Umme Salamah narrates that she said to
Rasulull:lh "0 RaSlllullah, are the women of this
world superior or the hurs?" He replied, "The women of
this world will have superiority over the hurs just as the
outer lining of a garment has superiority over the inner
lining." Umme Salamah then asked, "0 RasUlullah,
what is the reason for this?" He answered, "Because
they performed salah, fasted, and worshipped [Allah].
Allah will put light on their faces and silk on their
bodies. [The human women] will be fair in complexion
and will wear green clothing and yellow jewelry. Their
incense-burners will be made of pearls and their combs
will be of gold. They will say, 'We are the women who
will stay forever and we will never die. We are the
women who will always remain in comfort and we will
never undergo difficulty. We are the women who will
stay and we will never leave. Listen, we are happy
20 (RClhul Man125/ 136 - Dar Ihya At-Tawrath AI-A'rabi, Beirut)
~~~~~~~~~~==~====~~=======~~~~~===--~-.
women and we will never become sad. Glad tidings to
those men for whom we are and who are for us.' ,,21
Allah will make the women of this world more
beautiful and attractive than the hurs. Wherever in this
book the 'women of Jannat' are mentioned, both th ~ hurs
and the human women could be meant.
2, Hilrs
What is a hur?
The second type of women will be those celestial women
specially created for the people of Jannat known as the
hur a'yn. A hur is a young, beautiful, fair-skinned
woman with intensely dark eyes. Another interpretation
is that there will be a sharp contrast between the
whiteness and darkness of her eyes which is considered
to very beautiful. Or it could also mean that her beauty
will dumbfound and astonish others. The meaning of
a'yn is a woman with big, attractive eyes, which is also
considered a sign of beauty. 22
What will the hurs be made of?
The following is a narration of two Sahabah
(Companions of the Prophet),
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(274
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas Anas Abu Salamah
and Mujahid that the hurs will be created from
saffron. Saffron is an orange-coloured product extracted
from a flower and it is used to add colour and flavour to
2\ (Tab ranI)
n (Hadiyul Arwah 259 - Daru! Kutubu! A'raby, Beirut)
24 THE MAIDENS OF JANNAT 25 THE MAIDENS OF JANNAT
food. When the present creation of mankind (which is
created from sand) has the best of forms and beauty,
then you can imagine the beauty of women created from
saffron! 23
There will be no jealousy between co-wives
Another interpretation of the verse "equal in age" is that
the women of Jannat will all be equal in age, which will
ensure that they get along with one another and make the
believer's life peaceful. 24 It is normally the case in this
world that co-wives have quarrels and arguments which
make the husband's life miserable. However, in Jannat
there will not be any jealousy, malice, or hatred between
the people. A hadith in Sahih Bukhilri and Sahih Muslim
mentions that the hearts of the people of Jannat will be
one and there will not be any difference between them.
Allah ~ also says in this regard,
~ ()A ~ JJ..l..a .) La ts.j.i -J
"And we will take out all [mutual] hatred from their
hearts. ,,25
This will ensure that all of a person's wives will get
along and will never become jealous of one other.
23 (Hadiyul Arwah)
24 (RCihul Mani 13/220)
25 (7:43)
\
Chapter 5: A description of the
adornments and external features of the
maidens of Jannat
Internal and external purity of the maidens of Jannat
Allah ~ says,
lH.llL. ~ ~ -J;;~ (!l-Jjl ~ ~ J
"And they will have pure wives in Jannat and they will
stay there forever. ,,26 Qatadah mentions that these
women will be pure from all external impurities such as
menstruation, urine, excreta, and saliva. They will also
be free from all evil internal qualities such as malice,
hypocrisy, swearing, evil character, etc. Thus, they will
not have within them the smallest amount of
disobedience to their husbands. 27
The lovely skin colour of the women of Jannat
Allah ~ says,
6~1 )3).UIJti..1S ~ JF- -J
"And they will have fair females with big, lovely eyes
who will be like hidden pearls. ,,28 The women of Jannat
will be like fresh pearls because of their cleanliness and
fair skin colour.
Allah ~ states in another verse,
6~~~1S
"[These women will be delicate and pure as if! they were
preserved eggs. ,,29
26 (2:25)
27 (Hadiyu1 Arwah pg. 257)
28 (56:22)
29 (37:49)
26 THE MAIDENS OF JANNAT 27 THE MAIDENS OF JANNA T
Allah ~ says,
Allamah Alusi explains that the verse refers to those
eggs which human hands have not yet touched, so they
are clean from any dirt or dust. In the same way, the
hurs will be clean and free of all impurities. The
comparison between the hurs and eggs is also made
because of the yellow-whitish colour of both, which is
known to be the most beautiful skin-colour for women.
Another explanation for this comparison is that the parts
of an egg are known for being perfectly proportioned
and conforming to one another. In the same way, all the
body parts and features of the hurs will go perfectly
together. 30
64-~1 J w~~1 ~LS
"[In beauty] these women are like rubies and small
pearls. ,,31
The comparison between the hurs and rubies is in
transparency. A person can see through a ruby and know
what is on the other side. In the same way, a person will
be able to see through the hurs because of the cleanliness
and delicate nature of their skin and body. Allah ~ has
also compared the hurs to small pearls because of their
softness, whiteness, and pleasant sight.32
The perfume and radiance of the women of Jannat
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