Houri

In Islam, a houri (; Arabic: حُـورِيَّـة ,حُورِيّ, حَورَاء, romanized: ḥūriyy, ḥūrīya, hawraa', lit. 'Companion'), or houris or hoor ayn in plural form, is a heavenly being with beautiful eyes who lives alongside the Muslim faithful in paradise. The term "houris" is used four times in the Quran, although the houris are mentioned indirectly several other times, (sometimes as azwāj, lit. companions), and hadith provide a "great deal of later elaboration". Muslim scholars differ as to whether they refer to the believing being of this world or a separate creation, with the majority opting for the latter. Houris have been said to have "captured the imagination of Muslims and non-Muslims alike". According to hadith, faithful being of the Dunya will be superior to houris in paradise. Despite obvious parallels, houris are not perfectly analogous to Western Angels, as those are named separately in Quranic texts.