Re: Surah Fussilat and the Hur
thinking about real estate, standard of living, entertainment... :D get there and we'll have nothing to worry about!
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The Qur'an gives women spiritual parity with men in terms of their status before Allah, their religious obligations, and the recompense of their deeds. The pleasures of paradise, including pure and righteous companions, are not exclusively for men. Allah says in Surat al-Baqarah verse 25, "But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits there-from, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before," for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure (and holy); and they abide therein (for ever)."
These "companions pure (and holy)" are called azwaj mutahhara in Arabic. Azwaj is the plural of zawj, which means mate, spouse, or companion. The promise in this verse is directed at the believers at large, both males and females, that they will have righteous spouses awaiting them in Paradise. Some scholars have said that if a believer so desires, she or he will be reunited with their spouse from earthly life.
Although the Qur'an mentions hur al-ain for men, or "wide-eyed virgins," this does not necessarily preclude the existence of handsome male companions for female believers.
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