Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I want to clear my doubts. Why in Paradise is everything according to what a man wants? I feel like the maidens of paradise have been created to please men, but I think that women Hoor al-`Ayn are a source of discomfort and reduction of bliss and desire. The more Hooris a man has, the less time his wife will get with him. So her desire to always be with him cannot be attained or will be reduced.
So have Hooris been created to please men while at the same time reducing the reward and bliss of a woman? So many women are sad because of Hooris, but there is nothing about the description of paradise that hurts men.
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for asking to clear your doubts, and I pray that your doubts cease regarding this affair.
Time
You complain that a man will have reduced with his wife because he will be busy with the maidens of Paradise. This is not true because time will be unlimited as there will be no death. Eternity with one’s husband must be enough!
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Death would be brought on the Day of Resurrection in the form of a white-coloured ram.” Abu Kuraib added: “Then it would be made to stand between Paradise and Hell.” So far as the rest of the hadith is concerned, there is a perfect agreement (between the two narrators) “And it would be said to the inmates of Paradise: Do you recognize this? They would raise their necks and look towards it and say: ‘Yes, it is death.’ Then it would be said to the inmates of Hell-Fire: ‘Do you recognize this?’ And they would raise their necks and look and say: ‘Yes, it is death.’ Then the command would be given for slaughtering it, and it would be said: ‘O inmates of Paradise, there is an everlasting life for you and no death.’ And then (addressing) to the inmates of the Hell-Fire, it would be said: ‘O inmates of Hell-Fire, there is an everlasting living for you and no death.’” Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) then recited this verse pointing with his hand to this (material) world: “And warn them (O Prophet) of the Day of Regret, when all matters will be settled, while they are (engrossed) in heedlessness and disbelief. ” [Quran, 19:39] [Muslim]
The Maidens of Paradise
The maidens of Paradise have been created to motivate men, but it is totally false to think that a woman will suffer there because of them. A woman of this world will be far superior to a maiden of Paradise because of her faith and toil from this world. She will have the company of her Lord and be permitted to gaze upon his countenance, with many other lustrous distractions to enjoy.
Suffering
You mention that women will be hurt by the presence of the maidens of Paradise. This is not true. To feel hurt, one must feel sad, angry or in pain, but those feelings will not exist in Paradise. Our minds cannot encompass it, but this hadith gives us some idea of the eradication of suffering that believers will enjoy in sha Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Among the inmates of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up on the Day of Resurrection and dipped in the Fire and will be asked: ‘O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury?’ He will reply: ‘By Allah, no, my Rabb.’ And then one of the people of Jannah who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Jannah. Then he will be asked: ‘O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?’ He will say: ‘By Allah, no my Rabb, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship’” [Muslim]
Please see these links as well for many more details:
Reader on Women’s Ranks in the Hereafter
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.