When reference is made to the Heaven in the Qur’ān, it tells of the great things that will be there, including chaste maidens. I assume that the maidens will be for men. What will be provided to women in Heaven? Why does it not explicitly mention the reward of women in the same verses?

In all such verses, it is implied that pious women will be rewarded with pious men. This is not explicitly stated because such a mention is against modesty -- a value that has almost become extinct in present times. Hayā (translated as modesty for want of a better word) is a fundamental feature of Muslim women as per the Qur’ān. It is against the norms of Hayā to say in words that women would be rewarded with men, though this is an understood fact.

It needs to be appreciated that the norms of modesty are different for the two, and, perhaps this difference is very difficult to communicate to the modern mind because of the influence of feminism on it. I’ll try to explain this to you, but I also admit at the outset that this is something to be felt and not something about which arguments can be given. The fact that Islamic societies have always given more protection to women and have been always more sensitive about women and their reputation is something we can start with as regards this difference. The fact that a boy has girl friends is a bad thing in Islamic societies, but the fact that a girl has boy friends is not just bad -- it is criminal. Parents would lovingly say to their sons: ‘We are going to bring a charming wife for you’, but they would seldom say to their daughters: ‘We are going to bring a handsome husband for you’. So you see this difference in attitude is present in such societies and allow me to say that it is the call of human nature -- a nature that has not been perverted or influenced by extremism. The Qur’ān has only given due regard to this attitude and inclination innately found in human nature.