Is Heaven Optimized for Men? - 3

In the Quran, at several occasions, we are told that believers regardless of gender are going to enter the heaven. And we are told that heaven is the place of best treatment with the generosity and benevolence of God Almighty. Therefore, no matter how confused we may be in comprehending the depictions in the Quran about it, the life in heaven is going to be awesome.

"Allah has promised to the believing men and believing women, - Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of Eden. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success." (9/72)

In the previous episodes, we looked at the verses from the Quran about the life in heaven, and we produced some questions that were mainly fueled by the gender specific features of the afterlife. In this last episode of this series, I would like to introduce the concepts that might be helpful in resolving these issues.

What would you say if I asked you if the human spirit has gender? That is, our biological bodies have gender, because that is necessary for the creation of progeny, but the spirits don't do that. Spirits do not reproduce, divide into two, etc. Spirit is spirit. Therefore, the gender specific roles and aspects that we experience in our personal lives and in the society are due to the biological dimension of our existence. However, deep within in our spirits, we are all human beings carrying a gender-free spirit.

"Then He fashioned him and breathed into him of His Spirit;" (32/9)

So, if Allah is going to grant a different biological garment to the spirit in the afterlife with properties that might resemble the ones here but are not quite the same, of course He is going to talk about it in ways we can envisage. This new biological garment can be free of gender and may contain the properties of both genders, because there is no more need for a distinction of gender as we know here. Given the fact that the spirit is free of gender anyway, this kind of a pairing between the spirit and the new body would prepare the grounds for enhanced enjoyment for the dwellers of the heaven.    

At this conjunction, I would like to bring a verse that has received several interpretations throughout the history:

"And when the souls are paired" (81/7)

The chapter containing this verse starts with a depiction of the events at the end of time and the establishment of the judgment day. The particular verse simply states that the souls (nufuus; plural of nafs) are paired (zuwwijat), but does not say paired with what. Is it so obvious that it is not told, or is it something beyond comprehension? In any event, the scholars inferred several meanings from here, such as souls uniting with a biological body, or individuals meeting their deeds. In order to extract a meaning in context of this article, I would like to present another verse to your attention:

"It is God Who created you from a single soul and out of it made its spouse to bring it comfort. " (7/189)

In this verse, we see the same word (nafs) out of which other humans are created, and from that same soul, its mate/spouse (zawj) is created. The implication here is on primarily the creation of Adam and Eve. When we compare this verse with the previous one, the two key words in both verses are the same: nafs and zawj. So, a plausible inference about the pairing of a soul on the judgment day is a return to a biological state (nafs) that has both male and female traits, hence free of gender, which is more reflective of the spirit.

In this view, the reason for the apparent male-centered depictions of the life in heaven can be understood, not as a male preference but, as an example to extrapolate from. That is, the attraction for men towards women and the pleasure therein is a key to have an idea of the state of the dwellers of the heaven who are going to be in the company of heavenly friends and spouses that are fit for that world. This image, however, cannot be grasped with the gender-specific mindsets of this world. 

God know best.