How To Beat Your Wife
MEMRI has quite a lot of interesting information:
Sheikh Yousef Qaradhawi, one of the most influential clerics in Sunni Islam and head of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, has advocated non-painful wife-beating. In his 1984 book 'The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam,' he wrote: "If the husband senses that feelings of disobedience and rebelliousness are rising against him in his wife, he should try his best to rectify her attitude by kind words, gentle persuasion, and reasoning with her. If this is not helpful, he should sleep apart from her, trying to awaken her agreeable feminine nature so that serenity may be restored, and she may respond to him in a harmonious fashion. If this approach fails, it is permissible for him to beat her lightly with his hands, avoiding her face and other sensitive parts."
On the Al-Jazeera weekly program 'The Shar'ia and Life' of October 5, 1997, Al-Qaradhawi said: "Beating is permitted [to the man] in the most limited of cases, and only in a case when the wife rebels against her husband… The beating, of course, will not be with a whip, a stick, or a board. The beating will be according to what the Prophet said to a servant girl who annoyed him on a particular matter, 'If it were not for fear of punishment in the Hereafter, I would have beaten you with this miswak.'
According to the website of the embassy of Saudi Arabia's Islamic Affairs Department (IAD), wife-beating is permitted in accordance with Qur'anic verses and Hadiths used by the IAD to explain the rights a husband has over his wives: "The husband's rights on his wife are greater than hers over him." Another source states, "Men have a supervisory authority on account of the physical advantage they possess…" It is also stated, "When the husband calls his wife to his bed and she disobeys, and he spends the night in anger against her, the angels keep cursing her till the morning." In addition, "If a woman dies while her husband was pleased with her," it is explained that "she will enter into Paradise."
Answering the question: "Does Islam allow wife-beating?" Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) stated: "[I]n some cases a husband may use some light disciplinary action in order to correct the moral infraction of his wife, but this is only applicable in extreme cases and it should be resorted to if one is sure it would improve the situation. However, if there is a fear that it might worsen the relationship or may wreak havoc on him or the family, then he should avoid it completely."
The article even has excerpts from an episode of a show on Saudi Arabia's Iqraa TV hosted by Jasem Muhammad Al-Mutawah, an "expert" on family matters in Islam. In this episode, Al-Mutawa discusses wife-beating while holding a 10-foot pool cue which apparently some couples keep in the home. So, because men are bigger and stronger than women, they have authority over the entire family. Because they have authority, they have a right to "correct" and "discipline" their wives, even physically, if they think it is necessary on account of their wife's "rebellion." Women, however, are not allowed to do the same - after all, they aren't the ones with authority. If their husband is "rebellious," they have to seek assistance from relatives.
All of this, of course, is supposed to be evidence that as a religion Islam gives women lots of rights they don't have in the West and that, in Islam, the position of women is superior to that found elsewhere.
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You probably shouldn’t talk about things you cannot understand nor fully grasp.
No matter how good a translator may be, there IS definitely some kind of disortion involved. While some concepts stand fine, others get their meaning or accentuation altered. Unfortunately, religion related information DOESN’T stand well to the translation process: I’m muslim and I can tell you how much of a difference there is while hearing stuff in arabic and then in english, a lot of difference.
I hope that people can be more insightful and go over propaganda.
BS. Look either Islam condones men striking women, for whatever reason, to whatever extent, or it doesn’t.
If it does then “distortion” doesn’t even come into play at all.
It’s issues like this that make westerners think Islam, and it’s practitioners are barbaric.
i beat my wife, may i be of assisstance?
Well, I think what the poster of #2 means is that there are many words in the arabic language with a double meaning. Several passages or verses in the Qur’an may have a variety of different interpretations depending on context and the opinions of the interpreter. There are several documented examples of this.
