We rarely hear this word without our thoughts immediately drifting toward martyrs and sexual pleasure.
This is because the term has been associated—or rather, deliberately linked by some—to "Jihad," suicide operations, and the killing of innocent people, all under the guise of "winning" the Hoor al-Ayn. However, when God mentioned the Hoor al-Ayn, He did not specify them for a particular group of people (such as martyrs, for instance).
The word "Hoor" refers to eyes with intense blackness and whiteness, and the female is "Hawra." The word "Ayn" refers to the purity and clarity of the eye. Hoor al-Ayn includes both males and females, as the males (immortal youths) in Paradise possess rare beauty.
"And there will circulate among them young boys made eternal. When you see them, you would think them [as] scattered pearls."
Al-Insan [19]
In the verse, “Immortal” (Mukhalladoon) means those adorned with jewels and finery.
Hoor al-Ayn are not intended for sexual marriage as we know it; rather, they are for service only. The Quranic evidence for this is the verse:
"Untouched before them by man or jinni."
Ar-Rahman [74]
This means they remain permanently in a state of purity. The phrase "Untouched" (Lam yatmithhunna) implies they have not been and will never be touched (before or after) by humans or jinn. This is similar to the verse: "Praise be to Allah, who has not taken a son," [Al-Isra 111] meaning He has never and will never take a son.
This confirms that "marriage" to the Hoor al-Ayn is a psychological union of harmony and love, as God says: "And We paired them with Hoor al-Ayn," and regarding marriage in the afterlife: "And when the souls are paired." [At-Takwir 7].
Therefore, the Hoor al-Ayn exist to serve the people of Paradise, nothing more. Another Quranic proof comes from Surah Al-Waqi'ah:
"Indeed, We have produced them in a [new] creation. And made them virgins."
Al-Waqi'ah [35-36]
This can be contemplated through several points:
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1- "Indeed, We have produced them in a [new] creation":
Meaning We are the ones who created them and made them as We willed, a creation subject to God's command. -
2- "And made them virgins":
"Virgin" (Bikr) is a word used to describe both males and females who have never had sexual intercourse. Here, it means they are made "virgins" in a permanent and continuous state; i.e., no one will have sexual relations with them in Paradise. This is similar to the description of human creation: "And We made him hearing and seeing," meaning permanently hearing and seeing. -
3- "Uruban atraba":
"Uruban": Refers to the young "Areeb" girl—those who are young in age—for service, not for sex as previously stated.
"Atraba": Meaning companions and equals in age, as we say "a boy plays with his peers (atrabihi)," meaning his friends of the same age.
Also, God says: "And full-breasted [companions] of equal age," [An-Naba 33]:
"Kawa'ib": Refers to the youthful stage of growth.
"Atraba": Meaning companions, equal in age.
The laws of life dictate that every being pairs with its own kind. Hoor al-Ayn are of the angelic kind, so how could angels marry humans or jinn? The meaning of "And made them virgins" is that they are made permanently in a state where they are not touched by anyone.
Conclusion:
Stop distorting this noble religion and depicting Paradise as something akin to a house of ill repute.
Exalted is God far above what they describe.