Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Houri in Paradise?

Sam Shamoun


The Quran and Muslim tradition teach that men in Paradise will be given young maidens for sexual pleasure:

As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness,- Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the Chastisement of the Fire. (To them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye, with profit and health, because of your (good) deeds." They will recline (with ease) upon couches arranged in ranks; and WE SHALL WED THEM TO MAIDENS, with beautiful big and lustrous eyes. And those who believe and whose seeds follow them in Faith,- to them shall We join their families: nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their works: (Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds. And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they shall desire. They shall there exchange, one with another, a cup free of frivolity, free of sin, Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them: youths (handsome) as Pearls well-guarded. S. 52:17-24

"And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These will be those Nearest to Allah. In Gardens of Bliss: A number of people from those of old, And a few from those of later times. (They will be) on couches encrusted (with gold and precious stones), Reclining on them, facing each other. Round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness), With goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (filled) out of clear-flowing fountains: No after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer intoxication: And with fruits, any that they may select: And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire. And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous eyes,- Like unto Pearls well-guarded. A Reward for the deeds of their past (life). No frivolity will they hear therein, nor any mischief,- Only the saying, "Peace! Peace". The Companions of the Right Hand,- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand? (They will be) among Lote-trees without thorns, Among Talh trees with flowers (or fruits) piled one above another,- In shade long-extended, By water flowing constantly, And fruit in abundance. Whose season is not limited, nor (supply) forbidden, And on couches raised high. We have created them of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), - Full of love (for their mates), equal in age,- For the Companions of the Right Hand. A (goodly) number from those of old, And a (goodly) number from those of later times. S. 56:10-40

Here are Ibn Kathir's comments on S. 56:35-37:

Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah 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)> At-Tirmidhi also recorded it and said, "Sahih Gharib." Abu Al-Qasim At-Tabarani recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah was asked, "O Allah's Messenger! Will we have sexual intercourse with our wives in Paradise?" He said,

<The man will be able to have sexual intercourse WITH A HUNDRED VIRGINS IN ONE DAY.>

Al-Hafiz Abu 'Abdullah Al-Maqisi said, "In my view, the Hadith meets the criteria of the Sahih, and Allah knows best." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir - Abridged, Volume 9, Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun, pp. 429-430; bold and capital emphasis ours)

The two Jalals, also renowned Sunni commentators, say regarding S. 56:36 that:

and made them virgins, immaculate - every time their spouses enter them they find them virgins, nor is there any pain [of defloration] - (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

The Quran also specifies what these maidens's body parts are like:

"Surely for the godfearing awaits a place of security, gardens and vineyards, and maidens of SWELLING BREASTS (kawa'ib), like of age, and a cup overflowing." S. 78:33 Arberry (see also Dawood, Rodwell)

Ibn Kathir gives a more fully detailed description of what these breasts look like:

<And vineyards, and Kawa'ib Atrab,> meaning, wide-eyed maidens WITH FULLY DEVELOPED BREASTS. Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and others have said,

<Kawa'ib> "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..." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10, Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an, pp. 333-334; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Interestingly, one Sunni Muslim writer quotes certain Muslim authorities who acknowledge that the Quran's language can be quite erotic and that this particular reference can even cause persons to get aroused. In response to the unfairness of men having up to 70 wives whereas women will only have one husband in paradise, G.F. Haddad states:

We do not know with certainty that there will be such a restriction on women even if the reverse would hardly be mentionable to a decent woman. A woman in the traditional world would and does consider it a horrible thing to say to her that "You can have all the men you want"! The Qur'an would never use inappropriate language. However, the 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. (Haddad, Sex with slaves and women's rights; source; capital and underline emphasis ours)

Ghusl refers, in this specific context, to the ritual bathing of the body that a Muslim must perform after sexual intercourse or because of a seminal discharge. What the author is essentially saying is that Surah 78:33 can cause a person to be aroused to such an extent that he ends up having an emission!

