Houri
In Islam, the houri (Arabic Template:Ar Template:ArabDIN, pl. Template:ArabDIN), or hour-ul-‘Ein, are described as "fair women of Paradise" awaiting devout Muslims. According to the Qur'an (55.56), the houri are pure, having never been touched by man or jinn and so they are virgins who marry the devout in the Jannah, the paradise, of the afterlife.
The word 'virgin' in Arabic does not translate perfectly into English. A closer translation is 'pure being'. The use of the word is not always sexual.
The usual etymology derives houri from the word ḥawira, to be black-eyed, like a gazelle (but see the alternative etymology below).
The houri are mentioned in the following verses of the Qur'an:
- [44.51] Surely those who guard (against evil) are in a secure place,
- [44.52] In gardens and springs;
- [44.53] They shall wear of fine and thick silk, (sitting) face to face;
- [44.54] Thus (shall it be), and We will wed them with Houris pure, beautiful ones.
- [44.55] They shall call therein for every fruit in security;
- [44.56] They shall not taste therein death except the first death, and He will save them from the punishment of the hell,
- [44.57] A grace from your Lord; this is the great achievement.
- [44.58] So have We made it easy in your tongue that they may be mindful.
- [44.59] Therefore wait; surely they are waiting.
- [55.56] In them shall be those who restrained their eyes; before them neither man nor jinni shall have touched them.
The Islamic belief in an afterlife replete with houris is reinforced in the following hadith (source: [1]):
- 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 Rhman (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, whose compilation of hadiths is not considered very scholarly by most Sunni Muslims. That honor belongs to Imam Bukhari, who does not authenticate the claim of 72 wives in his work, the Sahih Bukhari[2]. Please read Wikipdia's internal link Sunni Islam(Topic: Sunni view of Hadith). Of course, as a hadith, it does not exist in the Qur'an either, which is used as the basis for all 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. [3] 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 from among Al-Hoor Al-'een (houris) 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: [4]) (see book 1, number 0362 for Imam Muslim's complete hadith [5])
Again, it should be pointed out that the above quote comes from Imam Muslim, whose compilation of hadiths is not considered by most Sunni Muslims as scholarly as those compiled by Imam Bukhari. Bukhari does not authenticate the claim of two houri wives for every man in paradise in his work, the Sahih Bukhari[6]. 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).
The Houri also appears in Bahá'í literature, although the term is rendered as "Maid of Heaven" in official translations. 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 sexually desirable, or even as a temptress, she also appears as a transcendent spiritual figure, and sexual desire is understood to be a metaphor for spiritual longing. For an example, see the translation by Juan Cole of the "Tablet of the Houri" by Bahá'u'lláh [7] While other houris appear in Bahá'u'lláh's works, they are generally depicted as handmaidens of the Houri, or occasionally the personification of a divine virtue, such as trustworthiness. For a brief overview see John Walbridge's "Erotic Imagery in the Allegorical Writings of Bahá'u'lláh." [8]
Houri is also the word used to describe the engravings of women in ancient stonework such as the temples at Angkor Wat.
Alternative etymology
A German scholar studying the linguistic structure of the text of the Qur'an has lately published, using the pseudonym Christoph Luxenberg, controversial findings that include his assertion that "houri" is actually not an Arabic, but an Syro-Aramaic word and that it does not mean "virgin of paradise" at all but rather "white raisins" or "juicy fruits". Early eastern Christian writings (such as those of Papias) often referred to giant bunches of grapes in paradise, and Luxenberg, who is a fluent speaker of Arabic and moreover specialist in Semitic languages, asserts that the Qur'an simply adapted that vision. Linguistic analysis of the texts representing Hadith, or Islamic traditions, which contribute to the exegesis of such Qur'an passages, falls outside the scope of Luxenberg's research. Further discussion of a Newsweek article on Luxenberg's book.
Among those who criticize Luxenberg's method of interpretation is Dr. Maher Hathout, senior advisor to the Muslim Public Affairs Council, who rejects the Syro-Aramaic rereading and questions both Luxenberg's qualifications as a scholar (based on the latter's use of the pseudonym) and his knowledge of Arabic. Hathout himself describes the houri as "allegorically symbolic beings of bliss in paradise" and goes on to explain, "It seems that what he (Luxenberg) was referring to as raisins is 'kawaib.' He challenges what he claims as the Arabic meaning of 'beings with swollen breasts,' while if he had known Arabic, he would have understood the term as 'beings of distinction.'" Further discussion (with link to Hathout's original response).