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Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Houri in Paradise?
Mary the Mother of Jesus: A Houri in Paradise?
Sam Shamoun
The Quran and Muslim tradition teach that men in Paradise will be given
young maidens for sexual pleasure:
As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness,- Enjoying the (Bliss)
which their Lord hath bestowed on them, and their Lord shall deliver them from the
Chastisement of the Fire. (To them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye, with profit
and health, because of your (good) deeds." They will recline (with ease) upon
couches arranged in ranks; and WE SHALL WED THEM TO MAIDENS, with beautiful big and
lustrous eyes. And those who believe and whose seeds follow them in Faith,- to them
shall We join their families: nor shall We deprive them (of the fruit) of aught of their
works: (Yet) is each individual in pledge for his deeds. And We shall bestow on them, of
fruit and meat, anything they shall desire. They shall there exchange, one with another, a
cup free of frivolity, free of sin, Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them: youths
(handsome) as Pearls well-guarded. S. 52:17-24
"And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter). These will be
those Nearest to Allah. In Gardens of Bliss: A number of people from those of old, And a
few from those of later times. (They will be) on couches encrusted (with gold and precious
stones), Reclining on them, facing each other. Round about them will (serve) youths of
perpetual (freshness), With goblets, (shining) beakers, and cups (filled) out of
clear-flowing fountains: No after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer
intoxication: And with fruits, any that they may select: And the flesh of fowls, any that
they may desire. And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big, and lustrous
eyes,- Like unto Pearls well-guarded. A Reward for the deeds of their past (life).
No frivolity will they hear therein, nor any mischief,- Only the saying, "Peace!
Peace". The Companions of the Right Hand,- What will be the Companions of the Right
Hand? (They will be) among Lote-trees without thorns, Among Talh trees with flowers (or
fruits) piled one above another,- In shade long-extended, By water flowing constantly, And
fruit in abundance. Whose season is not limited, nor (supply) forbidden, And on couches
raised high. We have created them of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and
undefiled), - Full of love (for their mates), equal in age,- For the Companions of the
Right Hand. A (goodly) number from those of old, And a (goodly) number from those of later
times. S. 56:10-40
Here are Ibn Kathir's comments on S. 56:35-37:
Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah said,
<In Paradise, the believer will be given such and such strength for women.>
Anas said, "I asked, 'O Allah's Messenger! Will one be able to do that? He said,
<He will be given the strength OF A HUNDRED (MEN)> At-Tirmidhi also
recorded it and said, "Sahih Gharib." Abu Al-Qasim At-Tabarani recorded
that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah was asked, "O Allah's Messenger!
Will we have sexual intercourse with our wives in Paradise?" He said,
<The man will be able to have sexual intercourse WITH A HUNDRED VIRGINS IN
ONE DAY.>
Al-Hafiz Abu 'Abdullah Al-Maqisi said, "In my view, the Hadith meets
the criteria of the Sahih, and Allah knows best." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir -
Abridged, Volume 9, Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun, pp. 429-430;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
The two Jalals, also renowned Sunni commentators, say regarding S. 56:36 that:
and made them virgins, immaculate - every time their spouses enter them
they find them virgins, nor is there any pain [of defloration] -
(Tafsir al-Jalalayn;
source;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
The Quran also specifies what these maidens's body parts are like:
"Surely for the godfearing awaits a place of security, gardens and vineyards,
and maidens of SWELLING BREASTS (kawa'ib), like of age, and a cup
overflowing." S. 78:33 Arberry (see also Dawood, Rodwell)
Ibn Kathir gives a more fully detailed description of what these breasts look like:
<And vineyards, and Kawa'ib Atrab,> meaning, wide-eyed maidens
WITH FULLY DEVELOPED BREASTS. Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and others have said,
<Kawa'ib> "This means ROUND BREASTS. They meant by this THAT
THE BREASTS OF THESE GIRLS WILL BE FULLY ROUNDED AND NOT SAGGING, because they
will be virgins, equal in age..." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 10, Surat
At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur'an, pp. 333-334; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Interestingly, one Sunni Muslim writer quotes certain Muslim authorities
who acknowledge that the Quran's language can be quite erotic and that this
particular reference can even cause persons to get aroused. In response to
the unfairness of men having up to 70 wives whereas women will only have
one husband in paradise, G.F. Haddad states:
We do not know with certainty that there will be such a restriction on women
even if the reverse would hardly be mentionable to a decent woman. A woman in
the traditional world would and does consider it a horrible thing to say to her
that "You can have all the men you want"! The Qur'an would never use inappropriate
language. However, the Qur'an does mention that for the inhabitants of Paradise
- male and female - {There wait on them immortal youths} (56:17),
{There serve them youths of everlasting youth, whom, when you see them,
you would take for scattered pearls} (76:19). If this does not make a believing
woman happy then, as Imam al-Shafi`i said to the one WHO IS NOT MOVED BY EROTIC
POETRY, "You have no feelings." As for the believing men, as one of the Awliya
said, some of them will need GHUSL just FOR HEARING THE VERSE {Same-age
young-bosomed girls} (78:33). As for us hard-hearted analphabets we may read it
and read it without effect. (Haddad, Sex with slaves and women's rights;
source;
capital and underline emphasis ours)
Ghusl refers, in this specific context, to the ritual bathing of the body
that a Muslim must perform after sexual intercourse or because of a seminal
discharge. What the author is essentially saying is that Surah 78:33 can cause
a person to be aroused to such an extent that he ends up having an emission!