Another famous commentator, ar-Razi, stated in his Tafsir (Volume 8, p. 311) that:

"The kawa`ib are the buxom girls (nawahid) whose breasts have become FULL (taka``abat) and ROUND (tafallakat)." (bold and capital emphasis ours)

The Qur'an also states:

And round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness): If thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered Pearls. S. 76:19

The hadiths confirm that these descriptions of eating, drinking and having maidens for pleasure are not symbolic or allegorical, but literal acts:

Muhammad 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 every person would have two wives 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, Number 6793)

Narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:

The (members of the) first group which would get into Paradise will have their faces as bright as stars in the sky. They would neither pass water, nor void excrement, nor will they suffer from catarrh, nor will they spit, and their combs would be made of gold, and their sweat will be musk, the fuel of their brazier will be aloes, and their wives will be large-eyed maidens and their form would be alike as one single person after the form of their father (Adam) sixty cubits tall. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Number 6795)

Hammam b. Munabbih reported: These are some of the ahadith which Abu Huraira reported from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and one is this that he is reported to have said: The (members of the) first group that would be admitted to Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night. They would neither spit nor suffer catarrh, nor void excrement. They would have their utensils and their combs made of gold and silver and the fuel of their braziers would be aloes and their sweat would be musk and every one of them would have two spouses (so beautiful) that the marrow of their shanks would be visible through the flesh. There would be no dissension amongst them and no enmity in their hearts. Their hearts would be like one heart, glorifying Allah morning and evening. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Number 6797)

Jabir reported: I heard Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying that the inmates of Paradise would eat and drink but would neither spit, nor pass water, nor void excrement, nor suffer catarrah. It was said: Then, what would happen with food? Thereupon he said: They would belch and sweat (and it would be over with their food), and their sweat would be that of musk and they would glorify and praise Allah as easily as you breathe. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Number 6798)

And here is what the two Jalals say in regard to S. 36:55:

Indeed today the inhabitants of Paradise are busy (read fī shughlin or fī shughulin), [oblivious] to what the inhabitants of the Fire are suffering, [busy] delighting in pleasures such as deflowering virgins - not busy with anything wearisome, as there is no toil in Paradise - rejoicing, blissful (fākihūna is a second predicate of inna, the first being fī shugulin, 'busy'); (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Commenting on the reason for Egyptian professor and columnist Farag Foda's assassination, New York Times columnist Judith Miller writes:

"About two weeks before his murder, he mocked what passed for intellectual discourse among Islamists by citing a recent sermon by Egypt's most popular preacher, Abdel Hamid Kishk, a blind sheikh who constantly attacked both the government and its official religious establishment. Kishk had been telling his audience that Muslims who entered paradise would enjoy ETERNAL ERECTIONS and the company of young boys draped in earrings and necklaces. Some of the ulema, the religious scholars at al-Azhar, the government's seat of Islamic learning had disagreed. Yes, they said, men in paradise would have erections, BUT MERELY PROTRACTED, NOT PERPETUAL. Other experts disputed the possibility of pederasty in paradise. ‘Is this what concerns Muslims at the end of the 20th century?’ Foda asked in a column in October magazine. ‘The world around us is busy with the conquest of space, genetic engineering and the wonders of the computer,’ while Muslim scholars, he wrote ‘in sadness and pain,’ were worried about sex in paradise. In a column published just before he was killed, Foda reported that the Tunisian government had videotaped militant Islamic leaders on their prayer rugs, unwilling to await paradise, making love to beautiful women here on earth. Meanwhile, Egyptian militants in Assyut were ordering believers not to eat eggplants and squash because of their resemblance to sexual organs. ‘The Group of Darkness are obsessed with sex,’ he wrote." (Miller, God Has Ninety-Nine Names [A Touchstone Book, published by Simon & Schuster, 1997], pp. 26-27; bold emphasis ours)

Hadith compiler Ibn Majah confirms men having eternal erections in Paradise:

4337. Abu 'Umama (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah will not admit anyone in the Paradise but Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, will marry him with seventy two wives: two will be from virgins (haurine) with big eyes and seventy will be his inheritance from the people of the Hell-Fire (1). Everyone of them will have a pleasant vagina and he (the man) will have a sexual organ THAT DOES NOT BEND DOWN (during sexual intercourse)."

