Ghilman
Ghilmān (Arabic: غِلمان) is a Qur'anic term[1] denoting the beautiful youths[2] who serve the inhabitants of Paradise.[3] The term occurs explicitly in Qur'an 52:24. According to commentators, the word wildan (youths), found in Qur'an 76:19 and Qur'an 56:17, refers to these same entities.[4] Furthermore, a literal interpretation of these verses suggests that these beautiful youths are created exclusively to serve the denizens of Paradise.[5]
Scholars differ regarding the ontological nature of the Ghilman: whether they are celestial beings indigenous to Paradise or earthly humans recreated to serve the blessed. One perspective posits that the Ghilman are the children of disbelievers who, lacking both meritorious deeds to warrant reward and sins to justify punishment, are assigned this role. A tradition attributed to Imam Ali (a) supports this view, stating that the children of polytheists who die prior to reaching the age of religious obligation will serve the inhabitants of Paradise.[6] Conversely, 'Allama Tabataba'i asserts that the Ghilman, like the Hour al-'Ayn, are creatures native to Paradise. Drawing on Qur'anic descriptions, he notes that they are preserved like hidden pearls, a metaphor for their exquisite beauty.[7]
In a lengthy tradition detailing the afterlife, Imam Ali (a) describes the Ghilman as pearl-like youths who circulate among the faithful, bearing cups of clear, radiant wine that is a delight to those who drink.[8]
Mulla Sadra interpreted the reality of the Ghilman and Houri al-'Ayn as the ontological manifestation of the righteous deeds performed by the inhabitants of Paradise, materialized in beautiful and pleasurable forms. He posited that just as the torments of the Resurrection are the embodiment of the sins of the people of Hell, the delights of Paradise are the embodiment of the virtues of the blessed.[9] Certain scholars also interpret the Qur'anic phrase lu'lu' maknun (hidden pearl) as an allusion to the spiritual vitality and facial radiance of the Ghilman, reflecting the beauty of the Lord, rather than denoting any sensual or sexual attributes. From this perspective, the pleasures of Paradise are purely spiritual and luminous, akin to the aesthetic appreciation one experiences when beholding a beautiful flower.[10]
Notes
- ↑ Qurʾān 53:24.
- ↑ Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, vol. 12, p. 440.
- ↑ Qurʾān 53:24.
- ↑ Qarashī, Qāmūs-i Qurʾān, vol. 7, p. 244.
- ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 12, p. 302.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 327.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 14.
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Amālī, p. 652.
- ↑ Mullā Ṣadrā, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, vol. 5, p. 188.
- ↑ "The Meaning of Lu'lu' Maknun in the Holy Qur'an", Maktab-i Wahy Website.
References
- The Holy Qur'an.
- Ibn Manẓūr, Muḥammad b. Mukarram. Lisān al-ʿArab. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1411 AH.
- Mullā Ṣadrā, Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm. Qom: Nashr-i Bīdār, second edition, 1366 SH.
- Qurashī, ʿAlī Akbar. Qāmūs-i Qurʾān. Tehran: Islāmiyya, 1367 SH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom: Isamic Publications Office, 1417 AH.
- al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nasir Khusraw, 1372 SH.
- Ṭayyib, Sayyid ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn. Aṭyab al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Islam Publications, 1378 SH.
- al-Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. al-Amālī. Qom: Dār al-Thaqāfa, 1414 AH.
- "The Meaning of Lu'lu' Maknun in the Holy Qur'an", Maktab-i Wahy Website, accessed on Bahman 8, 1404 SH.