Question: When
reference is made to the Heaven in the Qur’an, it tells of the great
things that will be there, including chaste maidens. I assume that the
maidens will be for men. What will be provided to women in Heaven? Why
does it not explicitly mention the reward of women in the same verses?
Answer: In
all such verses, it is implied that pious women will be rewarded with pious
men. This is not explicitly stated because such a mention is against modesty
-- a value that has almost become extinct in present times. Haya
(translated as modesty for want of a better word) is a fundamental feature
of Muslim women as per the Qur’an. It is against the norms of Haya
to say in words that women would be rewarded with men, though this is an
understood fact.
It needs to be appreciated that the
norms of modesty are different for the two, and, perhaps this difference
is very difficult to communicate to the modern mind because of the influence
of feminism on it. I’ll try to explain this to you, but I also admit at
the outset that this is something to be felt and not something about which
arguments can be given. The fact that Islamic societies have always given
more protection to women and have been always more sensitive about women
and their reputation is something we can start with as regards this difference.
The fact that a boy has girl friends is a bad thing in Islamic societies,
but the fact that a girl has boy friends is not just bad -- it is criminal.
Parents would lovingly say to their sons: ‘We are going to bring a charming
wife for you’, but they would seldom say to their daughters: ‘We are going
to bring a handsome husband for you’. So you see this difference in attitude
is present in such societies and allow me to say that it is the call of
human nature -- a nature that has not been perverted or influenced by extremism.
The Qur’an has only given due regard to this attitude and inclination
innately found in human nature.
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