Good day everyone..

I am genuinely asking this question not to prejudice or ridicule any religion but to really get fully enlightened/educated on this topic as I fully respect everyone’s religious believe and perspectives..

I was born and raised in Kano state (a predominantly Muslim state) and while growing up, I was usually involved in constructive arguments (though I knew my boundaries) with my Muslim friends on the topic of religion..

All through this period, I have always known through the admission and assertion of my Muslim friends some of whom were children of Imams/top Islamic scholars and Muslims around me generally, that the reward for being a good Muslim male after death probably during the cause of fighting for Islam or Allah or dying peacefully (need clarification here too) was the ownership of 72 Virgins women (including boys) among many other beautiful wonderful things in paradise.

This is a view I have always known to be strongly and widely believed among Muslim faithfuls all over the world which to me should be a powerful motivation for lots of Muslims (especially men) which encourages them to be faithful to their believes till death in order to reap this beautiful reward in paradise (who wouldn’t love this reward?) even though I wasn’t really clear on the reward for women until a close Muslim friend elucidated to me that a wife could still become part of the 72 virgins of her husband if she died faithful to Islam/Allah.

Unfortunately, after leaving the North a couple of years back and now presently in the Southwest, it seems some Muslims down here (nairaland inclusive) don’t share in that same believe of a reward with 72 virgins for men in paradise which I thought was a generally accepted believe among Muslims and this has made me become confused to say the least on this subject since I can’t boast of having an in-depth knowledge of the Quran to verify the fact on this issue by myself even though I have an English Quran which I haven’t had time to read though i catch a glimpse of it once in a while..

Infact as recently as 2014 during my national youth service, my best friend who was a staunch Muslim from Kogi state who I had lots of arguments with on several topics on life, Islam and Christianity constantly re-iterated this believe to me as I am someone who doesn’t believe everything in our religious books because I feel there are lots of flaws, contradictions and imperfections in them which religious ardents especially Christians always disagree with me on and which has always put me at crossroads with some of them as they accuse me of being an atheist whenever I express such opinions which to them is an agnostic view. All the same I always maintain my position whether it appeals to anyone or not because that is what I see..

This Muslim friend of mine (his nickname in the lodge then was Imam/Ustaz because of his high standard of worship and sometimes extreme Islamic views just to let you know how grounded he was in Islam) and who was almost a Hafiz (someone who could recite the full Quran from memory) always got excited whenever he narrated to me the good tales of the Quran and Islamic principles in an attempt to convince me to join Islam and always expressed how he couldn’t wait to be in paradise to be united with his reward of 72 virgins (I swear am not lying here)..

In return, I usually jokingly beckoned on him that I would accept his offering just for the singular reason that I preferred the Islamic paradise with the promise of 72 Virgins to the Christian heaven where one would be required to sing praises to God till eternity – a statement which usually nauseated my fellow Christian lodge mates then (Lolz) . But, all through my period of service with my Muslim friend/friends, they never for once denied or doubted the fact that the Quran emphatically stated the fact of a reward of 72 virgins in paradise, but to come down here to the West to start hearing and seeing differing opinions on this subject with some Muslims on nairaland even saying nothing as such exists is quite strange/surprising and makes we wonder if some Muslims down here just purposely deny it because it doesn’t conform or sit well with their rationale which is a haram in Islam, is something I can’t really comprehend.. I even have a full Islamic documentary by top Islamic scholars from Youtube that backs this claim/believe in the Quran..

But now, I will prefer to use the opportunity of this platform to ask the large audience of Muslim faithfuls and anyone knowledgeable on this topic in order to get a full and final clarification on this subject..

Did the Quran which was supposedly revealed to the Holy Prophet of Islam (Muhammad) as an undisputable and authentic word of Allah/God, ever mention or state anywhere that the ultimate reward for being a faithful Muslim male till death would be 72 Virgins among other wonderful things in Paradise?

This is my question today to all knowledgeable Nairalanders on this topic and I would be glad to be properly enlightened, thank you..

I see you are jelous

Ninethmare:
I see you are jelous

Ah.. Oga how u you mean i am jealous? Can you give me a clarification on your claim as well as the subject matter?

interesting topic,make I park my bike

As Muslims we believe in the Qur'an and the Traditions (Hadiths) of the Prophet. This too Books are the Muslim's constitution.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allaah . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:80] Allaah described obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]

Obeying the Messenger is to follow his authentic traditions.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allaah . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:80] Allaah described obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Just to be clear that we have faith in the Qur'an and the Authentic Hadith/Sunnah of the Prophet (Salallahu alayhi wa salam).

On the topic of discussion, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So (it will be). And We shall marry them to Hoor (fair females) with wide lovely eyes”

[al-Dukhaan 44:54]

“And round about them will (serve) boys of everlasting youth. If you see them, you would think them scattered pearls”

[al-Insaan 76:19]

This is clear that the believers will have wives in Paradise with young boys serving them. May Allah count us among them.

The lowest of the people of Paradise will have two wives from among the ladies of Paradise (called al-hoor al-‘iyn).

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The lowest of the people of Paradise in status will be a man whose face Allaah will turn away from the Fire towards Paradise, and make a shady tree appear before him. … Then he will enter his house and his two wives from among al-hoor al-‘iyn will enter after him. They will say: ‘Praise be to Allah Who has created you for us and us for you.’ And he will say: ‘No one has been given the like of that which I have been given.’” Narrated by Muslim, 188.

The Matyrs* (Shaheed) will have 72 wives from the ladies of Paradise. While some others will have more than this.

It was narrated that al-Miqdaam ibn Ma’di Yakrib said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The martyr has six blessings with Allaah: he will be forgiven from the first drop of blood shed; he will be shown his place in Paradise; he will be protected from the torment of the grave; he will be safe from the greater terror; a crown of dignity will be placed on his head, one ruby of which is better than this world and everything in it; he will be married to seventy-two wives from al-hoor al-‘iyn; and he will intercede for seventy of his relatives.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1663; Ibn Maajah, 2799; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

Abu Na’eem narrated in Sifat al-Jannah from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man will go to one hundred virgins in one day – i.e., in Paradise.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 367.

*A Martyr is one who dies fighting in the sake of Allah. Care should be taken as to distinguish the concept of Martyrdom for the sake of Allah from the ones done by some terrorist! Suicide is forbidden in Islam as one who kills himself will enter hell.Suicide is a major sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that the one who commits suicide will be punished with something like that with which he killed himself.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Hell, throwing himself down therein for ever and ever. Whoever takes poison and kills himself, his poison will be in his hand and he will be sipping it in the Fire of Hell for ever and ever. Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, that piece of iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell, for ever and ever.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5442; Muslim, 109.

So Martyrdom is not suicide! It has some special conditions attached to it.

Other kinds of Martyrdom

Abu Dawood (3111) and al-Nasaa’i (1846) from Jaabir ibn ‘Ateek (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: What do you regard as martyrdom?” They said: Being killed for the sake of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (S) said: “Martyrdom is seven things besides being killed for the sake of Allaah. The one who dies of the plague is a martyr, the one who drowns is a martyr, the one who dies of pleurisy is a martyr, the one who dies of a stomach disease is a martyr, the one who is burned to death is a martyr, the one who dies beneath a collapsed building is a martyr, and the woman who dies in pregnancy is a martyr.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

May Allah guide all to Jannat al Firdaous...Aamin.