An-Nisa 4:34 is the 34th verse in the fourth chapter of the Quran. This verse adjudges the role of a husband as protector and maintainer of his wife and how he should deal with ill-conduct on her part. Scholars vastly differ on the implications of this verse, with some interpreting it as an endorsement of physical discipline administered by the husband on his wife and others disputing that or arguing that it serves as a deterrent from anger-based domestic violence.
Text and translations Verse
Transliteration
English translations Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an (1934):
Muhammad Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an (2004):
Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran (2015):
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, say that Muslim men use the text as an excuse for domestic violence.
In Muhammad's farewell sermon as recorded in al-Tabari's History,al-Tabari, History of Al-Tabari, Vol. IX: The Last Years of the Prophet tr. Poonawala, I.K. (Albany, NY, 1990) pp. 112-113 and in a Sahih Hadith collected by Abu Dawud,sunnah.com Sunan Abu Dawud 10:1900 he gave permission to husbands to hit their wives under certain circumstances without severity (فَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ضَرْبًا غَيْرَ مُبَرِّحٍ fadribuhunna darban ghayra mubarrih; literal translation: "... then beat them, a beating without severity") When the cousin and companion of Muhammad, Ibn Abbas, replied back: “I asked Ibn Abbas: ‘What is the hitting that is 'without severity'?’ He replied [with] the siwak (tooth-stick) and the like’.
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 said that society during Quranic times differed from modern times, especially in how children were reared and raised, creating a need for gender roles. These scholars say that the Qur'an can be interpreted differently as society changes.
Jonathan A.C. Brown said:
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 in charge of women because God has favored one over the other and they are responsible to provide them. Women, however, are given a degree of autonomy over their own income and property.Iman Hashim, Reconciling Islam and feminism, Gender & Development, 1999, vol. 7, issue 1, p 7, 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.Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Qur'an, 2nd ed., vol. 2, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), p. 278 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.Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, Mizan, Chapter:The Social Law of Islam
For both men and women, zulm- known in English as actions of 'cruelty' against someone- is explicitly prohibited.
Shared Treatment of genders throughout the Qur'an The equality of men and women is discussed in many places throughout the text.
The Qur'an is also very specific that both men and women should receive equal punishment for wrongdoings (), and that God will give a believer who does a righteous deed, regardless of being male or female, Paradise ().
Male and female relationships in the times of Muhammad
In her book Qur'an and Women, scholar Amina Wadud writes about the importance of women in the time of Muhammad. 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 [the husband's] 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 Muhammad.
Scholar Ayesha Chaudhry writes that many Muslims have this fundamentally flawed way of examining the text, writing that "Despite the potential for such verses [4:34] to have multiple plain-sense meanings, living Muslim communities place these interpretations in conversation with the pre-colonial Islamic tradition".
Examples from Muhammad The late Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Tabataba'i (1903-1981 AD) 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… (4:34); so the woman returned without retribution [ad-Durr 'l-munthur, as-Suyuti]. [as-Suyuti] has narrated it from the Prophet through other chains too. Some of them say that the Messenger of Allah said: “I wanted one thing (retribution), 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 (Imam Muhammad al-Baqir) 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.Tafsir al-Mizan, by al-Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn at-Tabataba-i, translated by Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi. V. 8, p.217,220Al-Tabari (839-923 AD) 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 Muhammad faced rebellion of his wives, rather than beat them, 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 (see nushûz).Saleem Shahzad, Can a Husband force his Wife to wear the Hijab? , Renaissance - Monthly Islamic Journal, 11(11), November 2001.
Authority of men This allots men authority, qawwamun, over women conditional on men being responsible of earning income on behalf of for women and spending their property to support women i.e., clothing, residence, and sustenance.
Obedient or Qanitat The verse commands women to be qanitat. The term has been used in Quran 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.
To admonish them The first response to nushuz is wā'z (‘وَعَظ’), meaning to first admonish or scold the wife of her behaviour. There is strong agreement amongst Muslim scholars that this admonishment must be conducted in a spirit of reconciliation.
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.
The term iḍribūhunna (usually translated, 'beat them') in 4:34 is the imperative form of the phrase ḍaraba (Arabic: ضرب 'to beat, beat, smote, or strike').ضرب defined in Lane, E.W. (1863-93) An Arabic English Lexicon Reprinted in Beirut: Librarie du Liban, 1968, p.1777 View on studyquran.org Scholars interpret iḍribūhunna in different ways. Whereas the consensus interprets it to mean "to strike", some 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."