in the muslim heaven to you really get to have sex with 72 virgins? can you opt out of that package and instead just take one kinky girl?
I have already addressed your question in the previous thread. I shall copy and paste my answer here.
Elrohir said:
I have a question. (It's probably been asked before, knowing this crowd....) Do you really believe that you will have 72 women to have your way with for all eternity after you die? Do you think there will be anything more to heaven - like, say, worshiping God - besides screwing houri?
Excellent question, and I'm glad you asked it.
In fact, there are a multitude of rewards that we are told about in the Quran and the Prophetic Sayings. The 72 virgins promised are but *one* of the many rewards promised. Although there are dozens of verses in the Quran about Paradise and its rewards, only five of them mention the virgins. The rest mention other rewards in Paradise.
Amongst all of these rewards in Paradise, the *greatest* reward in Paradise is to see the Face of Allah, which means to be in the Glory of God's presence and to be in His good pleasure. Allah describes Paradise by saying:
"Allah has promised the men and women of the believers Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever, and fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah: that is the supreme felicity." (Quran, 9:72)
It is said in the Islamic lore that the Greatest of all rewards is to be in the presence of God in Paradise, and this will make people forget all other rewards...that is how great it will be.
There are many materialistic rewards that are offered to the believers in Paradise, and these are definitely mentioned in the Quran and the Prophetic Sayings. Let us look at one of the Prophetic Sayings in which Allah gives these materialistic rewards to the People of Paradise, and then Allah asks them:
"Are you well pleased now?" They would say: "Why should we not be pleased, O Lord, when You have given us what you have not given to any of your creations?" He (Allah) would, however, say: "May I not give you something even more excellent than that?" And they would say: "O Lord, what thing can be more excellent than this?" And He (Allah) would say: "I shall cause My Pleasure to alight upon you and I shall never be afterwards annoyed with you." (Saheeh Muslim, Book 040, Hadith Number 6787)
The Quran uses materialistic rewards like 72 virgins simply as an encouragement to do good on this earth, and it is the only type of reward that people can understand and relate to.
You have tried to portray the Islamic Paradise as non-spiritual, but this is not the case whatsoever. In one of the descriptions of Paradise, the Prophet (s) said of the People of Paradise:
"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." (Saheeh Muslim, Book 040, Hadith Number 6797)
So most of the time would be spent in spiritual bliss and prayer. The carnal rewards mentioned are so that people on this earth can relate to Paradise, and thereby strive for it. A Muslim man is commanded, for example, to lower his gaze and to refrain from looking at women on the street. In fact, if he looks at them (i.e. "checks them out"), it is said that he loses virgins in Paradise as a punishment. So the basic principle is that you are getting rewarded in Paradise for the sacrifices and struggles you had on earth. This is something noble, not something disgusting.
For a life of austerity and struggle, you get rewarded in Paradise. This is only fair. Muslims, like I've said, should not listen to music, mix with the opposite gender, etc etc...these are all very tough things to do, and the encouragement is given with materialistic things in Paradise. Many of the things forbidden to us in this life are promised to us in Paradise (in a sin-less form) if we just give it up here. So the *reason* that Allah promised men these virgins is because men must not womanize in this life. The same is the case with wine: it is forbidden in this life, but it is promised in the next life as a compensation. But the wine of Paradise will have its sin removed from it, and so will the sin from the women be removed.
If we have a woman Muslim here (And I thought we did) what's your take on this? Do you find the idea of your husband spending eternity sleeping with a couple dozen eternally virginal beautiful women at least a little disconcerting? Is the man's wife supposed to try and comete with all those women? Or are there male houri to keep her busy?
First of all, the Prophet (s) said that a believing woman who gets Paradise will be made 7,000 times more beautiful than the Hooris (virgins).
Secondly, the women should not complain at all, because Allah has promised them a great reward in Paradise, so great that they can't possibly be ungrateful. Allah says:
"And whoever does good deeds--whether male or female--and is a believer: these shall enter the Garden (of Paradise), and they shall not be dealt with an iota unjustly." (Quran, 4:194)
"I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female..." (Quran, 3:195)
"Whoever does good--whether male or female--and is a believer: We will most certainly make him live a happy life, and We will most certainly give them their reward for the best of what they did." (Quran, 16:97)
"Enter the garden, you and your wives; you [all] shall be made happy." (Quran, 43:70)
There are some women who wonder why Allah has promised men these Hoor and not the females. Allah reassures them:
"I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of." (Saheeh Bukhari, Volumn 009, Book 093, Hadith Number 589)
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Sexual fulfillment is considered a basic need and necessity. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for Allah to have left out mention of this in the rewards for Paradise. Likewise, other essential needs and necessities--such as food--have been mentioned in the descriptions of Paradise. Luxurious foods await the believers. The basic principle, again, is to eat sparingly on this earth (without gluttony) and get luxurious food in Paradise as a result. The sheer chastity and modesty that Islam commands its believers in regards to sex necessitates that the Muslims be rewarded in this category in the next life, and this is why Allah has promised the believers such rewards.
