A Critical Examination of Qur’an 4:34 and Its Relevance to Intimate Partner Violence in Muslim Families

Abstract

This article examines Islam's position on wife beating in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV). Though research indicates multiple causes of IPV, Islam is often singled out as the main cause for violence against women in Muslim societies, based on the interpretation of Qur’an 4:34 (which seemingly supports wife beating). This verse is often interpreted out of context and Islam's position on IPV is confused with the issue of nushuz (contentiously translated as wife's disobedience, flagrant defiance, or misbehavior). The lack of accurate translations compounds the problem for English readers. This article critically examines the legal meanings and implications of nushuz found in verse 4:34 within the context of IPV. The authors contend that contextual understating of this is imperative for positive clinical engagement with Muslim clients.

Keywords:

• domestic violence
• intimate partner violence
• Islam
• Qur’an 4:34
• wife abuse
• wife beating
• qawwamuna
• nushuz
• wadribuhunna

Notes

1. Intimate partners in the Muslim societies can be only married partners, given the Islamic prohibition of relationships outside of marriage (Al-Qaradawi, 1982).

2. To obtain a complete picture of the violence, it is important to view it in the context of these interrelated factors where the sociocultural context of the relationships influences the individual life realities, meanings attributed, and behaviors within it. It is the sociocultural context that identifies the complex system of beliefs, values, and formal and informal norms (among other things) that regulate human relationships in a particular situation. Culture, in this article, refers to those prevailing customary practices, norms, or beliefs that may be different to religious beliefs and teachings. For example, if a particular culture's views of IPV as part of male supremacy are culturally acceptable and a normal part of marriage such incidents are less likely to be reported (Antai & Antai, 2008).

3. Other related terminology used in literature to indicate IPV includes domestic violence and spouse abuse. For the sake of consistency, this article will use intimate partner violence to refer to violence experienced by female victims from an intimate male partner.

4. Such as International Violence Against Women Survey (IVAWS), National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), Women's Safety Survey, and Personal Safety Survey.

5. Such as the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), which encompasses the Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) and the NCVS.

6. Hadith (pl. ahadith) is the compilation of oral tradition relating to the words, deeds, and silent approvals of the Prophet Muhammad and is regarded as an important tool for determining the Muslim way of life by all traditional schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Omran, 1992). It is the second most sacred text and the second primary source of Islamic ethics, beliefs, and practices. There are six major collections of ahadith named after the collectors that include Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Daud, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa’i, and Sunan Ibn Maja. Ahadith serve as proper codes of conduct and provide Muslims with a model to emulate. A large number of ahadith concern social behavior (Saeed & Akbarzadeh, 2001).

7. For text of the Prophet Muhammad's words in farewell pilgrimage, please refer to Abu Khalil (2003, p. 249).

8. The marriage contract is considered to be a covenant that two people make with Allah (Qur’an 4:21; Sahih Muslim).

9. For all these translations into English, see Translations, retrieved from http://altafsir.com/