:salam2:
Sister when a person dies (whether male or female, married or single) that person's soul goes to what we call "Burzaq". No one awaits there for any one, think of it like a holding place or a transit lounge.
Then on the Day of Judgement everyone will be judged and those who will attain the forgiveness of Allah (SWT) will be sent to Jannah (Paradise).
Now what is Jannah ?
The Arabic word Jannah simply means "Garden". But the "gardens" of hereafter will be nothing like the gardens of this earth. So Jannah will be special rewards to those who Allah (SWT) would reward. According to Hadith of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) the last man who will come out of Hell will get a Paradise equal to the size of ten earths.
Allah says in the Quran:
Surah Al-Hadid [57:21] Compete with one another in seeking Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden of Bliss (Jannah), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His apostles: that is the Grace (bounty) of Allah, which He bestows on whom He pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding.
(if the last person exiting from hell will get a Jannah 10 times the size of this earth, then those wo will get the Jannah as a reward and who will be in the upper level of Jannah will have their real estate measured in light years.)
Surah Ar-Raad, ayat 23-24[3] Gardens of perpetual bliss: they shall enter there, as well as the righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation): "Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!"
Surah As-Sajdah [32:17] And no soul knows what has been hidden for the delight of their eyes (satisfaction) as reward for what they used to do.
Surah Al-Nisa [4:124] If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them.
Surah Ya-Seen [36:55-58] "Verily, the dwellers of Paradise that Day, will be busy in joyful things. They and their wives will be in pleasant shade, reclining on thrones. They will have therein fruits (of all kinds), and all that they will ask for. (It will be said to them): "Salamun" (Peace be on you), a Word from the Lord, Most Merciful."
Now, as far as your question is concerned, I would say that the position of the believing woman in Paradise will be much better than that of the the Hoor al-ayn; the woman will be higher in status and more beautiful (about 70 times more beautiful than hoor al-ayn, as per ahhadith) because the righteous woman will get Paradise as a reward for her righteous deeds and as a honour from Allah (swt) to her for her religious commitments and deeds. As for the hoori who is one of the delights of Paradise, she has only been created in Paradise for the sake of pleasure for someone else, and has been made the reward for the believing man for his righteous deeds.
There is a great difference between one who enters Paradise as a reward for her righteous deeds and the one who was created as a reward for one who did righteous deeds. The former is a queen and a princess, and the latter is undoubtedly lower in status than a queen, and she is subject to the command of her believing master for whom Allah (SWT) created her as a reward.
I have also read that women will enter into Paradise much before men will, because when men will reach their Jannah their wife will already be there waiting for them. But the men and women will have equal status in Jannah. Women will not be subservient to their husbands.
On this earth the purpose of interaction between male and female (sex) is to promote and continue their species. But in Jannah no one will have babies... So the purpose of interaction between male and female (if you call it sex) will be for pure pleasure. And it may not be of the same earthly messy kind.
I see the keys in these 2 verses:
"And no soul knows what has been hidden for the delight of their eyes (satisfaction) as reward for what they used to do."
"If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them."
Even though Allah has not mentioned Hoor al-ain type of rewards for women (maybe this is an added test on earth for women) but the above 2 verses makes it clear that no women in Jannah will even feel any kind of injustice in Jannah.
No one in Jannah will forget their friends and relatives from this earth. As a matter of fact Allah will forgive and/or raise status of the relatives of good Believers so that they live closer to one another in Jannah. Probably in the galexy next door.
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I am also adding here descriptions of Jannah from Ibn Al-Qayyim (R). They make my hearbeat go faster.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:
And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.
And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.
And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.
And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.
And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.
And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.
And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.
And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.
And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.
And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.
And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.
And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.
And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.
And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.
And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.
And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.
And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.
And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.
And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.
And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.
And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.
And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.
And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!'
Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'
And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!'
So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.
And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?' and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'
So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...
{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)
