Beyond Physical Imagery - The Spiritual Essence of Quranic Paradise
The verses in the Holy Quran referencing "chaste maidens" or hur of Paradise present one of the most misunderstood concepts in Islamic eschatology. Yet when examined through the writings of the Promised Messiah (as), these descriptions reveal a profound spiritual truth: that the pleasures of Paradise are fundamentally spiritual in nature, with physical imagery serving as symbolic representations to help our limited earthly understanding grasp celestial realities.
The Metaphorical Language of Paradise
The Promised Messiah (as) made it abundantly clear that "God has described the good things of Paradise in the guise of things that were cherished by the Arabs so that their hearts would be drawn towards it. Those things are of a different nature and not things of this world. But it was compulsory to describe them in this way so that the hearts may be drawn towards them". This fundamental principle unlocks our understanding of all Paradise descriptions, including the verses about chaste women with modest gazes and beautiful eyes. In our life on earth and in relationship between man and woman (husband and wife) it's stated that in her company, man finds an escape from all the harshness of life. In her dependence he finds a reason to live and hope. In her purity, he sees his honor. In her love, loyalty and prayers he revives his strength. This inspiration is translated into the afterlife in the spiritual presence of companions who help and support each other in spiritual advancement towards The Divine, as there is no other pleasure or goal in the afterlife.
The Quranic verse itself establishes this metaphorical framework: "The similitude of the Heaven promised to the God-fearing is..." (13:36). The use of the word "similitude" or mathal indicates that what follows are comparisons, not literal descriptions. The Promised Messiah (as) further emphasized this in The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam where he stated: "God has described all those bounties as hidden, the like of which is not to be found in this world. It is obvious that the bounties of this world are not hidden from us and we are familiar with milk, pomegranates and grapes etc., which we eat here. This shows that the bounties of the next life are something else and have nothing in common with the bounties of this life, except the name".
The New Creation and Spiritual Body
The soul in afterlife will be in a new encasement. The Promised Messiah (as) wrote: "To enter heaven it is necessary to have a body, but that body will not be compounded of physical elements inasmuch as the fruits of heaven will not be physical but will be a new creation. Therefore, the body in heaven will also be a new creation which will be different from the original body". This new body is composed of the refined spiritual qualities developed in this earthly life, not the physical elements we know.
The verse "then We developed it into another creation" (23:15), perfectly captures this transformation. This new creation is necessary because spiritual faculties require some form of embodiment for their complete functioning, but it will be a body of an entirely different order, one capable of perceiving and experiencing spiritual realities.
The True Meaning of Hur (Maidens of Paradise)
The concept of hur mentioned in the Quran must be understood within this spiritual framework. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) explained in his letter dated April 9, 2022, that "the concept of the hur in Paradise is a figurative one". The word hur appears in four places in the Quran, describing beings with qualities of modesty, purity, goodness, beauty, and excellence of character, not merely physical attributes.
Critically, the word "zawj" (companion/spouse) used in these contexts "means a mate or spouse. It is not correct to interpret this as referring only to a man or a husband, rather it means a righteous and pure companion or mate". Therefore, the proper interpretation is that "We will make pious women the companions of pure men and pious men the companions of pure women in Paradise".
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) provided a beautiful explanation of the verse "And We shall consort them with fair maidens" (wa zawwajnahum bi hurin 'in) by explaining that the spouses of believers, the women who lived righteous lives on earth, "will be transformed into hur and bound together in the bond of matrimony" in Paradise. The famous hadith supports this: when the Holy Prophet (sa) told an elderly woman that no elderly woman would enter Paradise, she began to cry. He clarified: "I did not say that you will not enter Paradise. Rather, no elderly woman will enter Paradise as an elderly person. You will enter Paradise as a young person".
This means that all righteous women who enter Paradise, whether they died young or old, married or unmarried, will be transformed into the perfected state of hur: young, beautiful, righteous, and possessing excellent spiritual qualities. The verses about "chaste maidens of modest gaze, untouched by man or jinn" (55:57) and "pure women with eyes downcast" (38:53) describe these advanced spiritual qualities, not separate created beings.
Paradise: The Manifestation of Spiritual States
The Promised Messiah (as) writes that "the reality of the Islamic paradise is that it is a reflection of the faith and actions in this life. It is not a new thing which will be bestowed upon a person from outside. A person's paradise is generated from within himself, and everyone's paradise are his faith and his righteous action, the delight of which begins in this life". This is why the Quran speaks of "two gardens" (55:47), one experienced spiritually in this world and one manifested in the hereafter.
