Sunday, March 15, 2020

Apostate prophet still seeking access to paradise; the virgins of janna?

In answer to the video "The Sick Reason Why Allah Created Humans According to Islam"

Although the wives, and all other female dwellers of heaven will be resurrected in a different and "improved" physical shape 55:70-2,78:33 the foremost of their qualities will be their modesty and chastity which is reinforced through the analogy with the protected eggs
55:56"those who restrained their eyes; before them neither man nor jinni shall have touched them" 37:49"As if they were eggs carefully protected".
They will be virgins, which is the consequence of their re-creation in the Hereafter 56:35-6, not necessarily a quality in and of itself from a Quranic perspective. The real value of a person, especially a prospective spouse, lies in his or her high moral character, see 66:5etc. Their analogy with protected eggs denotes self-preservation and protection from immorality. They are in addition likened to "hidden" pearls and rubies 55:38,56:23 implying untouched beauty and purity. Therefore the purification of heavenly spouses in the context of Islam means both Physical and Spiritual purity. If they had some bad traits in this life, they will be removed, so when one meets back this earthly spouse, it will be the same person but spiritually and physically beautified. The heavenly female mates are further described as "uruban", a word denoting the best qualities of a woman (in her feminity, emotions, manners, love for her husband etc), among "those restraining their eyes" 37:48,38:52 ie chaste. Like the wives, the husbands will be resurrected too, so as to match their wives in many aspects including physical as denoted with atraban 56:37,78:33. The literal meaning of the word kawa3ib, when used to describe a female as in 78:33, is "swelling breasts". The word was not used in literature, as well as poetry of the time to describe a woman erotically, and certainly not the size of her breasts. Rather the stage of her physical development, her youthfulness. Some modern translators have focused on the literal meaning while others on its usage by the Arabs of the time. Such youthfulness doesn't imply a young age. It is physical youthfulness but of a mature age, thus combining both physical and mental attractiveness 
"The people of Paradise shall enter Paradise without body hair, Murd, with Kuhl on their eyes, thirty years of age or thirty-three years."
As stated in 56:61,71:18 all humanity will be made to grow into another creation, the "likeness" of what it once was 17:99, but whose true reality is currently unknown. The alteration and "improvement" of every human being will thus cover both his physical and spiritual aspects
56:60-61"and We are not helpless that We may change your forms and create you in another form that you do not know".
After saying how the current mode of reproduction is entirely decreed and controlled by God 56:57-8, it says how this method could be changed completely and result in different beings with another set of qualities and characteristics. In the end, Husbands and wives will be comfortably seated, enjoying eachother's presence as well as the pleasures of paradise 36:55-8,56:15-6.

This is one of the Quranic axioms regarding the concept Heavenly rewards, including mating; the carnal, physical dimension and the spiritual will be linked in a most perfect way. No aspect of the human being will be left unfulfilled. All aspects of life which the righteous denied or limited for him/herself out of fear of God and obedience to His commandements will be experienced in the hereafter with an unimaginable intensity, from a physical and spiritual aspect and without the negative, worldly side.

In the case of Heaven which belongs to the realm of the Unseen 19:61 (unreachable to human perception since outside any known experience), we are told that none can imagine the unlimited good that lies in store for the righteous believers, men and women 32:17,40:40 who will consequently never desire to leave it 18:107-8. The description of paradise as given in the Quran is therefore expressly stated to be a parable which is why various verses describe these hidden realities such as the types of sustenance, through loan-images that are derived from our actual –physical or mental– experiences. This helps the reader and audience visualize, but not fully encompass, these otherworldly concepts 13:35,37:40-9,47:15,83:25. Heaven/hell wouldnt have been apealing/repelling hadnt they been described using worldly similitudes, as some sort of preview, keeping in mind that the full reality is beyond any human experience and imagination.

The greatest achievement of the righteous in the Hereafter is stated as being drawn back to their Lord, near to Him in a place of permanent honour, sensing God's love and pleasure 9:21,19:96. It is this proximity to God that makes Paradise into Paradise otherwise it is nothing more than an orchard. This is beautifully and concisely reflected in the wife of Pharaoh's prayer
66:11"My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrong doing people".
Being in Paradise reflects the physical dimension and being with God Almighty is indicative of the spiritual dimension and she expressed both in one brief utterance. Nearness to Allah in the Hereafter is presented as the foremost reward of the foremost in faith, far surpassing everything that heaven may offer of delights 56:10-11.

