Fiqh Matters for Women
Mufti Fuḍayl Raza Attari
Q: What do the noble scholars say concerning the following issues: 1) Will a married couple in this world be together in Paradise? 2) Who will a divorced woman be with in Paradise?
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
A: The couple that were married in this world will also be together in Paradise on the condition that both are destined for Paradise and the wife did not marry someone else after the husband’s death. The reviver of Islam, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه cites the following hadith:
قالت أم سلمۃ بلغنی أنہ لیس امرأۃ یموت زوجہا وہو من أہل الجنۃ وہی من أہل الجنۃ ثم لم تزوج بعدہ إلا جمع اللہ بینہما فی الجنۃ
Sayyidah Umm Salamah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا states, “It has reached me that whichever woman’s husband passes away whilst he and she are from the dwellers of Paradise, and she does not remarry, Allah will reunite them in Jannah.”[1]
At another juncture, he states:
If a woman does not remarry, she will meet her husband on the Day of Judgement, as long as they both die as Muslims.[2]
If a woman was married more than once, there are two scenarios:
i) A woman will be with the husband she was married to at the time of her death on the condition that both are destined for Paradise. It is stated in a noble hadith:
وعن سعید بن المسیب أنہ قال قال رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم حین سئل عن المرأۃ یکون لہا الزوجان فی الدنیا لأیہما تکون فی الآخرۃ؟ فقال المرأۃ للأخیر
Sayyidunā SaꜤid b. al-Musayyib رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ says that when the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was asked about which husband a woman would be for in the Hereafter if she had two husbands in the world, he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, “She will be for the last one.”[3]
The reviver of Islam, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states, “If a woman marries a second husband, and she passes away while married to him, then on the condition of dying as Muslims, she will be his [in Paradise], as per the hadith.”[4]
ii) If a woman is not married to any man at the time of her death, she will be given a choice to select the one she prefers between those husbands. It is mentioned in a noble hadith:
عن ام سلمۃ رضی اللہ عنھا قلت یارسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم المراۃ تزوج الزوجین والثلاثۃ والاربعۃ فی الدنیا ثم تموت فتدخل الجنۃ ویدخلون معھا من یکون زوجھامنھم؟ قال صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم انھا تخیر فتختار احسنھم خلقافتقول یارب ان ھذا کان احسنھم خلقا فی دار الدنیافزوجنیہ
Sayyidah Umm Salamah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا narrates, “I said, ‘Dear Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! A woman is married to two, three or four husbands in the world [one after the other] and then passes away and she enters Paradise, and they also enter with her. Which one of them will be her husband?’ He replied, ‘She will be given a choice and will select the best of them in character. So, she will say, ‘Dear Lord! Indeed, this one was the best of them in character in the world, so marry me to him.’”[5]
The reviver of Islam, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Aḥmad Razā Khan رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه mentions in al-Fatāwā al-Riḍawiyyah:
In short, if she did not pass away whilst married to any husband, she will be given a choice on the Day of Judgement to select whichever of these husbands she prefers and she will choose the one who was best in conduct to her.[6]
2) As for a divorced woman who married just once, a woman who never married, and a woman whose husband is not from the dwellers of Paradise, they will be married to a man of Paradise. A hadith explains:
ما فی الجنۃ اعزب
“There will be no unmarried person in Paradise.”[7]
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ اَعْلَم صلَّی اللہ علیہ واٰلہٖ وسلَّم
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