It should be noted that 72 virgins were promised the martyrs in battle. This was because men were forced to leave their wives behind and risk their lives for the defense of justice. Many of the men did not wish to leave their wives behind and had a difficult time controlling their sexual urge for months. Therefore, this promise was made to them: that their sacrifice would not go unanswered.
The encouragement of 72 hooris (virgins) to the martyrs is a method of encouraging people to Fight in the Cause of God against an evil oppressor and to risk their lives to do it. Again, these are men who leave their wives for months on end, and many of them were not ready for this sexual restraint. Therefore, this encouragement and reassurement was given to them, that they would be rewarded with 72 virgins for their sacrifice.
There is a story in one of the Prophetic Sayings about a very ugly man who finally gets married to a woman, and somehow he managed to get one of the most beautiful girls in the city! Everyone is shocked that such an ugly man got such a pretty girl, and the guy is of course elated when the two are wed. Unfortunately, he is called off to battle right after the wedding, even before the first marriage night. He dies in battle. The people feel pity on him saying "what a shame" since he left behind such a wife, but the Prophet (s) smiles and says that one of the virgins of Paradise is greeting this soldier and this is his reward for his sacrifice.
The reason that the Quran and Prophetic Sayings did not mention women getting male virgins, is because this would contradict the extra level of modesty that is demanded of women in Islam. The Quran and Prophetic Sayings are shy when it comes to women, in this department, as it is not considered appropriate. This may seem strange to people of a Western culture in which these things are openly discussed, but this is not the case for Muslim cultures.
Why 72? Why a finite number? After you have had your way with all the virgins, what do you do for the rest of eternity?
The Arabs did not have a number for infinity. Instead, they used multiples of 7 to denote a very large number. You will find this pattern everywhere. For example, when the Prophet (s) says that a man's wife will be 7,000 times more beautiful than the Hooris, it does not mean a literal multiple of 7,000. Instead, in Arabic Balagha (colloquialism), multiples of seven are always used to denote "a very large number."
Therefore, you will often see numbers like 7, 70, 700, and 7,000 being used, oftentimes for the very same thing. It simply denotes a very large number. And for some odd reason, Arabs throw in random numbers in it, and you will see 71, 72, and other such numbers, all denoting "a very large number."
This is a well-known fact to those who are Arabic speakers. Basically, the Prophet (s) is telling us that you will get a large number of whatever in Paradise.
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Question:
Very often I hear from non-Muslims negative remarks regarding 72 virgins in paradise for martyrs. Can you teach me a good answer about that issue, or guide me to some article about it.
Answer by Shaykh Gibril F Haddad:
Tell them that the perfection of Islam dictates that it have a motivation for every type of person including those that are not motivated except through sensory reward, which is the common lot whether Christians deny it or not, and that the principle of Paradise as reward for martyrs is also very much present in their doctrine. However, Paradise in Islam also describes a higher level called ridwan i.e. the lavishing of Divine good pleasure, to which we pray that Allah guide us.
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The Quran says that those who do get into Paradise will be rewarded with blessings that eclipse anything on earth; unlimited food of your choice, riches, and wishes come true. Things considered sinful on Earth such as wine will be allowed, and people will be able to eat and drink all they want and not get full or hungover or sick. People will be reunited with their friends and relatives, we will all be made young again, and there will be no anger or pain. Everyone will be given palaces to live in, and clothing fit for royalty, with luxurious couches and thrones for everyone. There will be rivers of the purest water, milk, wine, and honey, all of which are better than any you will find on earth. Each person will get hundreds or thousands of servants to take care of his every whim. Those who get to the highest part of Paradise, Jannah al-Firdaus, will also be able to be in God's Presence. Therefore, Heaven is a paradise filled with pleasures. Sexual fulfillment is but one small part of this grand scheme of things, and no doubt Paradise would have been incomplete without it. There is, however, much more to Paradise than simply getting virgins.
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In regards to your question of wether you can choose one girl instead of seventy two, that choice is upto you, as Allah has said that you can have anything you want in Paradise.
(Since nobody is allowed to say who is and who is not going to Hell.)
