So I was reading about the 72 virgin promise to get a better understanding of what it entails. After reading some wikis, articles, and some of the most enlightening discourse this side of the internet (Yahoo Answers), I am extremely confused about the validity, purpose, and details of these 72 virgins Muslims get in heaven.
I found a conveniently titled website called
Just Ask Islam that has a page on the subject:
What does Islam say about virgin women in heaven waiting for the men? Do the women have anything as such in paradise?
This is a Hadith of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him). Actually it’s in Quran talking about this. In paradise there are many things that you cannot describe, you can’t understand. Allah mentioned in Quran many things about the Paradise, it doesn’t compare with this, and those women there don’t compare with women here. Women there, Allah tells you about them, do not have monthly cycles, they do not eliminate (they do not go to the bathroom). This is not in Paradise, so they are not compared. So, get this mentality straight, get your head straight - don’t compare that to this it’s much better.
The food there is not like the food here, the digestive system there is not like the one here. What you have there is very real and it never breaks, doesn’t go bad, you don’t go to the doctor.
And by the way, men you are going to love this. In the Jannah, two things: there’s no “honey do” list (some of the ladies laughing; they know what I’m talking about). You know what that is? When you get home “Honey would you do this and do that?” that’s “honey do.” So, there’s no “honey do” list and there’s no tool box because you don’t have to fix anything, everything is perfect. So, don’t confuse virgin girls in the paradise with the dancing girls here in a bar somewhere. This is totally different, this is not prostitution.
Please! Stop reading these goofy books. It’s totally different, you don’t understand it, but Allah gives it to you.
The women have something even better. Their husband becomes the guy that they wanted him to be here. Can you imagine that?
Never have I seen a question so unanswered. So I just went straight to good ol' Wikipedia, typed in "72 virgins" and got a page about
Houri. These are kind of like angels, I think. There's a specific section about the 72 virgins...
The idea of 72 virgins in Islam refers to an aspect of paradise. In a collection by Abu `Isa Muhammad ibn `Isa at-Tirmidhi in his Jami` at-Tirmidhi[56] and also quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir ibn Kathir of sura 55[57] it is stated:
It was mentioned by Daraj Ibn Abi Hatim, that Abu al-Haytham 'Adullah Ibn Wahb narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudhri, who heard 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.[58]
However, 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."[40] There is also a theory that the promise of 72 virgins is a mistranslation from "72 angels".[59]
In the same collection of hadiths, however, the following is judged strong (hasan sahih):
That the Messenger of Allah said: "There are six things with Allah for the martyr. He is forgiven with the first flow of blood (he suffers), he is shown his place in Paradise, he is protected from punishment in the grave, secured from the greatest terror, the crown of dignity is placed upon his head - and its gems are better than the world and what is in it - he is married to seventy two wives among Al-Huril-'Ayn of Paradise, and he may intercede for seventy of his close relatives."
So there is some misconception about whether these uh, girl angels are virgins or servants or whatever. This still didn't answer my question.
THEN I found
an Islam wiki that has a whole page dedicated to this. Some findings:
In Islam, the concept of 72 virgins (houri) refers to an aspect of Jannah (Paradise). This concept is grounded in Qur'anic text which describe a sensual Paradise where believing men are rewarded by being wed[1] to virgins with "full grown", "swelling" or "pears-shaped" breasts.[2][3] Conversly, women will be provided with only one man, and they "will be satisfied with him".
This seems to confirm the perception that you get 72 virgin wives. Don't worry girls, you will get a husband you will be "satisfied" with, and isn't satisfaction the feature women look for in men?
So what's the deal with these 72 virgins? Why are they so awesome? Read on...
Physical Attributes:
Wide and beautiful/lovely eyes [15][16][17]
Like pearls [18]
Hairless except the eye brows and the head [19]
Beautiful [13]
White skinned [22]
60 cubits [27.5 meters] tall [23][22]
7 cubits [3.2 meters] in width [22]
Transparent to the marrow of their bones [21][13]
Eternally young [19]
Companions of equal age
Holy shit so these girls are like giants? Are you a giant? Also they have invisible skin? That's freaky.
Sexual Attributes:
Untouched / with hymen unbroken by sexual intercourse [25][26]
Virgins [27]
Voluptuous/full-breasted [20]
With large, round breasts which are not inclined to hang [21][3]
Appetizing vaginas [11]
I've heard vaginas described in many ways, but never "appetizing."
Personality Attributes:
Chaste [15]
Restraining their glances [15][25]
Modest gaze [28]
Other Attributes:
Splendid [29]
Pure [13]
Non-menstruating / non-urinating/ non-defecating and childfree [21][30]
Never dissatisfied [30]
Will sing praise [7]
Why are they restraining their glances? Are they shy? Why? I still don't get this.
However, there is still some conflicting opinions about the validity of getting 72 virgins in the afterlife according to the article.
Here are some selected quotations:
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
Oh my. That seems a bit inconvenient though.
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-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur'an, p. 351
Again with the eternal erection.
Anas said, Allah be well-pleased with him: The Messenger of Allah said, upon him blessings and peace: “The servant in Paradise shall be married with seventy wives.” Someone said, “Messenger of Allah, can he bear it?” He said: “He will be given strength for a hundred.” From Zayd ibn Arqam, Allah be well-pleased with him, when an incredulous Jew or Christian asked the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, “Are you claiming that a man will eat and drink in Paradise??” He replied: “Yes, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, and each of them will be given the strength of a hundred men in his eating, drinking, coitus, and pleasure.”
Sifat al-Janna, al-`Uqayli in the Du`afa’, and Musnad of Abu Bakr al-Bazzar
Oh my 2.0
I still have a lot of questions, so please educate me. I'm a bit confused on how this concept, its validity, and its practice.
Do all Muslim men get 72 virgin wives in heaven?
Are they all houri?
Are the houri giant transparent angels or did I misread that?
Why are the girls shy and chaste, yet are also capable of otherworldly sex?
What exactly do these wives do? Do you have normal relationships like with your earth wife?
What happens to your earth wife?
Discuss.
