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Wife Beating in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions
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===Wife-Beating in the Qur'an=== | ===Wife-Beating in the Qur'an=== | ||
===="Beat them" (4:34)==== | ===="Beat them" (4:34)==== | ||
{{Quran|4|34}} Instructs men to beat their wives if they fear disobedience. Although a small number of modern Islamic scholars, apologists, and activists have argued that the word ''daraba'' in the verse does not mean 'beat', the overwhelming majority stand with the Islamic tradition and the unimpeachable linguistic case that is made in agreeing that 'beating' is what the verse instructs. No Arabic dictionary or serious scholar has dissented from this consensus. | {{Quran|4|34}} Instructs men to beat their wives if they fear disobedience. The word 'beat' in the Arabic is ''daraba.''<ref>daraba - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume5/00000062.pdf Lane's lexicon] Book I page 1777</ref> Although a small number of modern Islamic scholars, apologists, and activists have argued that the word ''daraba'' in the verse does not mean 'beat', the overwhelming majority stand with the Islamic tradition and the unimpeachable linguistic case that is made in agreeing that 'beating' is what the verse instructs. No Arabic dictionary or serious scholar has dissented from this consensus. | ||
Relied upon Islamic translations of the verse | Relied-upon Islamic translations of the verse present the word as having this meaning. | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|4|34}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|4|34}}| | ||
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'''Shakir translation:''' Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and '''beat them'''; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. )}} | '''Shakir translation:''' Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and '''beat them'''; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. )}} | ||
{{Quran|4|34}} commands wife-beating for misconduct as well as the husband's 'fear' of such behavior. The verse provides two other disciplinary methods and implies (but does not state explicitly) that if these do not work then the husband ought to beat his wife. The verse also states that men have authority over women, and that women are to be obedient for this reason, thus establishing an authoritarian structure with the husband as head of the wife. The reason given for this is that Allah created men superior to women in some respects and because men are maintainers of women.{{quote|Qur'an 4:34|ٱلرِّجَالُ قَوَّٰمُونَ عَلَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَبِمَآ أَنفَقُوا۟ مِنْ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ فَٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتُ قَٰنِتَٰتٌ حَٰفِظَٰتٌ لِّلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ ٱللَّهُ وَٱلَّٰتِى تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَٱهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِى ٱلْمَضَاجِعِ '''وَٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ''' فَإِنْ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلَا تَبْغُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيًّا كَبِيرًا | |||
'''Transliteration:''' ''Alrrijalu qawwamoona AAala alnnisai bima faddala Allahu baAAdahum AAala baAAdin wabima anfaqoo min amwalihim faalssalihatu qanitatun hafithatun lilghaybi bima hafitha Allahu waallatee takhafoona nushoozahunna faAAithoohunna waohjuroohunna fee almadajiAAi waidriboohunna fain ataAAnakum fala tabghoo AAalayhinna sabeelan inna Allaha kana AAaliyyan kabeeran'' | |||
'''Word-by-word:''' ٱلرِّجَالُ (''ar-rijaalu'', 'men') قَوَّٰمُونَ (''qawwaamoona'', 'maintainers') عَلَى (''ala'', 'over') ٱلنِّسَآءِ (''al-nisaa'', 'women') [...] فَعِظُوهُنَّ (''fa'', 'then'; ''ithoo'', 'admonish'; ''hunna'', 'them') وَٱهْجُرُوهُنَّ (''wa'', 'and'; ''hjuroo'', 'forsake'; ''hunna'', 'them') فِى (''fi'', 'in') ٱلْمَضَاجِعِ (''al-madaji'i'', 'beds') وَٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ (''wa'', 'and'; ''driboo'', 'beat'; ''hunna'', 'them') فَإِنْ (''fa'', 'then'; ''in'', 'if') أَطَعْنَكُمْ (''ata'na'', 'they obey'; ''kum'', 'you') [...]}} | |||
The root of the word وَٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ (''wa-driboo-hunna'') is ضرب (''d-r-b''). The letter ٱ (''alif waslah'') [[Arabic_letters_and_diacritics#Special_alif_diacritics|is not pronounced]] here, but if the word lacked the و (''-wa'', meaning 'and') prefix and was at the beginning of a passage, it would be read as ''i'', making the word ''idriboohunna'' (ٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ). Many other verses in the Quran employ verbiage derived from the same root, such as {{Quran|2|60}}, which reads '...strike (ٱضْرِب, ''drib'') the rock with your staff...', {{Quran|2|73}}, which reads '"...strike it (ٱضْرِبُوهُ, ''driboo-hu'') with a part of the cow...", and {{Quran|8|12}}, which reads '...so strike (فَٱضْرِبُوا۟, ''fa-driboo'') on their necks...'. Other examples are also present. | |||
The word "lightly" does not appear in the original Arabic version and it is only added by some translators. | |||
The word " | |||
====Job beat his wife (38:44)==== | ====Job beat his wife (38:44)==== | ||