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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.
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