Also, the Qur’an’s message is for humanity for all time periods from when it was initially revealed over 1400 years ago. Some think of it as a ‘living’ book, because as the literal text does not change over the ages, the message can be interpreted differently over the years. For example there are verses in the Qur’an that detail the process of human embroyonic development. These verses are written in simpler, metaphoric terms to explain to people 1400 years ago. As science progressed, we learned that the Qur’an offered deep insight and detail as to the process that science has now uncovered for us.
There are several articles documenting this link between science and the text, such as here:
http://scienceislam.com/quran_human_embryonic_development.php
Hope this helps.
Joe
There may indeed be areas of double meaning, but nevertheless this is not the case with regards to wife beating. It is highly unlikely that most authorities on islam distort or fabricate something. The fact is the for the major part agree that wife beating is allowed. The opinion on which they differ, is HOW.
The Quran stipulates clearly that a man can employ 3 steps in order to discipline a wife guilty of rabellious behaviour (the original arabic term can mean rebellion or immoral conduct or other). The verse 34 in question is from the Chapter of Women in the holy Quran. One should first stop communicating with her. Then one should cease to be intimate (ie. no marital sex), then one should beat. If she mends her ways, then nothing should be done of course.
Now as most muslims as well as non-muslims know, the Quran does not stand alone. The scholars constantly emphasize that hadith (traditions ascribed to the prophet Muhammad pbuh) are integral to understanding and studying the Quran and thus Islam.
The ahadith (classified SAHIH which means these are verified and authentic and can not be doubted) clearly stipulate that beating is ok but that one must not beat a woman in sensitive places and not the face. We also learn that the many quranic verses have ahadith to explain ´their revelation. Same applies to the verse which states beat.
All translations of every single acknowledged and accepted Quran clearly stipulates the word to mean BEAT. Are ALL these “scholars” and translators wrong? Or are they deliberately spearding propaganda while they are themselves muslims with a knowledge which far exceeds the knowledge of any normal believer? Have all these men of authority been wrong through 1300 years? Have all quran translations be that in english, urdu, farsi, turkish, swahili, spanish, german, french, thai, chinese and so on been wrong?
So unless the ahadith are removed from the equaltion, no different meanin than beat can be derived. And we are talking about more than one hadith. And these are readily available in Bukhari, Muslim and some others but Bukhari and Muslim are considered the most authentic in mainstream Islam (ahle Sunnah group). One of these verified hadith also state that no man will be asked as to why he beats his wife.
So in fact if anybody is distorting something here, it is the apologetics. The constant and usual standard claims that everybody else is just being islamophobic or spreading propaganda or just does not possesss the knowledge hail no credibility. So maybe poster 1 should not comment on things based solely on his personal preferences or views, but rather indulge in studying Islam in order to argue his point. Most muslims have not even studied the Quran or ahadith (multiple volumes) so it would seem infutile to then comment on something which is religiously justifiable albeit one does not need to beat ones wife. But the permissions is there with some restrictions in ahadith.
Just because somebody does not reach the same conclusion, does not invalidate their views. The author of this thread is only citing what muslim scholars throughout time have cited and agreed on. That would also explain why the quranic meaning in various translations can not be and is not changed, as clearly scholars can not just reject ahadith, tafsir and the ijma on this issue or else the same could be applied to many areas which would ultimately leave the door wide open to deviations and free interpretations.
Islam doesn`t allow beating of wife
LEARN to read
…How does anyone of you beat his wife as he beats the stallion camel and then he may embrace (sleep with) her?… (Sahih Al-Bukhari,op.cit., vol.8.hadith 68,pp.42-43).
“…Do not retain them (i.e., your wives) to harm them…(The Noble Quran, 2:231)”
Arabic word “idribuhunna” for “beating” was used several times in the Noble Quran to mean “to go abroad” and to “leave” a place.
Why?
Misunderstood verse is 4:34
Men are the protectors and maintainers of women. because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next) do not share their beds, (and last) “beat” (tap) them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance): for Allah is Most High, Great (above you all). (4:34)
The word beat or strike can mean leave