Page 62 - Paradise: The Believers' Real Home

60 PARADISE

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The fact that they are mentioned "as if they were [deli- -
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m maidens like hidden pearls" (Surat al-Waqi'a, 23) leads us to
believe that they were created and preserved for their hus-
bands alone. The word "hidden" indicates that they are as dif-
ficult to obtain as they are valuable to possess. Their being
compared to an egg or a pearl may indicate that their skin is
smooth and shiny. (Allah knows the truth.)
The desire that a man feels for a woman who belongs
only to him, and who shows him interest and affection, gives
the human spirit much pleasure. Of course, the source of this
strong feeling must be created in the believer's spirit accord-
ing to the norms of Paradise. The human spirit takes great de-
light in fine conversation, courtesy, and being complemented.
So, in Paradise this desire can be obtained with women who
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" "limit their glances to their own mates" (Surat ar-Rahman, 56).
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In Surat ar-Rahman, 70, Allah describes these women of
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Paradise as "sweet, lovely maidens."
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As "secluded in cool pavilions" in Surat ar-Rahman, 72 indi-
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cates, the wives of believers exist only for their husbands.
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Likewise, "untouched before them by either man or jinn" em-
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phasizes their virginity. Surat al-Waqi'a, 36, which proclaims that
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" "[We] made them purest virgins" strengthens this idea. Allah de-
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scribes believers and their wives in Paradise, in shady nooks and
reclining on their thrones, as people who "are busy enjoying
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t themselves" (Surah Ya Sin, 55-56).
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There, all believers have their own wives, who have been