74}}</ref> and there are also hasan (good) hadith<ref name="QA 8511"></ref> which refer to 72 virgins as one of the "seven blessings from Allah" to the martyr.<ref name="alMiqdaam"></ref> This has lead to the 72 virgins concept being widely used as a way to entice other Muslims into carrying out "martyrdom operations" for Islam. | ||
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This is witnessed in [[Palestinian Authority area|Palestine]], where the actions of a mother who sends her son to die as a martyr is sometimes seen as "marrying him off",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=The model Palestinian mother sends her son to die as Martyr, thereby marrying him off |publisher=Al-Hayat Al-Jadida |author= |date=January 8, 2012 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and where the concept is used in Friday sermons and [[music]] [[videos]], both airing on official television.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=72 wives await the Martyrs for Allah: Six rewards quoted in Hamas TV sermon |publisher=Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas) |author= |date=January 1, 2010 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=Beautiful virgins await Muslim Martyrs in Paradise |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}} - Palestinian TV (Fatah), February 7, 2010 (1 min)</ref> It has even been used in the [[United Kingdom]], where, in one event, Muslim teens were told to train with Kalashnikov rifles with the promise that the would receive 72 virgins in paradise if they died as religious martyrs.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2687797.stm British martyrs 'promised 72 virgins'] - BBC News, January 23, 2003</ref> | This is witnessed in [[Palestinian Authority area|Palestine]], where the actions of a mother who sends her son to die as a martyr is sometimes seen as "marrying him off",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=The model Palestinian mother sends her son to die as Martyr, thereby marrying him off |publisher=Al-Hayat Al-Jadida |author= |date=January 8, 2012 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and where the concept is used in Friday sermons and [[music]] [[videos]], both airing on official television.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=72 wives await the Martyrs for Allah: Six rewards quoted in Hamas TV sermon |publisher=Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas) |author= |date=January 1, 2010 |quote= |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565 |title=Beautiful virgins await Muslim Martyrs in Paradise |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=565&date=2012-02-21 |archivedate=2012-02-21 |deadurl=no}} - Palestinian TV (Fatah), February 7, 2010 (1 min)</ref> It has even been used in the [[United Kingdom]], where, in one event, Muslim teens were told to train with Kalashnikov rifles with the promise that the would receive 72 virgins in paradise if they died as religious martyrs.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2687797.stm British martyrs 'promised 72 virgins'] - BBC News, January 23, 2003</ref> | ||
Contrary to what the Qur'an, hadith, scholars and Muslims themselves say, a | Contrary to what the Qur'an, hadith, scholars and Muslims themselves say, a western author named Margaret Nydell in a book that "promotes understanding between modern-day Arabs and Westerners", states that mainstream Muslims regard the belief of 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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times|author=Margaret Kleffner Nydell|pages=109|year=2006|publisher=Intercultural Press|isbn=1931930252}}</ref> | ||
However, both the Qur'an and Muhammad in the hadith literature discuss the issue of virgins being provided for men in Paradise. So, | The Bible (and more specifically [[Jesus]] in the [[Injil|four Gospels]]) does not discuss the issue of wings and a harp being provided for Christians upon their arrival in Heaven. However, both the Qur'an and Muhammad in the hadith literature do discuss the issue of virgins being provided for Muslim men upon their arrival in Paradise. So the claim made by Margaret Nydell, equating the belief in receiving heavenly virgins to that of believing in receiving heavenly wings and harps, is inaccurate and misleading. | ||
==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
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==Selected Quotations== | ==Selected Quotations== | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|56|35|38}}|Lo! We have created them a (new) creation, And '''made them virgins, Lovers''', friends, For those on the right hand; }} | |||
{{Quote|Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd (Book of Abstinence) 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'''.' "}} | {{Quote|Sunan Ibn Majah, Zuhd (Book of Abstinence) 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'''.' "}} | ||
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{{Quote|1=Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10 Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an, 333-334|2=This '''[Qur'an 78:33] 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.}} | {{Quote|1=Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10 Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an, 333-334|2=This '''[Qur'an 78:33] 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.}} | ||
{{Quote|al-Ghazzali, ''Ihya Uloom Ed-Din'', vol.4 p.4.|“According to Prophet Muhammad (SW), the Hurs of Paradise will be pure women, free of menstruation, urine, stool, cough and children. The Hurs will sing in Paradise on divine purity and praise—we are most beautiful Hurs and we are for the honored husbands. | |||
Muhammad said that an inmate of Paradise will have the sexual strength of 70 men. Muhammad said, “An inmate of Paradise will have 500 Hurs, 4,000 unmarried women and 8,000 widowed women. Each of them will keep embracing him for the duration of his whole worldly life.”}} | |||
==Responses to Apologetics== | ==Responses to Apologetics== | ||