Hisham b. Khalid says, "The words 'out of his inheritance (due) from the denizens of the Fire', many men who will enter the Fire and the inmates of the Paradise will inherit their wives just as Faraoh's[sic] wife will be inherited (by the believer)."

According to al-Zawa'id, its isnad has some controversy. Al-'Ajali has declared Khalid b. Yazid b. Abi Malik reliable while Imam Ahmad, Ibn Mu'in, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Ibn Jarud Sahi, 'Uqail etc., have declare[sic] Ahmad b. Salih al-Misri da'if. (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah (Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad b. Yazid Ibn-I-Maja Al-Qazwini), English version by Muhammad Tufail Ansari [Kazi Publications, Lahore (Pakistan), 1st edition 1995], Chapter NO. XXXIX, "The Description of the Paradise", Volume V, p. 546; underline and capital emphasis ours)

Our readers may be wondering what does this have to do with Mary, the mother of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Here is a quotation from Ibn Kathir which helps to put things in perspective:

"The Messenger of God ... said, ‘God MARRIED ME IN PARADISE TO MARY THE DAUGHTER OF 'IMRAN and to the wife of Pharaoh and the sister of Moses.’ (Tabarani)" (Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya [Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, 1968/1388], p. 381- as cited in Aliah Schleifer's Mary The Blessed Virgin of Islam [Fons Vitae; ISBN: 1887752021; July 1, 1998], p. 64; bold and capital emphasis ours)

According to the Quran, Mary's father is called Imran:

"Behold! a wife of Ìmrán said: ‘O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things.’ When she was delivered, she said: ‘O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!’ - and Allah knew best what she brought forth - ‘And no wise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the Rejected.’" S. 3:35-36

Compare:

Narrated Said bin Al-Musaiyab:

Abu Huraira said, "The Prophet said, ‘No child is born but that, Satan touches it when it is born where upon it starts crying loudly because of being touched by Satan, except Mary and her Son.’" Abu Huraira then said, "Recite, it you wish: ‘And I seek Refuge with You (Allah) for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast.’ (3.36) (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 71)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "When any human being is born. Satan touches him at both sides of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 506)

And:

"And Mary the daughter of Ìmrán, who guarded her sexual organ; and We breathed into it of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants)." S. 66:12

The late Iranian Islamic scholar, Ali Dashti, wrote:

... According to the Cambridge Tafsir, the word thayyebat (widows or divorcees) refers to Pharaoh's wife Asiya, and the word virgins (abkar) refers to Jesus' mother Mary, both of whom are waiting to be married to the Prophet Mohammad in heaven. (Dashti, 23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad [Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA 1994], p. 138)

And:

... It has already been mentioned that one Qor'an-commentary takes "widowed" to mean Pharaoh's wife Asiya and "virgin" to mean Jesus' mother Mary, and states that both will be married to the Prophet in heaven; since the Qor'an says nothing to this effect, the only significance of the statement is that it illustrates the mentality of the commentator. (Ibid., p. 144)

There is a note indicating what the Cambridge Tafsir is:

43 The Library of the University of Cambridge possesses the unique manuscript of the third part of a Persian Tafsir (Qor'an commentary and translation) written by an unknown author probably ca. 1000 A.D. and copied in 628/1231. It covers suras 19-114 and is the only surviving part. It is thought to be the oldest work of its kind in the Persian language. The text was printed by the Bonyad-e Farhang-e Iran, Tehran , 1349/1970 (2 vols, ed. and introd. by Jalal Matini)

This means that Muhammad believed that he would be married to our blessed Lord's mother and have sexual intercourse with her in Paradise! Such an idea not only shocks Christians, but actually exposes the sick perversions of this religion. We are thankful to God that Islam is not true and Muhammad is not God's prophet. Mary will never be married to Muhammad, nor will she be married to anyone else in Paradise, since the Holy Bible, God's true and pure word, teaches:

"Jesus replied, ‘The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.’" Luke 20:34-36

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17

In the service of the true God and eternal life, our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. We love you Lord of eternal glory.


Articles by Sam Shamoun
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