An-Nisa, 34
An-Nisa, 34 refers to the 34th verse of the fourth surah of the Quran, An-Nisa. This verse discusses the husband's role as "protector and maintainer" of his wife and how he should deal with disloyalty on her part. Scholars vastly differ on the implications of this verse, with many Muslims arguing that it serves as a deterrent from anger-based domestic violence.
English translations
Muhammad Taqi UsmaniAbdullah Yusuf Ali:
Sahih International, at Quran.com:
Ahmad Shafaat:
Muhsin Khan, at Quran.com:
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri:
Laleh Bakhtiar, PhD:
Maulvi Sher Ali on behalf of the Ahmadiyya religion:
Verse
Transliteration
Verses in context
Background of the verse
There are a number of translations of this verse from the Arabic original, and all vary to some extent. Some Muslims, such as Islamic feminist groups, argue that Muslim men use the text as an excuse for domestic violence.In the Prophet's farewell sermon as recorded in al-Tabari's History, and in a Sahih Hadith collected by Abu Dawud, he gave permission husbands to hit their wives under certain circumstances without severity When Ibn Abbas the cousin and companion of the prophet Ibn Abbas replied back: “I asked Ibn Abbas: ‘What is the hitting that is 'without severity'?’ He replied the siwak and the like’. Muhammad himself never hit a woman and forbade beating one's wife or striking her face.
Another hadith narration of the Farewell Sermon appears in Sunan Ibn Majah. The Arabic phrase mentioned above is here translated, "hit them, but without causing injury or leaving a mark."
There have been several fatwas against domestic violence. Feminist writers have argued that society during Quranic times differed from modern times, especially in how children were reared and raised, creating a need for gender roles. However, these scholars highlight that the Qur'an can be interpreted differently as society changes.
Jonathan A.C. Brown gives the wider scholarly tendency when it comes to the verse:
The first part of the verse about men having authority over women is meant for obedience towards God, not the husband.
Background on the roles of men and women in Islam
The Qur'an states that men are the guardians of women, and thus responsible for earning livelihood for the family and female relatives. Women, however, are given a degree of autonomy over their own income and property, provided this autonomy is exercised in a way that is agreeable to the wishes of the husband, provided his wishes not be in violation of Islamic principles. Nevertheless, they are responsible for educating the children, as God has given the one preference over the other. Man is also considered to be the head of the family. The Qur'an recommends that wives be obedient and adaptable to their husbands. Wives should also keep the secrets of their husbands and protect their honor and integrity. Islamic scholars consider this important in running a smooth family system.For both men and women, zulm- known in English as actions of 'cruelty' against someone- is explicitly prohibited.
Equality of genders throughout the Qur'an
The equality of men and women is discussed in many places throughout the text. The Quran blamed Adam and Eve for the original sin as Satan talks to both of them.The Qur'an is also very specific that both men and women should receive equal punishment for wrongdoings, and that both men and women are seen as equals under God, and will be rewarded for their faith by entering Heaven.
Male and female relationships in the times of the Prophet
In her book Qur'an and Women, scholar Amina Wadud writes about the importance of women in the time of the Prophet. During this time, women did not have access to the technology that women today have; giving birth and raising children was much more difficult due to diseases and lack of healthcare knowledge. For this reason, Wadud writes, "The Qur'an establishes his responsibility as qiwamah: seeing to it that the women is not burdened with additional responsibilities which jeopardize that primary demanding responsibility only she can fulfill." The need to reproduce and raise children contributed to the importance of gender roles in the time of the Prophet.Scholar Ayesha Chaudhry writes that many Muslims have this fundamentally flawed way of examining the text, writing that "Despite the potential for such verses to have multiple plain-sense meanings, living Muslim communities place these interpretations in conversation with the pre-colonial Islamic tradition".
