While the singular form in Arabic is ahwar (masculine) and hawrā (feminine), with the plural form being ḥūr, in Turkish and Persian the word "huri" is used in the singular sense. Just as languages differ from one another phonetically, they also differ in their grammatical rules. Many of the world's languages lack masculine/feminine distinctions, while some do possess them. The Turkish pronoun "o" makes no gender distinction. In English, for example, "she" is used for women, "he" for men, and "it" for inanimate objects.
The singular form of the word "houri" does not appear in the Quran, though its plural form appears in several places. The root of the word is *hawar* (h-w-r). Notably, ḥūr is the plural of both the masculine and feminine forms. The "disciples" (hawariyyun) of our Prophet Jesus also derive from the same root. The word houri, being the plural of ahwar and hawrā formed from the root ḥūr, shares both a root and meaning with the word hawari (disciple). The word hawari means: "chosen, flawless, supporter, self-sacrificing friend, companion, one who greatly helps another and dedicates themselves to a cause."
So, given that the grammatical rules and etymological structure of the word are as described, why do traditionalists interpret and present houri as a sexual reward offered exclusively to men in Paradise?
Because traditionalists do not look at the Quran through the Quran itself. They try to understand the Quran not through its own verses but through hadiths, and for this reason they err on every matter — they misinterpret and misread the Quran. They distort the meanings of words. This is something that all polytheists throughout history who held to shirk beliefs have done.
> "Because of their breaking their covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they distort words from their proper places and have forgotten a portion of what they were reminded of." (Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 13)
The traditionalist tries to inject the religion in his head into Islam by assigning wrong meanings to verses, and in this he has been quite successful up to the present day.
The Linguistic Status of the Word "Houri"
To briefly summarize the linguistic situation of the word houri: it is not exclusively a feminine word. That is, in Arabic, saying "houri" does not refer only to a woman or a girl. So what is "houri" really? What is meant by houris in the Quran?
Houri is actually a Paradise blessing with no sexual connotation — a companion in conversation, a friend — and the gender of this companion does not matter; it can be male or female. In Paradise, houris are companions with whom you can remember Allah together, glorify Him, and converse. The misogynistic traditionalist polytheists have cast a Satanic doubt into the hearts of women who wish to believe, and they have nourished that doubt with hadiths.
As with every subject, we again encounter the difference between the fabricated religion based on hadiths and the Islam of the Quran. Men get houris; but women only get their husbands! Women rightfully begin to think there is an injustice here. We exalt Allah above such a notion.
Yet houri is a blessing — and it has nothing to do with sexuality. Traditionalist polytheists who do not understand the subject of spirit and matter, and who do not know the Islam of the Quran, are therefore unable to explain any topic in a way that truly satisfies people's hearts and minds.
What Does This Have to Do with Spirit and Matter?
Indeed, we might say that the subject is misunderstood precisely because this knowledge has not been grasped.
Sexuality, sex, lovemaking... these are among the greatest material blessings Allah has created for humanity. From the moment they enter adolescence, people encounter this subject, which constantly occupies their minds. For every normal person, the opposite sex is a center of attraction and draws one toward them in a physical sense. This feeling is a dominant emotion and a physiological drive that profoundly affects human beings.
Allah will offer this beautiful blessing — one that touches the human soul — to His servants in Paradise without limit and without any gender distinction.
How Will Sexuality Be Experienced in Paradise?
Traditionalists claim that a man will have at least 70 houris. For a woman, there is only her husband. This is a glaring injustice. The man has a harem; the woman is merely one of the women in that harem.
But the Quran describes believers being together with their spouses.
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 25:
"And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that for them are gardens beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are provided with a fruit therefrom, they will say: This is what we were provided before. And it is given to them in likeness. And for them therein are pure spouses, and they will abide therein eternally."
Surah Al-Imran, Verse 15:
"Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who fear Allah, with their Lord, are gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pure spouses, and approval from Allah. And Allah is Seeing of His servants."
Surah An-Nisa, Verse 57:
"And those who believe and do righteous deeds — We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. For them therein are pure spouses, and We will admit them to deepening shade."
The Spirit, the Body, and Paradise
Traditionalists do not understand the subject of spirit and matter. This is why they cannot grasp many matters, including the reality of creation. In Paradise, in order for us to experience its blessings without limit, we will have many bodies. While one of our bodies is eating, another will be conversing with the prophets. One soul, and many bodies desiring and experiencing the pleasures of endless blessings.
We love the soul of our spouse in Paradise. The soul is what is essential. But we may wish to see that soul in different bodies. A man's wife in Paradise may appear to him in very different forms — blonde, dark, red-haired, blue-eyed, green-eyed. This is possible. Naturally, a woman can desire the same. She may wish to be with him in 70 different bodies.
Consider this: you have two hands and ten fingers. Can you feel all your fingers? Yes — you can feel that all ten fingers are yours. There are not 70 houris for men. There are 70 different appearances of one's spouse. And of course, this applies equally to women.
In Paradise, a person will have one soul but many bodies in order to experience unlimited blessings simultaneously. Consider a woman whose husband is also a believer and is with her in Paradise. Her husband comes to her each time in a different form and in more than one body — but of course with the same soul — and they are together. The same applies to the man. Their souls are the same, but their bodies are different. The man will want to see his wife, and the woman will want to see her husband, in thousands of different forms — which is an entirely natural desire for both parties, for both man and woman.
