One narration describing the huur al-ayn (maidens of Paradise) states that their beauty is such that “the marrow of their leg-bones can be seen.” This phrase appears in authentic hadith collections such as Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari, and it has often been mocked by enemies of God who interpret it in a crude, literal, or grotesque way. Such readings, however, misunderstand both classical Arabic expression and Islamic metaphysics.

First, in classical Arabic rhetoric, this phrase is idiomatic, not anatomical. Arab poets and speakers used similar expressions to indicate extreme radiance, purity, and translucence, not exposed flesh or visible bones.[1] The meaning is not that bones are literally visible, but that the skin is so luminous and flawless that light appears to pass through it. Comparable expressions exist across cultures; for example, descriptions like ‘porcelain skin’, ‘translucent beauty’, or ‘radiant to the core’ are not meant to be medically literal.

Second, the description must be understood within the ontology of the Hereafter. Paradise is not governed by the physical limitations of the worldly body. Allah (ﷻ) explicitly tells us that the realities of Jannah are unlike anything in this world[2], even if familiar words are used. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said that Paradise contains “what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has imagined.” Language here functions as approximation, not replication.

Third, classical scholars never understood this narration as grotesque or unattractive. On the contrary, they unanimously interpreted it as a superlative expression of beauty. Imams such as al-Nawawī explained that the phrase signifies intense fairness, light, and perfection, not physical exposure.[3] No scholar across centuries of Islamic scholarship understood this hadith in the crude way modern mockers present it.

Fourth, the mockery itself often reveals selective literalism. Critics ridicule Islamic imagery while accepting metaphorical or symbolic beauty descriptions in their own literature, mythology, and even modern fantasy genres. When double standards are applied, the issue is not logic but hostility.

Finally, it is important to note that the appeal of Paradise in Islam is not reduced to physical attraction. The Qur’an emphasizes peace, joy, nearness to Allah (ﷻ), purity of hearts, and eternal contentment as the greatest rewards. Physical descriptions serve to communicate delight, not to reduce the Hereafter to base desire.

In conclusion, the phrase “the marrow of the leg-bones can be seen” is a rhetorical expression of transcendent beauty, rooted in Arabic language conventions and describing a non-worldly reality. Mockery arises only when the text is stripped from its linguistic, theological, and metaphysical context. When read properly, the narration reflects honor, perfection, and divine generosity, not something absurd or repulsive.

References and footnotes:

[1] Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v. rhetorical bodily expressions.

[2] In Q.76:12-22, one of the luxuries described is mind blowing and something that the physics of this world cannot comprehend. Cups of glass which would be transparent and see-through while they would also be of silver. We may attempt to recreate an image but that would not do justice. An item being silver, but glass is a contradiction in our worldly physics and is like calling something a solid gas. This shows that the rules of science in the next world will have some similarities but differences as well and will have things which we can neither understand nor describe from our limited minds. Allah (ﷻ) has guided us towards an awareness of the fascinating things in the next life.

Similarly, not just the physics of the next life but the biology as well would be different and it is something that we can never comprehend in this life.

[3] Al-Nawawī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, commentary on descriptions of al-ḥūr al-ʿayn.