Houri

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In Islam, the ḥūr or ḥūrīyah (Arabic: حورية‎‎) are described as "pure beings" or "companions pure" of paradise.[1] The hur may have a connotation of gender like the word "angel" in English but in general sense the hur can be male or female as does the word "angel" in English. The Arabic word "Hur", which occurs four times in the Qur’an, is plural of "Ahwar" for the masculine gender and "Huwra" (or houri) for the feminine. Thus, the huriyah may be male or female, either of which describes a person distinguished by "hawar", meaning "purity".[2][3]

Despite the graphical descriptions of the physical pleasures in heaven, there are clear references to a greater joy that exceeds the pleasures of flesh: The acceptance from God, or good pleasure of God (ridwan) (see 9:72).^[1] Islam also has a strong mystical tradition which places these heavenly delights in the context of the ecstatic awareness of God.^[2]

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Qur'an 3 Hadith 4 Sahaba 5 Tabi'een 6 Bahá'í Faith 7 American Visions of the Houri 8 Notes 9 External links

[edit] Etymology

The most common etymology derives hur as black-eyed, however, the Qur’an also mentions "pure maidens of Paradise who are claimed to be untouched by men and jinn, beings said to be made of vapor and often seen as mischievous" (see 55:72-74).^[3]

[edit] Qur'an

Here are some selections where Hur are mentioned in the Qur'an. These verses are from the English translation by Muhammad Asad.

"Thus shall it be. And We shall pair 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, 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 [of happiness] ranged in rows!” And [in that paradise] We shall mate them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye [Chapter (Surah) At-Tur (The Mount)(52):20]

Here is a verse that refers to one’s own 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. [Lit., “from among yourselves”] 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]

A verse regarding other companionship:

“And, O our Sustainer, bring them into the gardens of perpetual bliss which Thou hast promised them, together with the righteous from among their forebears, and their spouses, and their offspring - for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise [Chapter (Surah) Ghafir (The Forgiver)(40):8]

[edit] Hadith

The Islamic belief in an afterlife replete with hur is reinforced in the following hadith (source: [4]):

Collected by Imam at-Tirmidhi in "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 (Koranic Commentary) of Surah Rahman (55), ayah (verse) 72:

"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 (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) saying, '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 al-Jabiyyah to San'a.

It should be pointed out that the above hadith comes from Imam at-Tirmidhi's Sunan, whose compilation of hadith, which while considered by most Sunni Muslims to be one of the six major compilations and canonical, is not considered sahih (authentic) in its entirety as the sahih compilations of Sahih Bukhari and Muslim. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim do not authenticate the claim of seventy-two wives in their Sahih books, the Sahih Bukhari[5]and the Sahih Muslim[6]. See Sunni view of Hadith). As a hadith, it does not exist in the Qur'an either, which is used as the basis for all mainstream sects of Islam.

Ibn Kathir, who is mentioned above, compiled the works of many collectors of hadith, including Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, and Imam at-Tirmidhi, thus lending all of them countenance. [7] Some regard this as 'proof' of the hadith, disregarding the actual beliefs of the vast majority of Muslims, including Sunni Muslims.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet Muhammad said: "The lowest of people in status in Paradise will be a man whose face Allah turns away from the Fire towards Paradise, and shows him a tree giving shade. He will say, 'O Lord, bring me closer to that tree so that I may be in its shade... Then he will enter his house (in Paradise) and his two wives (dual form connotation - which can also be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name[8]) from among Al-Hur Al-`ain will come in and say to him, 'Praise be to Allah who brought you to life for us and brought us to life for you.' Then he will say, 'No one has been given what I have been given.'" (Reported by Muslim) (source: [9]) (see book 1, number 0362 for Imam Muslim's complete hadith [10])

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 [zawjatan: dual connotation (Classical Arabic Idiom: sometimes the word with the female gender is chosen to make the dual form) - which can be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name (i.e. Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)][11](houris: inferred from Sahih Muslim, hadith 6795 through another chain of narration, also refer to Sahih Bukhari for the narration of the same hadith, see below) 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)[12]

Again, it should be pointed out that the above hadiths come from Imam Muslim, whose compilation of hadiths is considered by most Sunni Muslims to be secondary to those compiled by Imam Bukhari. Bukhari authenticates the claim of houri wife for every man in paradise in his work, the Sahih Bukhari[13]. From this link, Imam Bukhari, you will find:

"His (Imam Bukhari's) book is highly regarded among Sunni Muslims, and considered the most authentic collection of hadith (a minority of Sunni scholars consider Sahih Muslim, compiled by Bukhari's student Imam Muslim, more authentic).

