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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Pleasure of Women in Paradise
نعيم المرأة في الجنة

د . أحمد بن عبد الكريم نجيب
Dr.Ahmad Najeeb

Question:
If Allah the Almighty honors men in Paradise by giving them fair women with large beautiful eyes as a reward for their good deeds, then what is the share of the women when they enter Paradise in each of the following cases:
1- If she was married in the world and then entered Paradise with her husband.
2- If she had been married in the worldly life and she entered Paradise in the Hereafter, whereas her husband entered Hellfire; may Allah save us all from it.
3- If she died before getting married in the worldly life.
4- If she married more than once in the worldly life.

Answer:
Seeking the help of Allah, the Almighty, I say:
Paradise is the abode of eternal bliss, and whoever enters it deserves pleasures that suit the level he attained in it. This applies to both men and women; each according to his rank. Obviously women are the counterparts of men, as mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is related by Abû Dâwûd, At-Tirmidhî and Ahmad with an authentic chain of transmission on the authority of `Âishah, the mother of the believers (may Allah be pleased with her).

Allah, Exalted be He, mentioned both men and women in terms of promise of reward and the attainment of reward in the verses of the Noble Qur’ân. Allah the Almighty Says, "And their Lord responded to them, 'Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated or were evicted from their homes or were harmed in My cause or fought or were killed - I will surely remove from them their misdeeds, and I will surely admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah , and Allah has with Him the best reward.'" [Âlu `Imrân: 195]

Commenting on the aforementioned verse, Ibn Kathîr (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "Allah has told people that He will never allow the work of any worker among them to be lost; rather, He will give the due reward to every worker, whether male or female. The statement: 'you are of one another' means that both men and women are equal in terms of the reward of Allah the Almighty."

Moreover, Allah, Exalted be He, Says, "And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer - those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged, [even as much as] the speck on a date seed." [An-Nisâ’: 124] Ibn Kathîr said, "This verse highlights the benefaction, generosity and mercy of Allah the Almighty in accepting the good deeds of His servants; both males and females, provided that they have faith.
There are many Qur'anic verses that prove this meaning. The implications of these verses are understood when the occasions of their revelation are known. At-Tirmidhî narrated in a chain of transmission that he judges as hasan on the authority of `Imârah Al-Ansâriyyah that she came to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and said, "I have seen that everything is for women and I do not see women mentioned in any verse," so Allah the Almighty revealed the Qur’anic verse that states, "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, ...." [Al-Ahzâb: 35]

As long as the question is focused on the pleasure of woman in Paradise, I say, while seeking the help of Allah:
If the two spouses are both in Paradise, Allah the Almighty will gather them together in it; rather, He gives them more of His favor, so He will make their children join them. In addition, He raises the rank of the one who is lower in rank until he catches up with those who exceeded him in rank. This is deduced from the Qur'anic verse in which Allah the Almighty Says that the angels who carry the Throne say in their supplication for the believers: "…Our Lord, and admit them to gardens of perpetual residence which You have promised them and whoever was righteous among their fathers, their spouses and their offspring. Indeed, it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise." [Ghâfir: 8].
Furthermore, Allah, Exalted be He, Says, "And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds…" [At-Tûr: 21]

If one of the spouses is from the people of Hellfire, it may be that this person is a disbeliever so he will stay there forever, and the fact that his spouse is in Paradise will avail him nothing. This is because Allah the Almighty has destined the disbelievers to be: "Abiding eternally therein. The punishment will not be lightened for them, nor will they be reprieved." [Al-Baqarah: 162, and Âlu `Imrân: 88]
In addition, Allah the Almighty has decreed separation between the prophets and their wives on the Day of Resurrection if they were disbelievers. Allah, Glorified be He, Says, "Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, 'Enter the Fire with those who enter.'" [At-Tahrîm: 10] Therefore, people will be separated due to their differences in religion.
Commenting on the above-mentioned verse, Ibn Kathîr said in his commentary [4/394]: "The statement, 'They were under two of Our righteous servants' means that these women were married to those Prophets, and thus, used to accompany them day and night; eating with them, sleeping with them, and treating them badly. Moreover, the statement, 'but betrayed them' means that they betrayed them by not agreeing with them with regard to faith, nor did they believe in their messages. Hence, nothing in their lives together availed them at all nor warded off any danger. That is why Allah the Almighty, Says, "so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all …" due to their disbelief. It was said to the two women, "Enter the Fire with those who enter."

If a woman was married to more than one husband in the worldly life and he divorced her, the marriage is dissolved with divorce. Therefore, they will surely be separated in the Hereafter as they were separated in the worldly life. However, if the husband died while she was still married to him, but she married another after him, then the scholars have three opinions regarding the one with whom she will be in Paradise. These opinions are as follows:
The first opinion: She will be with the one who treated her better in the worldly life. However, there is no proof for this opinion except for a Denounced [Munkar] Hadith that cannot be used as proof.
The second opinion: She will be given the choice to choose the one she wants to be with. However, I do not know of any proof supporting this opinion.
These two opinions are mentioned by Imam Al-Qurtubî in his famous book "At-Tadhkirah fî Ahwâl Al-Mawtâ wa Umûr Al-Âkhirah [2: 278]. The second opinion is the one approved by Sheikh Muhammad As-Sâlih Al-`Uthaymîn (may Allah have mercy on him) and some contemporary scholars.
The third opinion: The woman will be in Paradise with the last of her husbands in the worldy life; that is, the one with whom she died, or the one who died while she was married to him, and she did not marry anyone after him. This opinion is supported by the hadîth related by Al-Bayhaqî in his Sunan [7/69]. He related on the authority of Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to his wife, "If you want to be my wife in Paradise then do not marry anyone after me. This is because the woman is for the last of her husbands in this worldly life. That is why Allah the Almighty forbade the wives of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) to marry anyone after him, because they will be his wives in Paradise. It is also narrated on the authority of Abû Ad-Dardâ’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "No woman marries another after her husband dies, but she will be for the last of her husbands (i.e. in the Hereafter)." This hadîth is judged as sahîh by Sheikh Al-Albânî (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book As-Silsilah As-Sahîhah. I do not know if there was anyone before Al-Albânî who judged this hadîth as sahîh.

If it is proved that a certain hadîth is sahîh (Authentic), then one should not deviate from it to another opinion, and it is not to be considered equal to any other opinion. For this reason, the third opinion takes priority in terms of consideration, and it is the most preponderant. Allah knows best.

If the woman does not have a husband in the worldly life, then Allah the Almighty will marry her to the one whom she will be pleased with in Paradise. This is because marriage is part of the pleasures that are promised to the people of Paradise, and it is part of what the souls like and aspire to. Allah, Exalted be He Says, "And therein is whatever the souls desire and [what] delights the eyes, and you will abide therein eternally." [Az-Zukhruf: 71]

A Muslim should busy himself generally with asking Allah the Almighty, for Paradise and its pleasures; Allah, Exalted be He, Says, "So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]…" It is a right that Allah the Almighty has obligated on Himself to please those who enter Paradise. Allah the Almighty is the One Who grants success.