فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍۢ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٧﴾
No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do.
What is Paradise (Jannah) like in Islam?
Short answer
Jannah is described as a garden of lasting peace and joy with rivers, fruits, no sorrow, no illness and no death, and above all the pleasure of God and the sight of Him. The Prophet ﷺ said it has what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no heart has imagined.
The fuller answer
The Quran describes gardens beneath which rivers flow, comfortable homes, silk clothes, and company of the righteous and their families, and says that the highest reward is God's pleasure. Because it is beyond human experience, the descriptions are given in images that people can understand.
The Quran also mentions 'hur', pure companions, for the righteous, and it promises believing men and women alike that they will enter Paradise with their spouses. The popular figure of 72 virgins is not in the Quran: it comes from a single hadith in at-Tirmidhi that Al-Albani and Ahmad Shakir graded weak. Paradise is open to women and men, and the greatest reward in it is God's pleasure.
From the Quran
وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ ۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍۢ رِّزْقًۭا ۙ قَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِى رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُتَشَٰبِهًۭا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَآ أَزْوَٰجٌۭ مُّطَهَّرَةٌۭ ۖ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ ﴿٢٥﴾
And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) unto those who believe and do good works; that theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow; as often as they are regaled with food of the fruit thereof, they say: this is what was given us aforetime; and it is given to them in resemblance. There for them are pure companions; there for ever they abide.
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةًۭ فِى جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ ۚ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٧٢﴾
Allah promiseth to the believers, men and women, Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide - blessed dwellings in Gardens of Eden. And - greater (far)! - acceptance from Allah. That is the supreme triumph.
ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ أَنتُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ تُحْبَرُونَ ﴿٧٠﴾
Enter the Garden, ye and your wives, to be made glad.
From the Sunnah
The authentic hadith behind this answer, from Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and the Sunan with the grade of the scholars of hadith. Open a reference to read it in the hadith library of this site.
Arabic text
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادِي الصَّالِحِينَ مَا لاَ عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ، وَلاَ أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ، وَلاَ خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ ". قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ اقْرَءُوا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ {فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ}. وَحَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنَادِ عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ قَالَ اللَّهُ مِثْلَهُ. قِيلَ لِسُفْيَانَ رِوَايَةً. قَالَ فَأَىُّ شَىْءٍ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ قَرَأَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ قُرَّاتِ أَعْيُنٍ.
Arabic text
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الأَشْعَثِيُّ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالَ زُهَيْرٌ حَدَّثَنَا وَقَالَ، سَعِيدٌ أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَعْدَدْتُ لِعِبَادِيَ الصَّالِحِينَ مَا لاَ عَيْنٌ رَأَتْ وَلاَ أُذُنٌ سَمِعَتْ وَلاَ خَطَرَ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ " . مِصْدَاقُ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ { فَلاَ تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ}
Arabic text
حَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا رِشْدِينُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، عَنْ دَرَّاجٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الْهَيْثَمِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَدْنَى أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِي لَهُ ثَمَانُونَ أَلْفَ خَادِمٍ وَاثْنَتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ زَوْجَةً وَتُنْصَبُ لَهُ قُبَّةٌ مِنْ لُؤْلُؤٍ وَزَبَرْجَدٍ وَيَاقُوتٍ كَمَا بَيْنَ الْجَابِيَةِ إِلَى صَنْعَاءَ " . وَبِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ صَغِيرٍ أَوْ كَبِيرٍ يُرَدُّونَ بَنِي ثَلاَثِينَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لاَ يَزِيدُونَ عَلَيْهَا أَبَدًا وَكَذَلِكَ أَهْلُ النَّارِ " . وَبِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِنَّ عَلَيْهِمُ التِّيجَانَ إِنَّ أَدْنَى لُؤْلُؤَةٍ مِنْهَا لَتُضِيءُ مَا بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ رِشْدِينَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ .
This answer follows the mainstream Sunni understanding and is general learning, not a fatwa. Where Muslims differ, the answer says so. Have a question of your own? Write to us.