The Promised Messiah (as) explained in Chashma Masihi that "to remain unaware of the True God and to keep away from Him and not to have true love for Him is the hell which will be manifested in diverse ways in the hereafter," while true paradise is "having the certainty of faith in the existence and perfect attributes of God Almighty" and developing "personal love for God". This spiritual reality, the proximity to Allah, becomes the foundation from which all other blessings flow.
Spiritual Pleasure and Continuous Progress
Pleasure in afterlife is all spiritual, greatest being the proximity to Allah. This is the heart of Islamic teachings about the end times and afterlife. The verse "Their light will run before them and on their right hands. They will pray: Lord, perfect our light for us" (66:9), demonstrates that even in Paradise, the righteous continue to seek greater spiritual advancement. Once in paradise in after life there is no spiritual entropy. Only the quest for spiritual growth and proximity to Allah.
The Quranic statement "And no soul knows what joy of the eyes is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their good works" (32:18), along with the hadith that Allah has prepared for His righteous servants "such things as no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard of, and nobody has ever thought of," establishes that Paradise transcends all earthly imagination. This mystery is itself part of divine honor, as the Promised Messiah (as) explained: "There is an honor in the act of concealing itself, akin to the presentation of food under a covering cloth. That too is a sign of respect".
The Spiritual Progression in Paradise
The Promised Messiah (as) provided profound insights into spiritual progression through his commentary on the verses about camphor and ginger (76:6-19). He explained that virtuous souls first drink of a beverage "tempered with camphor", representing the cooling and suppression of worldly passions and base desires. Then they drink of a cup "flavored with ginger", representing the strengthening of spiritual faculties that enables the soul to "scale the heights" and perform difficult spiritual tasks. This process shows that Paradise involves not static pleasure but dynamic spiritual advancement. through the stages of Kafur (76:6), Tafjir (76:7), Zanjabil (76:18) and Salsabil (76:19) and acquires the stations of Al Sabiqun (56:11) and Al Muqarabun (56:12) all progressing toward the ultimate state of nafs al-mutma'inna, the soul at peace, which is told: "O soul at rest, return to thy Lord well pleased with Him and He well pleased with thee. So enter among My servants and enter My garden" (89:28-30). This is the culmination of spiritual evolution: complete harmony with Divine Will.
Reconciling Physical and Spiritual
The apparent physicality of Paradise descriptions, including the maidens, gardens, rivers, and fruits are not fabrications but symbolic representations of spiritual realities that will be "personified physically in the other world by the power of God". The Promised Messiah (as) wrote: "The paradise that a spiritual person finds immediately and that which will be bestowed upon him in future are a reflection of this life which will be personified physically in the other world by the power of God".
He further clarified: "In the holy word of God, heaven and hell are not like this physical world. The source of both of them are spiritual matters. It is true that in the other world they will appear as physical, but they will not belong to this physical world". The women described in the verses, with their modest gazes, purity, and beauty, represent the advanced manifestation of spiritual virtues like chastity, righteousness, modesty, and excellence of character.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (ra) explained that the "pure companions" (azwaj mutahharah) mentioned in verse 2:26 signify that "just as sustenance in Paradise will be mutually beneficial, all its inhabitants will also assist each other in their spiritual growth". The companionship described is one of mutual spiritual elevation, where "every denizen of Heaven will be paired with a virtuous partner" who aids in continuous spiritual advancement toward Allah.
Conclusion
The maidens of Paradise described in the verses are thus metaphorical representations of spiritual perfection and companionship. They symbolize the transformed state of righteous souls who have shed their earthly imperfections and attained spiritual beauty, modesty, purity, and virtue. These descriptions, like all Paradise imagery, use worldly language to point toward transcendent spiritual realities that exceed human comprehension.
The Promised Messiah (as) summarized it perfectly: "He who conceives of the conditions of paradise in the terms of the conditions of this life has not the least understanding of the Holy Quran". The true reward of Paradise is proximity to Allah, continuous spiritual growth without entropy, the perfection of light (66:9), and companionship with purified souls, all experienced through a new spiritual body capable of perceiving these divine realities. The only striving will indeed be towards "good, better, best" in an eternal quest for greater nearness to the Divine Presence.
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