Allah has prepared for His believing servants in Paradise that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and that has never even crossed the minds of men, to the extent that even the person who has the least blessings in Paradise will think that he is the most blessed among them.
Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, says that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: “The lowest of people in status in Paradise will be a man whose face Allah turns away from the Fire towards Paradise, and shows him a tree giving shade. He will say, ‘O Lord, bring me closer to that tree so that I may be in its shade… Then he will enter his house (in Paradise) and his two wives from among Al-Hoor Al-`een will come in and say to him, ‘Praise be to Allah who brought you to life for us and brought us to life for you.’ Then he will say, ‘No one has been given what I have been given.” (Reported by Muslim)
Referring to the previous point Allah Almighty says: “Therein are those of modest gaze, whom neither man nor jinn will have touched before them. Which is it, of the favors of your Lord that ye deny?” (Ar-Rahmaan: 56, 57)
Sheikh Muhammad S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Islamic lecturer and author, states the following:
“Allah forbids whatever He wills in this world to His people, for He is the Creator and Sovereign of these things. Therefore, it is not permissible for anyone to object to the ruling of Allah on the basis of his foolish thinking and imperfect understanding. The ruling and the decision of the matter, before and after, is only with Allah, and there is none who can overturn His ruling, may He be Glorified and Exalted.
Allah forbids certain things in this world, and in the Hereafter permits them as a reward for those who abstained from them (such as wine, wearing silk for men, etc). This is what Allah wills to give as a reward for those who obey Him and patiently strive in this world. Allah Almighty says: “Is the reward of goodness aught save goodness?‏” (Ar-Rahmaan: 60)
We can clarify the whole matter in light of the following points:
1- We do not necessarily know all the reasons why things are forbidden. There are some reasons, which we do not know. The basic principle is to accept and submit to the texts even if we do not know the reason, because submission is the point of Islam, which is based on complete obedience to Allah Almighty.
2- Some of the reasons for prohibitions may be clear to us, such as the ill effects that result from committing adultery or fornication, uncertainty in knowing the father of children, spread of fatal diseases and so on. When Islam forbids unlawful relationships, the intention is to protect people’s lineage and honour. As a result of promiscuity, the ties that bind society disintegrate and it becomes filled with sexually transmitted diseases, indicating the wrath of Allah towards those who violate His sacred limits and make permissible what is forbidden.
This is unlike the relationship of a man with Al-Hoor Al-`een in Paradise for we may note that in the case of a promiscuous woman in this world, her honour is readily available to all, and she has no religious commitment or shame. She is not bound by a lawful relationship to one person. So, men and women have intercourse with whomever they want, with no restrictions of religion or morality. But Al-Hoor Al-`een in Paradise are restrained and restricted to their husbands to whom Allah has given them as a reward for their patience in abstaining from the forbidden things in this world. Allah Almighty says: “Fair ones, close guarded in pavilions‏.” (Ar-Rahmaan: 72)
3- Allah has declared that in this world a man is not permitted to have more than four wives at one time, and he will bless the people of Paradise with whatever He wills from Al-Hoor Al-`een. So there is no contradiction between what is forbidden in this world and in the Hereafter, because the rulings of each are different, in accordance with what Allah Almighty wills. Undoubtedly, the Hereafter is far better and more lasting than this world.
4-These prohibitions may be a kind of test from Allah to His servants to see whether they will obey these commands and avoid that which He has forbidden. The test cannot be on something that people have no inclination for and which they do not like; it has to be with regard to something they are inclined towards and attracted to. The test on men with women is to restrict himself to what Allah has permitted him concerning women, lowering his gaze and avoiding seeking pleasure in that which Allah has forbidden. It is out of Allah’s mercy that He does not forbid something that people are inclined towards without permitting an aspect of that nature.
5-The rulings or Ahkam pertaining to this world are not like the rulings of the Hereafter. The wine of the Hereafter is wholesome, unlike the wine of this life, which causes loss of mind, hangover and stomach-ache. What Allah has prepared for the believing women on the Day of Resurrection as a reward for their obedience is not like adultery or fornication which violates people’s honour, confuses lineage, spreads diseases and leads to regret. The women of Paradise are pure and good; they will never die or get old, unlike the women of this world.”