Another famous commentator, ar-Razi, stated in his Tafsir (Volume 8, p. 311) that:
"The kawa`ib are the buxom girls (nawahid) whose breasts have become FULL
(taka``abat) and ROUND (tafallakat)." (bold and capital emphasis ours)
The Qur'an also states:
And round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness):
If thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered Pearls. S. 76:19
The hadiths confirm that these descriptions of eating, drinking and having maidens
for pleasure are not symbolic or allegorical, but literal acts:
Muhammad reported that some (persons) stated with a sense of pride and some
discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more women. It was upon this
that Abu Huraira reported that Abu'l Qasim (the Holy Prophet) (may peace be upon him)
said: The (members) of the first group to get into Paradise would have their faces as
bright as full moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their faces
as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and every person would have two wives and
the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none
without a wife in Paradise. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40,
Number 6793)
Narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters that
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said:
The (members of the) first group which would get into Paradise will have their faces as
bright as stars in the sky. They would neither pass water, nor void excrement, nor will
they suffer from catarrh, nor will they spit, and their combs would be made of gold, and
their sweat will be musk, the fuel of their brazier will be aloes, and their
wives will be large-eyed maidens and their form would be alike as one single person after
the form of their father (Adam) sixty cubits tall. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40,
Number 6795)
Hammam b. Munabbih reported: These are some of the ahadith which Abu Huraira reported
from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and one is this that he is reported to have
said: The (members of the) first group that would be admitted to Paradise would have their
faces as bright as full moon during the night. They would neither spit nor suffer catarrh,
nor void excrement. They would have their utensils and their combs made of gold and silver
and the fuel of their braziers would be aloes and their sweat would be musk and every
one of them would have two spouses (so beautiful) that the marrow of their shanks would be
visible through the flesh. 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.
(Sahih Muslim, Book 40,
Number 6797)
Jabir reported: I heard Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying that the
inmates of Paradise would eat and drink but would neither spit, nor pass water, nor
void excrement, nor suffer catarrah. It was said: Then, what would happen with food?
Thereupon he said: They would belch and sweat (and it would be over with their food),
and their sweat would be that of musk and they would glorify and praise Allah as easily
as you breathe. (Sahih Muslim, Book 40,
Number 6798)
And here is what the two Jalals say in regard to S. 36:55:
Indeed today the inhabitants of Paradise are busy (read fī
shughlin or fī shughulin), [oblivious] to what the
inhabitants of the Fire are suffering, [busy] delighting in pleasures
such as deflowering virgins - not busy with anything wearisome,
as there is no toil in Paradise - rejoicing, blissful
(fākihūna is a second predicate of inna,
the first being fī shugulin, 'busy'); (Tafsir al-Jalalayn;
source;
bold and underline emphasis ours)
Commenting on the reason for Egyptian professor and columnist Farag Foda's
assassination, New York Times columnist Judith Miller writes:
"About two weeks before his murder, he mocked what passed for intellectual discourse
among Islamists by citing a recent sermon by Egypt's most popular preacher, Abdel Hamid
Kishk, a blind sheikh who constantly attacked both the government and its official
religious establishment. Kishk had been telling his audience that Muslims who entered
paradise would enjoy ETERNAL ERECTIONS and the company of young boys draped in earrings
and necklaces. Some of the ulema, the religious scholars at al-Azhar, the government's
seat of Islamic learning had disagreed. Yes, they said, men in paradise would have
erections, BUT MERELY PROTRACTED, NOT PERPETUAL. Other experts disputed the
possibility of pederasty in paradise. Is this what concerns Muslims at the end of
the 20th century? Foda asked in a column in October magazine. The world around
us is busy with the conquest of space, genetic engineering and the wonders of the computer,
while Muslim scholars, he wrote in sadness and pain, were worried about sex
in paradise. In a column published just before he was killed, Foda reported that the Tunisian
government had videotaped militant Islamic leaders on their prayer rugs, unwilling to await
paradise, making love to beautiful women here on earth. Meanwhile, Egyptian militants in
Assyut were ordering believers not to eat eggplants and squash because of their resemblance
to sexual organs. The Group of Darkness are obsessed with sex, he wrote."