A man may wish to be with many women of different characteristics and beauties — blonde, dark, red-haired, black, mixed... The bodies change endlessly, and the souls remain always the same. Therefore, there is no question of women being treated unjustly; nor is there any privilege granted to men. We exalt Allah above such a notion.
Men have a harem but women do not — this is not the case. The Quran contains no such narrative. There is no need for anyone to be jealous of anyone else, because you are always with your spouse — it is simply that your spouse has thousands of bodies.
An Example from a Quranic Verse
Ali Bulaç Translation:
"Full-breasted maidens of equal age." (Surah An-Naba, Verse 33)
wa-kawāʿiba atrāban
The verb kaʿaba present in the verse carries meanings such as: striking, eye-catching, supremacy, magnificence. When used of a person, it means he/she made another person eye-catching, striking, magnificent, or wonderful. In colloquial usage, both the verb kaʿaba and the noun kaʿb are also used to refer to a girl who has become eye-catching, whose breasts have just begun to develop (bud). Traditionalists, rather than translating this verse, try to insert the religion in their heads into the translation — and the houri myth emerges. Instead of using the primary meaning of the word, they attempt to inject into the verse's meaning the houri narrative found in colloquial usage and hadiths.
When the words ḥūr and ʿīn are used together as ḥūrun ʿīnun, the meaning becomes "those with large, lustrous eyes" — and since this quality in the verses describes the spouses given in Paradise, it takes on the meaning of "spouses with large, lustrous eyes." The eyes expressed by both words together represent the type of eye most admired by Arabs, and are used to describe the beauty of both women and men. The word ḥūr means "brilliantly dark eye" — eyes with a very white white and a very black black, like the eyes of a gazelle or a cow. Structurally a plural, this word is the plural of both the masculine haver and the feminine hawrā. That is, it describes the eyes of both men and women.
The word "houri" is not, according to the rules of the Arabic language, a word that describes a woman. The plural of "huri" is used in the Quran as "Hawari" — that is, the disciples of our Prophet Jesus. Hawari means companion in conversation. Huri means companion, a person with whom one converses.
- wa-kawāʿiba (kawāʿib): young, eye-catching, magnificent, stately — elevated, sublime, high-quality, precious
- atrāban (atrāb): of the same age, peer — a perfect match
Traditionalists translate this verse as referring to houris to be given to men. Yet the meanings of the words are very different. The true meaning of the verse is:
> "Young and age-matched spouses..." (Surah An-Naba, Verse 33)
Conclusion
The word "houri" is a term of Arabic origin, generally associated with Paradise. However, unlike traditional understandings, houri is not a concept related to sexuality, but rather describes pure, sincere friends and companions of conversation in Paradise. The word has both a masculine and feminine structure; in its singular form ahwar (masculine) and hawrā (feminine) are used, while the plural form is ḥūr. This grammatically encompasses both genders. Furthermore, the word's origin is related to the word hawar (chosen, self-sacrificing helper). This shows that houris refer to friends and companions of conversation in Paradise.
While some traditional interpretations associate houris with sexuality, this understanding is incompatible with the Quran's message. In the Quran, the word houri is explained not as a sexual reward directed at men, but as a friend and companion in Paradise. They are depicted as companions with whom time will be spent in closeness to Allah and in glorification of Him. It is also stated that women will be with their spouses in Paradise. In Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 25, Surah Al-Imran Verse 15, and Surah An-Nisa Verse 57, it is emphasized that the spouses in Paradise are "pure" and will be together with the believers.
Those who do not understand the balance between soul and body in Paradise may confuse these concepts with material pleasures. Traditional understandings suggest that a large number of houris exist for men, but this approach contradicts the true understanding of equality in Paradise. The Quran describes spouses being together and the blessings of Paradise being experienced in an unlimited manner. What is important here is the togetherness and peace of souls — not the form or number of bodies. In Paradise, it is possible for both genders to be together with their spouses in different forms as they wish.
The meaning of the word houri should be understood not as a mere sexual reward, but as a deeper spiritual friendship and togetherness. Traditionalists conceive of woman as having been created from a part of man, as a complementary element. To them, woman is not an independent being. She is a decoration, an accessory. Her intellect is half, she is weak... And so traditionalist polytheists evaluate every topic related to women through this distorted lens. Consequently, they misinterpret and misread every subject.
Traditionalist polytheists can never, on any topic, explain things in a way that truly satisfies people's minds and hearts. Because their guide is not Allah's words — the Quran — but the hadiths fabricated by polytheists and hypocrites.
Women and men are equal, and the blessings of Paradise will be offered equally — there is no favoritism or privilege. Allah's justice is infinite. We exalt Allah above all else. Allah is infinitely just. The superstitions of traditionalist polytheists shake women's faith and cause them to fall into doubt. In this world and the next, women and men are equal. Man is not superior to woman and does not deserve more blessings.
> "And their Lord responded to them: I will not allow to be lost the deed of any of you, whether male or female; you are of one another. So those who emigrated and were driven out from their homes and were harmed in My cause and fought and were killed — I will surely remove from them their misdeeds and admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow as reward from Allah. And Allah has with Him the best reward." (Surah Al-Imran, Verse 195)
> "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware." (Surah Al-Hujurat, Verse 13)
> "And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer — those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged even as much as the speck on a date seed." (Surah An-Nisa, Verse 124)
> "Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer — We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do." (Surah An-Nahl, Verse 97)
When a woman lives by the rulings of Islam as found in the Quran, she will benefit from the blessings of Paradise equally with men.
> "Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer — We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do." (Surah An-Nahl, Verse 97)
