Syzygys,
Is there a purgatory? I assume it must be different for females and males, because good males can have the 72 virgins (kind of similar to the Mormon godlike status) but can good female Muslims get something similar? I assume not, so I see a slight inequality here on the Muslim God's behalf.
Here is a common misconception that is the result of Israeli propagated myths. The concept of 72 virgins for martyrdom is a recent one, invented by egregiously anti-Islamic Israelis. The idea of 72 virgins in the Qur’an, regardless of martyrdom, does not exist. Interestingly enough, the number 72 is never used once in the Qur’an. Thus, this incredulous myth is discredited satisfactorily.
"Dividing Hell and Heaven is an impassable wall, al Araf, covered with contemptible beings whose good works exactly cancel out their evil ones, thus fitting them for neither place."
Al Araf is a temporary setting where certain individuals must visit and await their final judgement. The type of people who will be of the Al Araf setting in the afterlife are those who died too young to be responsible or held accountable for their actions, those whose sins and good deeds negated one another, and those who never had Allah’s message reach them during their lifetime (such as, they were born before the concept of Allah was known to people, lived in a remote and distant land where Islam’s revelation was not yet made present, etc).
Maybe the Muslim god realizes that atheists don't belong to hell....
Not really. Allah is not the author of the hadiths, so what is said in them cannot be attributed accurately to God. That is a dangerous logical fallacy, one which you’ve unfortunately used many times in your arguments within this thread. “Atheist” is simply a more descriptive word for “non-believers”; every non-believer’s fate is a similar doom.
"In Paradise every desire of soul and body shall be satisfied. Whoever drinks the fragrant milk-white waters of Mohammed's Pond, which is a month's journey in circumference, will never again be thirsty. Other refreshments will include milk, wine, dates, honey, manna, fattened birds, and beef from cattle that graze in the Garden of Eden. Body wastes will be eliminated through perspiration. All male inhabitants will become fair, beardless, curly-haired, 90 ft. tall, and 33 years old. Black-eyed houris, or nymphs, of perfect beauty, free from excretions of any kind, await them in pavilions of green cushions. Other beautiful damsels will refrain from beholding any but their own spouses. Every man in Paradise will marry 500 houris, 4,000 virgins, and 8,000 nonvirgins."
Well, since in the population the female:male ratio is 50:50, this indicates that way more females make it to heaven, but they will have a slave/wife status.
Somebody definitely needs to call you out on your sources. Where is this excerpt from? I’ve read hundreds of hadiths over the years, but I’ve certainly never come across this one. There’s no information as to who compiled it, either. Seems to me like the quote above is merely some unknown author’s sentiments. Such sources are of abysmal value to me. You’re claiming Allah displays inaccurate mathematics because some human pulled these nice round numbers out their rear end? Seriously now. Consider the unbelievably descriptive quantitative values as well for the quote above - how can word of mouth stories spanning centuries boil down to such numerical accuracy? To claim the exact dimensional proportions, age, and quantity of the houris, virgins, and non-virgins is ridiculous, not to mention an evident forgery.
"Although the afterlife is generally the same for both men and women, one aspect of heaven appears to have distinctly gendered overtones. The hur, virginal "companions, with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes" (Koran 56:22), are mentioned four times in the Koran (44:54, 52:20, 55:72, and 56:22), though without much detail; post-Koranic sources extrapolate on these accounts. The hur are understood to be rewards for males in heaven, and differ from earthly women in their delicate beauty, purity, and lack of illness, menstruation, and pregnancy. Ordinary Muslim women may also go to heaven, where each is said to have just one husband, usually her earthly husband. Thus the hur appear to join earthly wives as additional heavenly companions for men. However, some commentators see the hur as companions and servants of female believers as well: "Just as the gardens, rivers, milk, honey, fruits, and numerous other things of Paradise are both for men and women, even so are the hur" (Smith and Haddad, p. 167)."
The Quran mentions a creature called houris that are created from light. They are not "virgins" and they are not creatures for sexual pleasure. What we do know from the Quran is that they are pure servants, and that they are for men and women. The exact purpose of houris is not mentioned or defined, so any assumption on their purpose is just that, an assumption. Some people have twisted it as far as they could to make it seem as though these houris are for sex and are "renewable virgins", but without any credibility. Any and all hadiths which support the idea of houris for sex are weak - as in, the chain of narrators isn’t strong or it has missing links.
Besides, the meaning of the word “houris” is highly controversial and debateable. Currently, I’m reading some literature that shows the word “houris” to actually mean “white grapes”, which makes sense considering the word “houris” is often compared to crystals and pearls, and how the verses “houri” are used in usually involve fruits. This is still a highly controversial viewpoint, mind you, but it is certainly interesting and noteworthy. If you ask me, a houri is a servant for both men and women. There is nothing sexually related concerning them in the afterlife within the Qur’an’s text, and it’s important to note that the houris have no specifically stated gender.
Note: When it comes to the houri controversy or the supposedly disproportional afterlife awards amongst the two genders in Islam, I highly suggest disregarding the opinions of writers (dead or alive), and take the hadiths with a grain of salt. If you're genuinely interested in the topic of the Islamic afterlife, and would truly like to learn about its details, then read the Qur'an alone first. Build a general knowledge and understanding using Islam's highest and most irrefutable source, and then read other text and literature with great precaution. With the utmost confidence, I can say that, taking into account the Qur'an and weaknesses of certain hadiths, the Islamic perception of heaven is certainly
not a sex-crazed, male-oriented dominion. That I can
assure you.
I hope that answered a few questions. I'll try and post more information later, hopefully in better detail. For now, this will suffice.
Kadark