(Miller, God Has Ninety-Nine Names [A Touchstone Book, published by Simon &
Schuster, 1997], pp. 26-27; bold emphasis ours)
Hadith compiler Ibn Majah confirms men having eternal erections in Paradise:
4337. Abu 'Umama (Allah be pleased with him) reported that Allah's
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah will not
admit anyone in the Paradise but Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, will marry
him with seventy two wives: two will be from virgins (haurine) with big eyes
and seventy will be his inheritance from the people of the Hell-Fire (1).
Everyone of them will have a pleasant vagina and he (the man) will have
a sexual organ THAT DOES NOT BEND DOWN (during sexual intercourse)."
Hisham b. Khalid says, "The words 'out of his inheritance (due) from the
denizens of the Fire', many men who will enter the Fire and the inmates of
the Paradise will inherit their wives just as Faraoh's[sic] wife will
be inherited (by the believer)."
According to al-Zawa'id, its isnad has some controversy. Al-'Ajali
has declared Khalid b. Yazid b. Abi Malik reliable while Imam Ahmad, Ibn
Mu'in, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Ibn Jarud Sahi, 'Uqail etc., have declare[sic]
Ahmad b. Salih al-Misri da'if. (Sunan Ibn-I-Majah
(Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad b. Yazid Ibn-I-Maja Al-Qazwini),
English version by Muhammad Tufail Ansari [Kazi Publications, Lahore (Pakistan),
1st edition 1995], Chapter NO. XXXIX, "The Description of the Paradise",
Volume V, p. 546; underline and capital emphasis ours)
Our readers may be wondering what does this have to do with Mary, the mother of
our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Here is a quotation from Ibn Kathir which helps
to put things in perspective:
"The Messenger of God ... said, God MARRIED ME IN PARADISE TO MARY
THE DAUGHTER OF 'IMRAN and to the wife of Pharaoh and the sister of Moses.
(Tabarani)" (Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya [Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, 1968/1388],
p. 381- as cited in Aliah Schleifer's Mary The Blessed Virgin of Islam
[Fons Vitae; ISBN: 1887752021; July 1, 1998], p. 64; bold and capital emphasis ours)
According to the Quran, Mary's father is called Imran:
"Behold! a wife of 蘭r醤 said: O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee
what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and
knowest all things. When she was delivered, she said: O my Lord! Behold!
I am delivered of a female child! - and Allah knew best what she brought forth -
And no wise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend
her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the Rejected."
S. 3:35-36
Compare:
Narrated Said bin Al-Musaiyab:
Abu Huraira said, "The Prophet said, No child is born but that, Satan touches it
when it is born where upon it starts crying loudly because of being touched by Satan, except
Mary and her Son." Abu Huraira then said, "Recite, it you wish: And
I seek Refuge with You (Allah) for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast. (3.36)
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 71)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "When any human being is born. Satan touches him at both sides
of the body with his two fingers, except Jesus, the son of Mary, whom Satan tried
to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead." (Sahih Al-Bukhari,
Volume 4, Book 54, Number 506)
And:
"And Mary the daughter of 蘭r醤, who guarded her sexual organ; and We
breathed into it of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord
and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants)." S. 66:12
The late Iranian Islamic scholar, Ali Dashti, wrote:
... According to the Cambridge Tafsir, the word thayyebat
(widows or divorcees) refers to Pharaoh's wife Asiya, and the word virgins
(abkar) refers to Jesus' mother Mary, both of whom are waiting to be
married to the Prophet Mohammad in heaven. (Dashti, 23 Years: A Study
of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad [Mazda Publishers, Costa Mesa, CA 1994], p. 138)
And:
... It has already been mentioned that one Qor'an-commentary takes "widowed"
to mean Pharaoh's wife Asiya and "virgin" to man Jesus' mother Mary, and states
that both will be married to the Prophet in heaven; since the Qor'an says nothing
to this effect, the only significance of the statement is that it illustrates the mentality
of the commentator. (Ibid., p. 144)
There is a note indicating what the Cambridge Tafsir is:
43 The Library of the University of Cambridge possesses
the unique manuscript of the third part of a Persian Tafsir
(Qor'an commentary and translation) written by an unknown author
probably ca. 1000 A.D. and copied in 628/1231. It covers suras
19-114 and is the only surviving part. It is thought to be the oldest work
of its kind in the Persian language. The text was printed by the Bonyad-e
Farhang-e Iran, Tehran , 1349/1970 (2 vols, ed. and introd. by Jalal Matini)
This means that Muhammad believed that he would be married to our blessed Lord's mother
and have sexual intercourse with her in Paradise! Such an idea not only shocks Christians,
but actually exposes the sick perversions of this religion. We are thankful to God
that Islam is not true and Muhammad is not God's prophet. Mary will never be married
to Muhammad, nor will she be married to anyone else in Paradise, since the Holy Bible,
God's true and pure word, teaches:
"Jesus replied, The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.
But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from
the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die;
for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of
the resurrection." Luke 20:34-36
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Romans 14:17
In the service of the true God and eternal life, our risen Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, forever and ever. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. We love you Lord of eternal glory.
Articles by Sam Shamoun
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