Houri

In Islam, the houri (Arabic , pl. ), or hour-ul-‘Ein, are described as "fair women of Paradise" awaiting devout Muslims.

Houri is also the word used to describe the engravings of women in ancient stonework such as the temples at Angkor Wat.

Etymology

The word 'virgin' in Arabic does not translate perfectly into English. A closer translation is 'pure being'. As with the word 'virgin', the use of the word 'houri' is not always sexual.

The most common etymology derives houri from the word ḥawira, to be black-eyed, like a gazelle (but see the alternative etymology below).

An author going by the pseudonym of Christoph Luxenberg has written a book called Die Syro-Aramäische Lesart des Koran where he argues that the Qur'an, far from being composed or uttered by Muhammad, developed gradually after the establishment of the Islamic empire, and that its original language was Aramaic. Among his claims are the speculation that the houris mentioned in the Qur'an, 44:54, were in fact "white raisins".

In Islam

Qur'an

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 houri are also mentioned in the following verses of the Quran:

"Surely those who guard (against evil) are in a secure place,

In gardens and springs;

They shall wear of fine and thick silk, (sitting) face to face;

Thus (shall it be), and We will wed them with Houris pure, beautiful ones.^*

"In them shall be those who restrained their eyes; before them neither man nor jinni shall have touched them."^*

Hadith

The Islamic belief in an afterlife replete with houris is reinforced in the following hadith (source: ^*):

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 Rahman (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's Sunan, whose compilation of hadith, which while considered by most Sunni Muslims to be one of the six most authentic and canonical, is not considered the most authentic. That honor belongs to Imam Bukhari, who does not authenticate the claim of seventy-two wives in his work, the Sahih Bukhari^*. See Sunni view of Hadith). As a hadith, it does not exist in the Qur'an either, which is used as the basis for all mainstream 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. ^* 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: ^*) (see book 1, number 0362 for Imam Muslim's complete hadith ^*)

Again, it should be pointed out that the above quote comes from Imam Muslim, whose compilation of hadiths is considered by most Sunni Muslims to be secondary to 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^*. 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).

Equivalent for women

Sunni scholars, when asked about what women will get in Paradise that's similar to houris, have explained that there is an equivalent reward for women as well (if they wish to have it). However, it isn't mentioned explicitly, and only hinted in the Qur'an, since it isn't considered appropriate to mention it explicitly.^*^*

External links

The Tablet of the Houri by Bahá'u'lláh
The Skeptic's Dictionary: Houri
A review of a book by Christoph Luxenberg who claims Aramaic origins for the Quran.

Islamic eschatology | Deities, spirits, and mythic beings