Examples from the Prophet
The late Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Tabataba'i provides the following exegesis on 4:34 from both Sunni and Shi'ite sources in his Mizan:Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated through Ash’ath ibn ‘Abdil-Malik from al-Hasan that he said: “A woman came to the Prophet complaining against her husband that he had slapped her. The Messenger of Allah said: “Retribution”. Then Allah revealed the verse, “Men are maintainers of women… ; so the woman returned without retribution . has narrated it from the Prophet through other chains too. Some of them say that the Messenger of Allah said: “I wanted one thing, but Allah decided otherwise"...there were some instances where Allah had amended some prophetic orders by adding to or deleting from it, but it was only in his administrative order, not in matters of the law ordained by him for his people, otherwise it would have been an invalid nullification...the Messenger of Allah used to wonder aloud: "How can you embrace the woman with a hand you had hit her with?". It is narrated also in al-Kafi through his chain from Abu Maryam from Abu Ja’far that he said: “The Messenger of Allah said: “What! Does one of you hit his wife, and then attempt to embrace her?". Countless such statements are found in the traditions; and one may understand from them the Islamic views on this subject.Al-Tabari wrote that, "The Prophet never raised his hand against one of his wives, or against a slave, nor against any person at all." In fact, when the Prophet faced rebellion of his wives, rather than beat him, Al-Tabari accounts that he instead, "stayed away from his wives for 29 nights."
Debates and discussion about the text
In response to nushûz, admonishment, leaving wives in their beds and idribihunna are permitted. Islamic scholars agree such actions can not be undertaken for any reason other than those mentioned in the Qur'an.Authority of men and its reasons
This allots men authority over women due to following reasons:1: Because God has given some more strength than others.
2: Because men spent from their property to support women i.e.,
clothing, residence, and sustenance. The word qawwamun is also used at Al-Quran 4:134. Here it is said that believers should be Qawwamun with fairness.
Men are responsible of maintenance of women
The reason men being qawwamun over women is that because men are responsible of earning for women.Characters of pious women
The verse declares that pious women are:1: Obedient
2: Guarding the unseen as God prescribes.
Obedient or ''Qanitat''
The verse commands women to be qanitat. The term has been used in to refer to men and women alike, who are obedient to God. Some commentators use the term to mean obedience to the husband, while others assert that it means obedience to God. Some scholars agree that the husband does not have absolute control over his wife, and her first loyalty is to God.Guarding the unseen
Hafizat is derived from hafaz meaning to guard. The subjective form is hafiz meaning a person who guards and hafizah meaning she who guards. Hafizat is plural of hafizah. It means that good women guard themselves in the absence of Husband as God prescribes.Rebellious women and advice
And those whose rebellion is feared. It is advised1: to admonish them
2: to leave them alone in beds
3: to beat them
- the term "nushûz" is translated as "disloyalty and ill-conduct" by Yusuf Ali, "rebellion" by Pickthall and "desertion" by Shakir. Other scholars have drawn on hadiths to interpret the meaning of the word.
to admonish them
to leave them alone in beds
According to tafsir ibn kathir, a well known commentary of Quran. He describes in his exegesis.Should the nushuz continue, the next step is to refuse to share the bed with the wife. Again Muslim scholars emphasize on the spirit of healing while conducting this action.
to beat them (''iḍribūhunna'')
There are a number of translations of the original Arabic 4:34. Some translations include the adverb or.The term iḍribūhunna in 4:34 is the imperative form of the phrase ḍaraba. Scholars interpret iḍribūhunna in different ways. Whereas many interpret it to mean "to strike", others hold that the term means "to separate". Such an action is to be administered only if neither the husband nor the wife are willing to divorce.
The term daraba is translated by Yusuf Ali as "beat," but the Arabic word is used elsewhere in the Qur'an to convey different meanings. The phrase, "Daraba Allah mathalan" translates to, "Allah gives or sets an example." The use of this word might be compared to the way "to strike" is used in English, which can mean, "to strike a pose," or "to strike a bargain," not just referring to the physical act of hitting something. The use of daraba is also intentional, because a different Arabic word exists, "daraba" which is translated to, "to strike repeatedly or intensely."
