Part 130

682 Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations

“(Delicate and pure) as if they were (hidden) eggs (well) preserved’) He 2% said, ‘Their delicateness is like the delicateness of the skin on the inside of an egg (i.c. the fine thin layer that comes after the shell)...’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, inform me about His saying:

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matties two, three, or four husbands (in the world, after divorce or after the death of a husband), and then she dies. Then she enters Paradise and they enter with her. Who will be her husband?’ He #8 said, ‘O Umm Salamah, she is given a choice, and she chooses the one from them who had the best manners. So she will say: O my Lord, this one had better manners towards me in the abode of the world than the rest of them, so marry me to him. O Umm Salamah, good manners have taken the goodness of the world and the Hereafter.” (Related by At-Tabaraanee)

The following, which explains how the believers enter Paradise, has already been mentioned in the hadith of the horn: “A man from them will enter upon 72 wives — from that which Allah created — and two (wives) from the children of Adam. And the latter are superior over whomsoever Allah #é pleases, due to their worship of Allah % in the world. He (ie., the dweller of Paradise) will enter upon the first of the two in a room made of rubies. She will be ona bed of gold, and it will be enwreathed with pearls. In it are 70 drawers of fine and thick silk. He will place his hand between her shoulders, and then he will look at his hand from her chest, from behind her garments, her flesh, and her skin, And he will look at the bone marrow of her leg, just as one of you looks at a wire of silver in ruby. While he is like that, it will be called out, ‘We know that you do not become bored and that she does not become bored, but, Lo! You have wives other than her. Then he will go out, and go to them, one at a time. Every time he goes to one, she says, ‘By Allah, there is none in Paradise who is better than you, and there is none in Paradise who is more beloved to me than you.” Through many chains —- some of which have been mentioned and some are still to come, Insha Allah, and we place our trast in Him — this hadith has many others that attest to it. And we have previously mentioned the following hadith, which is related by Ahmad, and which Abu

684 Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations

Hurairah 4 related from the Prophet #%: “And he has 72 wives from the Al-Hoor (beautiful women) Al-’Een (having wide, beautiful eyes), other than his wives from the world. And verily, one of them takes her seat, which is as big as a mile on earth.”

Abu Sa’eed # reported that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said, “The least of the dwellers of Paradise in ranking has 80 000 servants and 72 wives. A dome of pearls, emeralds, and rubies is erected for him; (it is as big) as the distance between Al-Jaabiyah and As-San‘aa.” (Related by Harmalah) Ahmad and At-Tirmidhee related it as well, and each with his respective chain. .

Al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’dee Karib related that the Messenger of Allah #8 said, “Verily, the martyr has six characteristics that are specific to him with Allah: 1) Allah forgives him at the first drop of his blood; 2) he sees his seating place in Paradise; 3) He is adored with the garment of Eemnan; 4) he is protected from the punishment of the grave; 5) he is safe from the greater terror; 6) and the Crown of Dignity is placed on his head. One ruby from it is better than the world and all that is in it, And he will marry 72 wives from the AlHoor Al-'Een (fair maidens of Paradise, who have wide, beautiful eyes). And he will intercede for 70 people from his relatives,” Ahmad, At-Tirmidee, and Ibn Maajah related this hadith, and AtTirmidhee ruled it to be authentic.

But what about the hadith that Muslim related in his sahih, in which Ayyoob ibn Muhammad said, “Either vie with one another or reflect among yourselves; are there more men in Paradise or more women?” Abu Hurairah 4 said, “Did not Abul-Qaasim 2% say, “Verily, the first group to enter Paradise are upon the appearance of

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the moon on the night of the full moon. Those who follow that group are upon (the appearance of) the most illuminated glistening, star in the sky. Bach man among them has two wives; the bone marrow of their legs can be seen from behind their flesh. And there is no unmarried person in Paradise.” And through another chain, the same hadith is related in Bukhaaree and Muslim.

‘The two wives mentioned here refer to the daughters of Adam (Le. a dweller of Paradise will have two wives from the daughters of Adam), and along with them one will have as much Al-Hoor Al-‘Een (fair maidens of Paradise, who have wide, beautiful eyes) as Allah ‘Azza Wo-Jall (To Him belongs Might and Majesty) pleases one to have. The details of that have previously been discussed, and Allah #¢ knows best.

Abu Hurairah # reported that the Prophet # said, “A man in Paradise has two wives from the Al-Hoor Al-‘Een (beautiful, fair women of Paradise that have wide, beautiful eyes); upon each one of them are 70 robes, and the bone marrow of their legs can be seen from behind their garments.” .

These Alaadeeth are not in conflict with what is established in another hadith that is related by Bukhaaree and Muslim: “I looked into the Hellfire, and I saw that most of its dwellers were women.” This is because women might constitute the majority of dwellers in Hell as well as the majority of dwellers in Paradise. Or, perhaps, they constitute the majority of dwellers in Hell and then some of them come out through intercession, and end up in Paradise, thus increasing the population of women in Paradise. And Allah % knows best.

The following is the hadith of Darraaj, which Abu Sa’eed a ascribed to the Prophet #%: “Verily, a man from Paradise will recline for 70 years before moving, Then a woman will come to him and strike him on his shoulders. He will look with his face at her cheek, which is purer than a mirror. The smallest pearl upon her illuminates what is between the east and the west. She will give him greetings of peace, and he will respond with greetings of peach. ‘And he will ask her, ‘Who are you?’ Then she will say, ‘I am from the Al-Mazeed (the increase).’ She will have on her 70 garments... His gaze will pierce through them until he sees the blood marrow of her legs from behind that.” Ahmad related it in Al-Musnad.

Anas 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “An excursion

686 Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations

during the beginning of the day in the way of Allah or an excursion at the end of the day (in the way of Allah) is better than the world and all that is in it. And the arm-span of one of you or the place of his Qid — meaning his whip — in Paradise is better than the world and all that is in it. And were a woman from the women of the dwellers of Paradise to appear to the world, she would fill what is between its two sides with fragrance, and what is between its two sides would become pure. And the veil on her head is better than the world and all that is in it.” (Ahmad) Bukhaaree related this through a different chain, and we mentioned it in its entirety at the beginning of our discussion on the description of Paradise.