Why Are There Exactly 72 Virgins Waiting In Heaven For The Islamic Martyr?

Martyrs and other good Muslims are promised 72 virgins in Paradise. Where did the number ’72’ come from? I assume it was not just picked out of a hat. And for the answer to the significance of the number 72, we can perhaps look to Judaism.

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In July 2011, a remarkable discovery was made. The Israel Antiquities Office describes the find: a rare gold bell uncovered in a drainage channel dating from the Second Temple Era. You know, the Temple that UNESCO’s esteemed voting team of antisemitic pro-Islamist propagandists declared has nothing to do with us Jews. In any case, while they are not saying they are 100% sure that this bell had fallen from the robe of the High Priest, they seem to be pretty sure that that is the case.

Just before Yom Kippur this year, a new video was uploaded onto YouTube. In this video, Eli Shukron, the archaeologist who discovered the bell, tells us that it was one of 72 — yes, 72 — bells that adorned the lower hem of the High Priest’s robe worn to enter the Holy of Holies. The sound it may have made is reproduced on this video.

Why were there 72 bells on the High Priest’s robe? The most likely reason is that there are 72 names for God in Judaism. The basis for that claim is explained on a Chabad website.

So when suicide bombers and other killers of Jews are promised 72 virgins in Paradise is that an example of cultural appropriation? Well, maybe and maybe not. An alert reader informed me that there were 72 languages spoken in the Tower of Babel and 72 disciples of Jesus, for example. So, for all three Abrahamic religions, 72 seems to be a significant number. Perhaps they are all related to the 72 names of God.

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Gifts that feature the 72 names of God. The pendant is available on Amazon and the poster on Zazzle.

 72 Names of God Pendant 72 Names of God Poster