or He forgives it.”

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, what are Paradise and the Fire like?”

He said, “By the life of your God, Paradise has eight gates, with a rider’s journey of seventy years between any two of them. The Fire has seven gates, with a rider’s journey of seventy years between any two of them.”

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, what does Paradise bring forth?”

He said, “Rivers of purified honey, rivers of milk whose taste has not changed, rivers of wine that causes neither headache nor regret, and water untainted; and fruit—by the life of your God—such as you know, together with even better fruit of its kind, and purified spouses.”

I said, “O Messenger of Allah, will we have wives made good there?”

He said, “Good women for good men. You will take pleasure in them as you take pleasure in this world, and they will take pleasure in you, except that there will be no procreation.”