The Koran describes heavenly joys more lavishly than hellish torments, unlike most Christian texts

Evidence

This difference is manifest in the Christian and Muslim conceptions of heaven. Both Christianity and Islam assert that we are to resurrect with our bodies at the end of time, and for both, the punishments of the damned in hell are quite physical: “Flames of fire shall be lashed at you, and molten brass. There shall be none to help you” (Koran 55). Yet the Koran, unlike most Christian texts, lavishes more description on the joys of heaven than on the torments of hell, and they are joys that ascetically minded Christians would dare not hope for in the Hereafter: But for those that fear the majesty of their Lord there are two gardens (Which of your Lord’s blessings would you deny?) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 198

Categorization

• SHARE: Worth sending to anyone interested in comparative eschatology — the Koran’s emphasis on heaven’s pleasures over hell’s pains flips the common stereotype of fire-and-brimstone Eastern religion against a more sensual afterlife.