Is there Quranic evidence that allow men to beat their wives?

Is there Quranic evidence that allow men to beat their wives?

A Famous Multi-Meaning Word

The main problem comes from the word "Idribuhunne," which has traditionally been translated as "beat them." The root of this word is "DaRaBa". If we look at any Arabic dictionary, we will find a long list of meanings ascribed to this word. In fact, we will find that that list is one of the longest lists in our Arabic dictionary. It can be said that "DaRaBa" is the number-one multi-meaning word in Arabic. In fact it has so many different meanings, we can find numerous different meanings ascribed to it in the Quran.  Below some examples:

• To travel, to get out: 3:156; 4:101; 38:44; 73:20; 2:273
• To strike: 2:60,73; 7:160; 8:12; 20:77; 24:31; 26:63; 37:93; 47:4
• To beat: 8:50; 47:27
• To set up: 43:58; 57:13
• To give (examples): 14:24,45; 16:75,76,112; 18:32,45; 24:35; 30:28,58; 36:78; 39:27,29; 43:17; 59:21; 66:10,11
• To take away, to ignore: 43:5
• To condemn: 2:61
• To seal, to draw over: 18:11
• To cover: 24:31
• To explain: 13:17

As we see, in the Quran we can attest to the verb "DaRaBa" having at least ten different meanings. "DaRaBa" has also other meanings that are not mentioned in the Quran. For example, in modern Arabic, you do not print money--you "DaRaBa" money. You do not multiply numbers--you "DaRaBa" numbers. You do not cease doing work--you "DaRaBa" doing work. In Turkish, we have many verbs similar to the Arabic DaRaBa. In English, we have two verbs that are almost equivalent to "DaRaBa". These are "strike" and "beat."  Consider, for the sake of comparison, that Webster's Dictionary gives fourteen different meanings to the verb "to strike," and eight to the verb "to beat"!  (One strikes a match, strikes a deal, strikes an opponent, strikes gold, goes "on strike" against an unfair employer; one beats another team, beats out a rhythm, beats a retreat, and so on.)

A Coherent Understanding of Verse 4:34

When we read 4:34, we should not understand "idribuhunne" as "beat those women". We should, instead, remember that this word has multiple meanings. God gives us three ways of dealing with marital disloyalty on the part of a wife. In the beginning stage of such misbehavior, the husband should begin to address the problem by giving advice. If this does not work, he should stop sleeping in the same bed and see if this produces a change in behavior. And if there is still no improvement in the situation, the husband has the right to compel a separation.

The Quran gives analogous rights to women who must deal with disloyal husbands (4:128); this is in accordance with the principle that women have "similar" rights to men in such situations, as stated clearly in 2:28. These would hardly be "similar" rights if women had to suffer physical beatings for marital disloyalty, and men did not!

Beating women who are cheating and betraying the marriage contract is not an ultimate solution, and it is not consistent with the promise of equitability and comparable rights that appears in 2:28. (This is an important consideration, because the Quran proclaims, and Muslims believe, that it is utterly free from inconsistencies.) But "striking out" disloyal wives – that is, separating from them -- is consistent, and it is the best solution. It is also fair.

Although urgent recovery measures are needed for battered women, one of the root causes of the problem is misinformation about Islamic teachings viz 4:34. The starting point is the education and Islamic civilizing effort esp for any masjid speakers and husbands.

 

One of the greatest misconceptions about Quran 4:34 is that it contains not only a permission but also a command to batter one's wife. We don't have to “apologize” or even provide justifications for the Quran because it does not even have a notion of "hit your wives".

 

So let us be cognizant of the fact that the meaning of physically touching, spanking or beating are impossible in this ayat's sentence from any point of view whether linguistic or logical or contextual. 

 

The sad part is that there are people who would spend a lot of energy on trying to popularize their particular imams and hinge all faith in Islam through their Imams and to launch grave allegations of abuse against prophetic companions simply based on totally inauthentic apocryphal fabrications by their ancestors. However, many clerics imams will not bother to seriously analyze the Quran per:

 

"Do they not ponder on the Quran? Or do hearts have locks over them?"