Women see each other in Paradise
Fatwa No: 360298

Question

Assalaamu alaykum. Will a mother be able to see her daughter in Paradise? Will women have meals together on thrones around tables with each other? Will the women be able to sit together like the men, or will women, like mother and daughter or two female friends, not see each other if they go to Paradise?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Perhaps it is more convenient to start with highlighting that the Muslim should be concerned with the means that would help him enter Paradise: faith, useful knowledge, and righteous deeds. He should ask about the means that would help him achieve this instead of asking about the details of life in Paradise. If he enters it, he shall find eternal bliss and happiness therein; Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): {And therein is whatever the souls desire and (what) delights the eyes, and you will abide therein eternally.} [Quran 43:71]

It is possible that the people of Paradise shall see one another; a mother could see her daughter therein. Rather, Allah may reunite them in the same level of Paradise, even if their worldly deeds do not qualify them to be in the same level. Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): {And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.} [Quran 52:21]

Ibn Katheer commented on the verse, saying, "In this verse, Allah, the Exalted, informs of His favor and generosity and His beneficence towards His creation. When the offspring of the righteous believers follow their parents in faith, Allah will elevate the latter to the ranks of the former, even if the latter did not do as many good deeds as their parents. Allah will comfort the eyes of the parents by seeing their offspring elevated to their levels. Surely, Allah will gather them together in the best manner by raising the one deficient in deeds to the level of the one with more perfect deeds." [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

Women can see each other in Paradise just as men can see each other. We did not find explicit evidence in this regard; however, Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): {Fair ones reserved in pavilions.} [Quran 55:72] The verse describes the women of Paradise as 'reserved in pavilions', indicating that abiding in their houses is their normal state, and they go out occasionally, escorted by their servants, to the gardens and the like." [Haadi Al-Arwaah]

This means that they go out to public places and, accordingly, can see each other. As for gathering around tables and eating meals together and the like, we could not find evidence regarding this point in particular. It is not unlikely, though, since the people of Paradise shall be granted whatever they desire therein. Also, Allah, the Exalted, described the people of Paradise as being: {...on thrones facing each other.} [Quran 15:47]

Allah knows best.

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