There is, however, a difficulty here. If the person over whom the funeral prayer is offered is a man, and we say, “Grant him a spouse better than his spouse,” this would imply that the maidens of Paradise are better than the women of this world. And if the deceased is a woman, then we are asking Allah to separate her from her husband and grant her someone better than him. These, then, are two difficulties.

As for the answer to the first—“Grant him a spouse better than his spouse”—there is no explicit indication in it that the maidens of Paradise are better than the women of this world. What may be meant is one better than his spouse in character, not one of greater standing before Allah.

This answer also clarifies the answer to the second difficulty. We say: the superiority of the spouse here is not superiority in the person herself, but superiority in description and qualities. This entails that Allah will unite the two of them in Paradise, for Allah will remove whatever rancour is in the hearts of the people of Paradise, and they will remain in the purest state possible. Replacement may occur in the person itself, or in its qualities. An example of the latter is Allah’s saying:

“On the Day the earth will be changed into another earth, and so will the heavens.” [Ibrahim: 48]

The earth is the very same earth, but it has changed; and likewise the heavens.

If it is said: If the deceased never married, then how can you say, “and a spouse better than his spouse”? We reply: what is meant is: a spouse better than the spouse he would have had, had he married.

The hadith also contains the additional wording, “and a family better than his family” (1), but the author omitted it, may Allah have mercy on him.