written by Theresa Corbin

Part 1

As a faith community, we are facing a serious crisis in human (and God given) rights violations. Many of those “in charge” are and have been misusing religious texts to cripple more than half of our population- women.

We are a global community and these issues have infected our lives on a global scale. Because of these issues, Saadia Haq and I are “Excavating Shariah” in an attempt to chip away at the fiqh interpretations (human understanding of the Shariah (Islamic) law) that have either intentionally or unintentionally ignored the female experience, oppressed women, or co-opted women’s religious dedication.

We take it as a serious matter that Islam has been wrongfully used as a weapon against women. We feel we have the right and an obligation, as Muslims, to speak on these issues. Currently we are “excavating” the affront that is Domestic Violence.

Domestic violence is a global issue. According to WHO “Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime. Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.”

It is a men’s issue. But there are some (or rather many) who claim that Islam gives men the right to physically harm their wives.

In Islam, marriage is based on on love and mercy, as we read in the Quran:

{And among His signs is this: That He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect.} (Quran 30:21)

To me this, and a number of other verses and traditions that describe the tenderness a marriage should have, means that marriage should be a safe space. How can these pillars of love and mercy stand, how can marriage be a safe space when one party believes they have any right to harm the other party in that relationship, much less a “religious right”.

Those who claim that men have any right to commit domestic violence, use the following verse as evidence:

{But those [wives] from whom you fear discord – [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them in bed; and [finally], (the form for Daraba is used here: wadribuhuna– usually translated as beat or strike) them. But if they obey you [once more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand.} (Quran 4:34)

The verse itself is talking about taking three steps when very serious marital discord (not just petty arguments) arises from the wife’s side (the Quran also deals with discord instigated from the husband and how to deal with it, but that is a topic for another post).

These steps should create an environment where neither the husband nor the wife reacts in the heat of anger or passion that often leads one to commit violence. Step one: talk it out. Appeal to each other’s intellect. Step two: if you can’t figure it out in conversation, then stop sharing your bed with her.

The third step is only taken when the previous have failed to create reconciliation.

And this is where we have to do two things when studying the Quran. We have to remember that 1- context is king. And 2- the Quran is an Arabic text, so we should understand the Arabic words used.

1- Context is King

We do not take the Quran in piecemeal. We understand the Quran in context of itself (30:21), in the context of history, and through the example of the Prophet (PBUH). Aisha (RA), one of the greatest scholars of Islam, said that the Prophet was a walking Quran, meaning his life was an example of the context and content of the Quran.

If we look to the how the Prophet (PBUH) was the living example of the Quran, we find that the Prophet never hit a woman, and never advocated for husbands to beat their wives, not even lightly. In fact, he instructed the exact opposite. Mu’awiyah al-Qushayri (a companion of the Prophet) said:

I went to the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) and asked him: What do you say (command) about our wives? He replied: ‘Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them’.  (emphasis added-Sunan Abu-Dawud)

2- Arabic Meanings

Even in light of this example, the phrase used in the verse in question (Quran 4:34) is often translated as “beat them”. But we must look at the Arabic used in the Quran to determine all that it implies and means.

The word used in the verse is: “wadriboohunna”. Arabic linguists say that this is derived from the root, “daraba”, which has a number of meanings; including, “beat” or “leave”. 

Some scholars argue that the word in this context and in the very clear light of the Prophet’ s example does not mean “beat” but it means “leave”. It is exactly like saying someone should “beat it” in English, just like Michael Jackson sang: just beat it.

You might be saying to yourself, well sure the Prophet never had to “beat” his wives because he never experienced marital discord. This is false. The Prophet (PBUH) did experience discord with his wife Hafsa on one occasion, and with all of his wives at once on another. And what did he do? He certainly did not beat them.

Both times he left.

This is just one example of how verses of the Quran and even Prophetic traditions are taken out of context and expanded to afford men more authority and a status of while women’s rights and roles are minimize and disappeared.

As Muslims, men and women, if injustice is being done to us, we have a right to seek justice. There is no patience with injustice. There is only sabr (patience) in seeking justice. As Muslims, it is our religious obligation to prevent our brothers from oppressing others.

The Prophet (PBUH) taught us to:

‘Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.’ People asked him, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor? The Prophet said, ‘By preventing him from oppressing others.’ (Bukhari)

For a scholarly opinion and the Prophetic and historic context watch Omar Sulaiman’s video on domestic violence:

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