"For some aesthetic sensibilities, a highly refined vice is far more beautiful than any earnest virtue."
- Robert Pogue Harrison, Gardens, An Essay on The Human Condition
Was reading the above book, on how we look at various kind of gardens form the social point of view, when I came into a very interesting chapter: the difference between paradise gardens from the Western-Christian and the Middle Eastern-Islamic points of view. Apparently, the concept of "Paradise" from the Islamic viewpoint incorporates a lot of fountains, fruits, shade, greenery.. which is understandable since the climate in the region is more arid and consists of vast deserts. However, there is also another element that keeps appearing in the vision of "Paradise" : virgins.
*Ok, disclaimer first. It is not my intention to criticize Islam, seeing as I don't even understand enough about it, so this writing should be taken as ignorant opinions from someone outside the faith.*
Back to topic. Virgins. The book presented several verses supporting the presence of many virgins in "Paradise", e.g. :
Quran: (37:40-48): …they will sit with bashful, dark-eyed virgins, as chaste as the sheltered eggs of ostriches.
Quran-(55:70-77): “ In each there shall be virgins chaste and fair….dark eyed virgins sheltered in their tents whom neither man or Jinn have touched before…”
Quran-(56: 35-36): “Verily , We have created them (maidens) of special creation. And made them Virgins.”
Which, then, made me wonder... I've heard of things like jihadists (Muslim martyrs) being promised virgins in Paradise, etc, but had never questioned them. This is the Hadith (an additional book of Law, but not part of the Quran) verse used to support this fact:
Hadiths: TIRMIZI, vol. 2 states on page 138: Every man who enters paradise shall be given 72 (seventy-two) houris(beautiful virgins); no matter at what age he had died, when he is admitted into paradise, he will become a thirty-year-old, and shall not age any further. A man in paradise shall be given virility equal to that of one hundred men.
The thing is, when men meet virgins of course I assume they don't just chat or eat fruits or run around together... At the end of the day, most probably the virgin won't be a virgin anymore..We don't even know if one men get one virgin or more than one (ok, say 1 to 72), won't Paradise run out of virgins? Especially since we've been having a lot of suicide bombers and jihadists..won't there be a shortage of virgins? (ok I'm using a bit of a mocking tone..haih..but I can't help thinking how silly is this 72 virgins promise)
And well, I can't help but think of an interesting twist.. what if the virgins are supposed to STAY virgins? What if the men REALLY are supposed to just sit, chat, and go no further with these virgins? (Since even touching is considered serious in Islamic cultures) That would surely address the virgin shortage problem, but heck I'd love to see the face of dumbfounded men being told, " Hey you! Nope, no touching. Yep you heard it right. Ah, ah, watch it dude, your nearly grazed the tip of her fingers."
Of course, this vision of "Paradise" also begs the question, why is it so male-centered? What happens to Muslim females who enter "Paradise"? I thought of an answer... Let's begin with the attitude towards females and virginity prevalent in more fundamental Islamic societies.. Single women are only valued when they are virgins, and this does not mean only abstaining from the act of sex itself, but also not being in the same room with an unrelated male, covering themselves up, not speaking with strangers etc etc... A whole list of standards that would make them "chaste virgins", and hence more valued by society.
Now, what if... when a woman enters "Paradise" she automatically becomes young, beautiful and will stay a virgin no matter how many men she slept with? Hahaha.. now that would solve 3 things:
1. the problem of virgin shortage
2. the problem of what are the men supposed to do with the virgins
3. the definition of "Paradise" for women...
Because well, should I be a Muslim woman, the idea of looking young, staying beautiful no matter how much I eat or what I do, and being able to sleep around while still being valued as a virgin doesn't sound half-bad ;p
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