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# '''''"Islam prohibits suicide"'''''<BR>Yes, hadith do exist that prohibit suicide ([[The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Martyrdom Operations|Suicide ''bombing'']] however is a separate issue) but this has nothing to do with the fact that Islam promises women in Paradise as a reward for the "righteous" (i.e. Muslims). | # '''''"Islam prohibits suicide"'''''<BR>Yes, hadith do exist that prohibit suicide ([[The Islamic Ruling on the Permissibility of Martyrdom Operations|Suicide ''bombing'']] however is a separate issue) but this has nothing to do with the fact that Islam promises women in Paradise as a reward for the "righteous" (i.e. Muslims). | ||
# '''''"If the seventy two virgins thing was something big in Islam it would be talked about more frequently."'''''<BR>Women in Islamic heaven as a reward are talked about frequently in the Qur'an as evidenced by the various places in the Qur'an where their characteristics are talked about. Also if the Qur'an talks about a certain issue only once, it cannot be taken lightly in any way as every word and sentence in the Qur'an is important and holy to Muslims. | # '''''"If the seventy two virgins thing was something big in Islam it would be talked about more frequently."'''''<BR>Women in Islamic heaven as a reward are talked about frequently in the Qur'an as evidenced by the various places in the Qur'an where their characteristics are talked about. Also if the Qur'an talks about a certain issue only once, it cannot be taken lightly in any way as every word and sentence in the Qur'an is important and holy to Muslims. | ||
# '''''"The houri are for both men and women"'''''<BR> The Qur'an explicitly talks about female virgins with large eyes as rewards for men. On the contrary there is not a single "women will get guys as a reward" verse. Some gender neutral verses do exist but they talk about general rewards only (such as "companionship" etc). | # '''''"The houri are for both men and women"'''''<BR> The Qur'an explicitly talks about female virgins with large eyes as rewards for men. On the contrary there is not a single "women will get guys as a reward" verse. Some gender neutral verses do exist but they talk about general rewards only (such as "companionship" etc). Also, according to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen, who was a leading cleric and a member of the Senior Clerics Association, "This number is only for men. A woman will have only one husband in Paradise, and she will be satisfied with him and will not need any more than that."<ref name="Jibreen"></ref> | ||
# '''''"The houri are only servants and not for sexual purposes"'''''<BR> If that was true, Qur'an 56:36<ref name="q56_36"/> wouldn't say they are virgins and it wouldn't mention they have big breasts. In addition, while the Qur'an does not explicitly say they're for sexual purposes, [[Qur%27an, Hadith and Scholars:Sexuality#Paradise|other Islamic sources]] mention that. One hadith says "The believer will be given such and such strength in Paradise for sexual intercourse". Other sources state that "the penis of the Elected never softens" and that men in heaven will have the sexual strength of 100 men.<ref name="Masabih XLII">"''The Holy Prophet said: 'The believer will be given such and such strength in Paradise for sexual intercourse. It was questioned: O prophet of Allah! can he do that? He said: "He will be given the strength of one hundred persons.''" - Mishkat al-Masabih Book IV, Chapter XLII, Paradise and Hell, Hadith Number 24</ref><ref name=" Religious_Sciences5"></ref> | # '''''"The houri are only servants and not for sexual purposes"'''''<BR> If that was true, Qur'an 56:36<ref name="q56_36"/> wouldn't say they are virgins and it wouldn't mention they have big breasts. In addition, while the Qur'an does not explicitly say they're for sexual purposes, [[Qur%27an, Hadith and Scholars:Sexuality#Paradise|other Islamic sources]] mention that. One hadith says "The believer will be given such and such strength in Paradise for sexual intercourse". Other sources state that "the penis of the Elected never softens" and that men in heaven will have the sexual strength of 100 men.<ref name="Masabih XLII">"''The Holy Prophet said: 'The believer will be given such and such strength in Paradise for sexual intercourse. It was questioned: O prophet of Allah! can he do that? He said: "He will be given the strength of one hundred persons.''" - Mishkat al-Masabih Book IV, Chapter XLII, Paradise and Hell, Hadith Number 24</ref><ref name=" Religious_Sciences5"></ref> | ||
# '''''" 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." –[[w:Muhammad Asad|Muhammad Asad]]'''''<br>Verse 3:7 says that some verses of the Qur'an are literal and others are allegorical, without specifying any.<ref>{{Quran|3|7}}</ref> Asad has no basis for his claim that the Quran's descriptions of paradise are ''always'' allegorical. If they were, then no Muslim to this day would have received a satisfactory answer to the simple question of what is going to happen to him after death. Instead, the Qur'an frequently gives graphic descriptions of paradise and hell, along with limitless materialistic pleasures for Muslims who reach paradise and never-ending torture in hell for non-Muslims. Such descriptions rule out any chance of allegory or symbolism. | |||
{{Core Women}} | {{Core Women}} | ||
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==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
{{Hub4|Virgins|Virgins}} | |||
* [[Numbers of Islam]] ''- other number-related facts about Islam'' | * [[Numbers of Islam]] ''- other number-related facts about Islam'' | ||
{{Translation-links-english|[[72_Pannen|Czech]] | {{Translation-links-english|[[72_Huri_-_Bakirə|Azerbaijani]], [[:bg:72 девственици|Bulgarian]], [[72_Pannen|Czech]], [[72 Jungfrauen|German]], [[72 Huri - Bakire|Turkish]], [[Le 72 vergini|Italian]], [[:ru:72 девственницы|Russian]]}} | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
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[[Category:Islam and Women]] | [[Category:Islam and Women]] | ||
[[ru:72 девственницы]] | [[ru:72 девственницы]] | ||
[[bg:72 девственици]] | |||