Muslim scholars who permit hitting, emphasize that it must not be harsh, but rather light. Muslim men are never to hit their spouse's face, nor to hit them in such a way as would leave marks on their body. Scholars suggest that the response administered should be in proportion to the fault committed. Traditionally the idea of beating was "with a toothbrush" or "with a folded handkerchief." Jonathan A.C. Brown resumes the situation:
If a wife exhibited egregious disobedience such as uncharacteristically insulting behavior, leaving the house against the husband's will and without a valid excuse or denying her husband sex, the husband should first admonish her to be conscious of God and proper etiquette. If she did not desist from her behavior, he should cease sleeping with her in their bed. If she still continued in her nushuz, he should then strike her to teach her the error of her ways. Shaffii law only allowed the husband to use his hand or a wound-up handkerchief, not a whip or stick. All schools of law prohibited striking the wife in the face or in any sensitive area likely to cause injury. All except some Maliki jurists held that the wife could claim compensation payment from the husband for any injury she sustained, and Hanbalis, the later Shaffii school as well as the Maliki school, allowed a judge to dissolve the marriage at no cost to the wife if harm had been done. In effect, any physical harm was grounds for compensation and divorce since the Prophet had limited striking one's wife to 'a light blow that leaves no mark.' Causing any injury thus meant that a husband had exceeded his rights. All schools of law agreed that if the wife died due to a beating, her family could claim her wergild or possibly even have the husband executed.Many jurists interpret iḍribūhunna as "more or less symbolic." Others, however, argue that a mere symbolic administration would be pointless and rather should be an "energetic demonstration" of the love of the husband. But it is agreed that the demonstration should not seriously hurt the wife.
The 2007 translation The Sublime Quran by Laleh Bakhtiar translates iḍribūhunna not as 'beat them' but as 'go away from them'. The introduction to her translation discusses the linguistic and shari‘ah reasons in Arabic for understanding this verb in context. The Prophet never beat his wives, and his example from the Sunnah informs the interpretation of this verse. This interpretation is supported by the fact that some other verses, such as 4:101 which contains word darabtum, demonstrate also the interpretation of Arabic word daraba to have meaning 'going' or 'moving'.
The Islamic scholar Tahir-ul-Qadri has given the same translation in his translation of the Quran "Irfan-ul-Quran": "and turn away from them, striking a temporary parting.". This translation is further supported by the fact that the word "darabtum" is used in the same chapter, which means to "go abroad" in the sake of Allah and which is derived from the same root word as "idribuhunna" in 4:34.
The book Woman in the Shade of Islam by Saudi scholar Abdul Rahman al-Sheha stated that a man may "beat" his wife only if it occurs without "hurting, breaking a bone, leaving blue or black marks on the body and avoiding hitting the face, at any cost."
A widely used 1930 English translation of the Quran by British Muslim scholar Marmaduke Pickthall determined the verse to mean that, as a last resort, men can "scourge" their wives.
Some jurists argue that even when hitting is acceptable under the Qur'an, it is still discountenanced.
In his book , University of Southern California scholar Reza Aslan, stated that false interpretations of the text have occurred because Quranic commentary "has been the exclusive domain of Muslim men."
The Islamic prophet Mohammed himself, according to Islamic tradition, never once struck a woman in argument. This fact is sometimes cited in debates about the text.
Muslim feminist writer Asra Q. Nomani has argued, Feminist writer Amina Wadud writes in her book,
Ibn Ishaq has said that Muhammad in his The Farewell Sermon said that:
Nada Ibrahim of the University of South Australia states that three words—qawwamuna, nushuzahunna, and wadribuhunna—are mistranslated due to the lack of equivalent English alternatives. She explains that in particular, English language Qur'an commentators have not agreed to merely one translation of the word wadribuhunna and that "A clear disagreement exists among English-language Qur’an commentators on how best to translate this word. All translations give an explicit negative connotation, and – when read out of context – further exacerbates any misunderstanding."
One explanation of this verse is given in the 'interpretation' of Ibn Kathir, a scholar of the Mamluk era: