QUESTION:
Are there narrations of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) describing Paradise? And is there sexual intercourse in Paradise? Or is it how some of the ‘Sunni’ scholars claim; that there are no reproductive organs in Paradise and that intercourse there is by looking only?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
Many narrations exist of the pure progeny (peace be upon Them) where they describe Paradise, may Allah grant us and the rest of the believers, its maidens, its palaces, its pride, and its pleasure. Chapter 23 ‘Paradise and its Bliss’, Vol 8, ‘Biharul Anwar’ by Allamah al Majlisi, may Allah bless his soul, contains 217 narrations about Paradise.
We quote for you some reports from other sources, such as what Sheikh Al-Qummi, may Allah bless his soul, narrated in his exegesis, on the authority of Abu Abdullah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah and peace be upon them both) said: ‘When I was raised to the Heaven, I entered Paradise, and I saw a consistent land, and I saw angels building, laying bricks of golds and silver, but sometimes they cease what they did’, I said to them: ‘What is the matter, you build and cease building (abruptly)? They replied: ‘(we wait) for our wage’. I said: ‘What is your wage?’ So they said: ‘The words of the believer in Donya (worldly life): ‘Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is greater, so when he says it we build and when he ceases we cease.
Tafsir al Qummi, Part 1, p. 21
Sheikh Al-Saduq, may Allah bless his soul, narrated of Abu Basir, of Abu Abdullah of his fathers, who said:
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon them all) said: ‘Blessed is the tree in Paradise, whose origin is from the house of the Prophet (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him and his purified family). And there is no believer whose home does not include a branch from it (the tree); every desire of his heart is brought forth by this branch. If a rider strived to walk under it (the branch) to leave its shadow, not for a 100 years would he manage to reach the end. And had a crow flown from the ground underneath the branch to reach the branch itself, death will come to it first before it can reach it (from old age). Surely, let this be what your hearts desire.
Al-Khassal by Sheikh Al-Saduq, Part 2, p. 483
Ibn Abbas narrated of the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified progeny) that he said:
The knocker of the door of Paradise is made of red rubies sitting on golden plates. When the knocker is sounded on the plates, it rings, saying: ‘Ya Ali’ (O’ Ali).
Amaali of Sheikh Saduq, p. 588
Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
’The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified progeny) said: ‘It is written on the door of Heaven: ‘There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Ali bin Abi Talib is the brother of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them both.
Kashfil Yaqin fi Fadhael Amir al Mumineen Ali alayhi salaam of Allamah Hilli pg.7
As for the existence of sexual intercourse in Heaven, Allamah Majlisi narrated in the interpretation of the Almighty’s saying: “And we had them marry the ‘Hoor al-Ayn’, the ‘Hoor’: They are white, pure and bright; of beauty and perfection, and ‘Al-Ayn’: Their eyes broad, pure and splendid.
And it means that we paired these righteous people with Hoor al-Ayn, as a means of enjoyment and pleasure for them.
A man, a follower of the Ibrahimic religions, came to the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified family) and said to him:
O Abu Al-Qasim, do you claim that the people of Paradise eat and drink?’. The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified family), said: ‘By whom my soul is in his hand, a man among them is to have the power of a hundred men to eat, drink and have intercourse’. He (the man) said: ‘For someone to eat and drink means they must need to!’. The Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified family), said: ‘When sweat overflows, smelling like musk, that is when his stomach gets the desire (to eat).
Bihar al-Anwar, vol.8, p.102
The Messenger of Allah’s (May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his purified family) words that a man in Paradise has the power of a thousand men in drinking, eating and having intercourse nullifies the nonsense from their opponents, and others that intercourse is only via looking!
Al-Ayashi narrated with the chain of transmission to Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) he said:
I said to him: ‘May I be sacrificed in your name. Tell me, will a believer have a believing woman who will enter Paradise together (with him) and marry each other?’ He said, (peace be upon him): ‘O Abu Muhammad, Allah is a just Judge. If he (the man) is better than her (the woman), he is better so he can choose her to be among his wives. And, if she is better than him, she can choose him, and if she chooses him, he becomes her husband.
Bahar Al-Anwar, vol.8, p. 105
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib