Fatwa ID: 07255
Answered by: Maulana Usman Ismail
Question:
In the Quran Allah says that he never breaks his promise. He also says that paradise has what souls desire. Now surely Allah does not break his promises. But would this promise that paradise has what souls desire be addressing men only? This is because Allah promises men to have many wives on paradise who do nothing but want to please them and these women desire no one but their husband.
Now if a woman who makes it to paradise has to share her husband with so many others would that mean that this would prevent her from getting what she desires? For example, many women desire to spend lots of time with their husbands every day and go to places such as gardens, rivers and other places with their husbands and see her husband for lots of time every day.
Can a woman still have this even though she her husband has other wives? If she can’t have this, then wouldn’t this mean that Allah’s promise that paradise has what souls desire only for men? Because many women desires what I described above. And if paradise does not have this then it would mean that women are not included in this promise. Could you please clarify? It just feels that a man is rewarded at the expense of a woman and what a woman desires and loves won’t be in paradise.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Verily Allah never breaks his promise. First and foremost, the thing is that the life of paradise will be very different than this worldly life, whatever we think paradise and the attributes of it, it is exactly not that.1 There are places in Quran and Hadith where things have been descriptive. We can’t use that analogy to think if paradise has XYZ and it is mentioned then certain things in this world must be like such and such. We believe and accept what’s clear and we also believe and accept what’s unclear and doubtful in the human’s mind. The human mind is very small and it is hard to comprehend things.
Coming to the question. The concept of men getting multiple wives is correct. At the same time other Ayats of the Quran mention promises for males and females. Some Ayats even describing the higher status of the worldly wife. There will be no time limit in Jannah either.2,3 It is forever and ever. In limitless time there will be things for men and women to do e.g., going to parks, rivers, mountains, skydiving, snowboarding, chocolate diving, star gazing, sunrise and sunset views, anything and everything a human can possibly think of.
Having multiple wives for men in Jannah is one individual virtue for men. To read that verse and base a judgment by saying only men are rewarded would be “sweeping generalisation” fallacy. Quran and Hadith are clear that humans are judged and awarded based on their actions not based on genders.
If only men would be rewarded, then why even bother creating women in the first place? Why even bother putting men on earth? Just give Jannah straight without living the life here. But that’s not the case. Allah could’ve made everybody Muslim and had everyone go straight to Jannah. There is a reason beyond human comprehension as to why that’s not the case. There is a whole system how humans, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, will be judged. That system sees a person’s piety.
The questions which raise our doubts in Allah and his judgement are verily from shaitan and that’s one of his traps to mislead the humans.4
المصادر
- حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ أَسَدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادِي الصَّالِحِينَ مَا لاَ عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ، وَلاَ أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلاَ خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ
صحيح البخاري كتاب التوحيد باب (35)باب قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى {يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُبَدِّلُوا كَلاَمَ اللَّهِ}ج 4/4 ص 3328-3327 مكتبة البشرى
ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ أَنْتُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ تُحْبَرُونَ . يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِصِحَافٍ مِّن ذَهَبٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ ۖ وَفِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ الْأَنفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الْأَعْيُنُ ۖ وَأَنتُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ (الزخرف 70-71)
- نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَاؤُكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِي أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ (فصلت 31)
- الكيف غير معقول، الاستواء مجهول٣، والإيمان به واجب، والسؤال عنه بدعة، وما أظنّك إلاّ ضالاًّ، ثم أمر به فأخرج
كتاب الأثر المشهور عن الإمام مالك رحمه الله في صفة الاستواء. ص22-23
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Usman Ismail
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