An interesting observation is the statement that those nearest to God
21:19"are never too proud to worship Him and never grow weary".
Contrary to worldly ownership and mastership, the closer a servant is to his master the more benefits he gains in terms of power, material gains and personal freedom. But as regards to God's ownership which is the true and absolute one, the closer the servant is drawn to Him the more humbled and submissive the servant becomes, aware of his insignificance in relation to the Supreme Being. That is how complete and intricate the Quran is, in its argumentations for perfect monotheism.
Heaven is thus the garden of honor above anything else. Its dwellers are honored by the Mighty king, as already seen, drawing near implies honoring and prestige in Quranic usage, both in this world 3:45,169,4:172,5:35,26:42 and the next. It also implies divine attention and care 2:186,11:61 as well as deep, intimate knowledge of His creation 50:16. The prestige of the dwellers of heaven, drawn near to the Mighty King, is such that their own satisfaction is mentioned beside God Almighty and His Satisfaction 9:72,50:35,54:55,56:11,88,83:28,89:28.

The successful in the Hereafter will be granted all their wishes and beyond, but the Quran sometimes chooses to specify some of those rewards in order to parallel the worldly sacrifices of the pious with the corresponding compensation of the next world. Whether in the Quran or the HB, humans will be resurrected bodily to experience their blissful reward. It would be a useless concept even from a biblical perspective, should the reward of the hereafter only be of a spiritual nature. This means humans will never cease being humans in the world to come. If that is the case then no human, besides those influenced by the writings of the Greeks and who view the body as the enemy of the spirit (pauline christians) will deny the legitimate pleasures of the flesh, including sex.

For example those whose most prominent aspect of their spirituality was dreading the day of resurrection, will be free from any distress and worry when they are raised, while those who piously gave up from their resources for the sake of the needy will find abundant luxury from their Sustainer. Those who suffered rejection and ostracism, hardship and even sometimes life threatening sacrifices due their uprightness and desire to be near unto God in this life, will be drawn near to their Lord in the Hereafter in full security and glory. They will in addition be raised as the greatest kings, dressed and served accordingly. The Quran in 18:28 as well as other places mentions the social ostracism and taunting the mainly poor followers of the prophet had to endure from the elite. Besides outright mocking his humble assemblies, they boasted of their wordly achievements as indicators of them being divinely approved 19:73,77. This attitude, present in mankind since immemorial times and prevalent even in our days, is personified in the Quran with Qaarun, and others too 28:79-83. They are heedlessness of the fact that countless people each mightier that the other were brought low and severely chastized in this life 30:7-10. These social elites would sometimes ask the prophet to send his humble assemblies away if he desired they sit with him to learn about the message. Consequently the Quran vindicates them, describing how in the Hereafter honor will only be theirs, adorned with the attires of the greatest rulers and raised on thrones above lushful gardens 18:31,22:23,35:33,76:20-1 receiving gifts surpassing what they wish for due to them compromising in this world their own desires for the sake of the needy 50:35. They will be made to inherit the land; a metonym often used to illustrate their just honoring. God's bounties were made available to all in this world as a matter of testing our conduct and morals, not as a means of honoring us, but in the Hereafter where that testing is over and only the succesful will enjoy themselves and will be elevated, every benefit imaginable will only belong to the righteous believers 7:32,21:105,39:73-4,43:35. In a realm of continuous inner and outward peace, sense of spiritual fulfillement due to nearness to God, as well as first hand experience of all higher realities that have now finally been unveiled, the meritorious will rightfully enjoy all material benefits, without envy or discrimination, nor ever compromising their spirituality. It is to be stressed again that the pursuit of wealth is never condemned in the Quran, rather the obsession with it that leads to spiritual compromises and prefering this world over the next.

Another example of heavenly compensation for worldly sacrifices is that of wine, one of life's pleasures which the believer denied himself in obedience to God. Among the beverages of paradise there will be khamr flowing in rivers 47:15. khamr is not restricted to wine (red, pink or yellowish) but to all types of beverages that may induce a state of drunkedness, and these come in all kinds of colors. However the Quran states elsewhere that what the dwellers of heaven will be served, from a flowing spring, will be a crystal white beverage that doesnt affect the mind in any way 37:45-7,56:18-19. This drink in 37:46 is given the same description as the river of khamr in 47:15 (ladhatin lilshaaribin). The very fact that the Quran qualifies the drink as not causing intoxication proves that it is expounding upon the khamr of paradise. There is no need to negate intoxication for any other type of drink, as this effect is only found in alcoholic beverages. 

One of the main Quranic notions as regards the rewards of paradise, is that most of what the God-conscious prevents himself from in this world out of obedience to a divine command, will be found in paradise without its negative physical and spiritual repercussions. In fact all enjoyments of paradise, in whatever quantity but only of the best quality, will be free from harm, disease or discomfort as is encountered in this world, unrestricted by any natural or unnatural factor and not requiring any toil to be obtained or appreciated 13:35,15:48,44:55,56:32-33.

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