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wa-ḥūrun ʿīnun
and big-eyed houris
— Ali Quli Qarai
56Al-WāqiʿahالواقعةVerse 22 of 96
The Inevitable56. Al-Wāqiʿahالواقعة
al-Wāqi‘ah
The Event
MeccanVerse 22 of 96
56Al-WāqiʿahالواقعةVerse 22 of 96
The Event
and big-eyed houris
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Waqi‘a - Verses 22-24
22. And fair females with wide, lovely eyes,
23. Like pearls in shells.
24. A Reward for what they used to do.
The first twain blessed Verses are saying that the people of Paradise shall have spouses from amongst huris with fair complexions and wide black eyes who are preserved like pearls in shells. The Arabic word hur is the plural form of hawra’ and ahwar, denoting those whose pupils of eyes are raven black and the whiteness of their eyes are quite transparent.
The Arabic word ‘ayn, the plural forms of which are ‘ayna’ and a‘yan, denotes "wide-eyed." The emphasis is owing to the fact that most of the beauty of mankind lies in their eyes. In other words, the spouses in Paradise are so beautiful that eyes shall be astonished by looking at them. The Arabic word maknun denotes "concealed" and it herein connotes being preserved in shells, since pearls are more transparent and more beautiful while they are still lying untouched in their shells.
The expression may connote that they are totally preserved from other people's eyes, since they are untouched and unseen by others. The third blessed Verse is saying that the Divine Blessings shall be bestowed upon them because of their righteous good deeds, such that one may not falsely imagine that such innumerable Divine Blessings of Paradise shall be bestowed upon anyone with no reason, but being accorded such Blessings requires unfaltering belief and constant doing of righteous good deeds.