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 [zawjatan: dual connotation (Classical Arabic Idiom: sometimes the word with the female gender is chosen to make the dual form) - which can be used to refer to two different things calling them by the same name (i.e. Husband - zawj and wife -zawjah can be referred as zawjatan in the dual form)][14]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)[15]

[edit] Sahaba

Abu Ubayda [16] said that the recreated women of this life referring to

"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)(Unorthodox interpretation)

were mentioned in the previous verse:

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

quoted by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (Koranic Commentary) of Surah Waqia (56), ayah (verse) 35-36

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 (Koranic 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]."

[edit] Tabi'een

Al-Hasan Al-Basri [17] said that the word hoor implies the righteous women among mankind who are rewarded with paradise as related in the Tafsir of Tabari [18] quoted by Muhammad Asad [19] in his tafsir "Message of Quran" [20] concenring the following ayah:

"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)

[edit] Bahá'í Faith

The Arabic term "huwri" (feminine of "hur") was used in the original Arabic writings of Bahá'u'lláh, but is almost always translated as "Maid of Heaven" rather than the transliteration of "huwri". Bahá'ís generally see her as a symbol of the holy spirit, the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's revelation, or even as his "higher self". While always depicted as comely, she appears as a transcendent spiritual figure representing the Divine [21]; and sexual desire is understood to be a metaphor for spiritual longing.[22][23]

Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle East history, rendered an un-official translation of the Tablet of the Maiden (Lawh-i-Huriyyih) by Bahá'u'lláh.[24] The translation was described by the Universal House of Justice as "far from adequate, to the point that it is quite misleading and could easily convey a wrong impression to those who study it."[25] In it, Cole uses the transliterated "houri" instead of "Maiden". For a brief overview see John Walbridge's "Erotic Imagery in the Allegorical Writings of Bahá'u'lláh."[26]

[edit] American Visions of the Houri

Nerina Rustomji states:^[3]

If there is one thing many Americans know about Islam, it is that the hijackers of September 11th believed they would be given seventy-two virgins in Paradise for successfully completing their mission. As a result, the prevailing understanding of the houri is as a reward for terrorist acts. This notion is distorted because it does not acknowledge a broader belief that the houri is considered a reward for righteous behavior: righteous Muslim males are rewarded with houris; one who is not judged righteous gains nothing. Yet, the connection between the houri and political violence is one that is reinforced by certain Islamic political groups.

At the heart of these allusions to the houri is a certain preoccupation — or perhaps even obsession — with sex. Here, sexuality is read into Islamic images even when that reading may be aggressive. What is lost in these media accounts is the historical development of the concept of the houri. It is through the houri, then, that we can see the shaping of an American fantasy of what Islam symbolizes. The common denominator in this fantasy is the element of pleasure...By contrast, in the sensual discourse, the enjoyment of the pleasure of the houri is mere entertainment... The use of the houri, then, reveals that Islamic motifs are used as a way to represent a sensuality that American society enjoys, but Islam refuses to claim as its own.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• A review of a book by Christoph Luxenberg who claims Aramaic origins for the Quran.

Concepts of Heaven
Christian	Kingdom of God | Garden of Eden · Paradise | New Jerusalem | Pearly gates
Jewish	Gan Eden | Olam Haba
Islamic	Jannah | Houri | Sidrat al-Muntaha
Mormon	Celestial Kingdom | Spirit world
Ancient Greek	Elysium | Empyrean | Hesperides
Celtic	Annwn | Tír na nÓg | Mag Mell
Norse	Valhalla | Asgard
Indo-European	Paradise | Svarga | Aaru | The Summerland | Myth of Er | Fortunate Isles
Related concepts	Nirvana | Millennialism | Utopianism | Golden Age | Arcadia | The guf | Well of souls