The Abusive Book

 Bijla Singh

6) “…(And last) beat them…”

c) And lastly, if nothing works then good thrashing of the wife is the final solution. According to Muslims the verse advises to “beat simply as a gesture and to not cause pain”. Then, we must ask, what kind of beating will it be if it is not to cause pain? Perhaps Muslims could bring forth some beating methods from Mohammad’s times that did not cause pain? What exactly is the purpose of beating if no pain must be caused? If no pain is to be caused then the point of beating is mute because the wife will not change her mind and the “final” solution is anything but.

Muslims have tried relentlessly to wash off the strong abusive tone of this verse by adding words like “lightly” which nowhere appears in the original Arabic text. Scholars like Yusuf Ali and others have tried to twist the implied meanings to have it accepted in the modern society but the verse is clear enough to be understood by any rational person. Even if we assume no pain is caused to the wife in beating, the argument still stands: beating IS permissible. The concern here is the physical abuse and woman’s right. Beating is wrong whether pain is caused or not. If Islam was all about equality then women would’ve been granted the same right to beat their husbands in the fear of ill conduct. After all, women are capable of contributing to the household as much as men and are equal partners in marriage. Why is such a right not granted to women so they too can have a chance to save their marriage in case they fear disloyalty of their husbands?

Many Muslims claim that beating is allowed in rare circumstance and as a final step to save the marriage. The verse, however, makes no implication and it is clear that beating is the third step in the series to bring wife in obedience. 

7) “…but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means: For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).”

First half of the line means: if a wife becomes obedient and acts in good conduct, the husband should forsake hostile behavior and be with her i.e. not beat her or abstain from her bed. If a wife indeed cheated on her husband just for the sake of sexual pleasure and then became obedient after a verbal warning, why must a man take her back? What guarantee does he have that his wife will not resort to the same behavior again? What if this becomes her regular habit? Does Quran offer any solution other than saying “Talaq” three times? What if none of the three methods work and the husband does not want to go through a divorce as it will be devastating upon him and his young kids? Both are trapped in loveless marriage as the husband doesn’t want a divorce and the wife has no right to get one.

Last half of the line is interpreted as: "Surely Allaah is Ever Most High, Most Great," Allaah is the Guardian of women if men treat their wives unjustly without reason, and will mete out punishment upon those who have committed this (Tafseer ibn Kather). So if the woman is unjust the man has the right to take action right then right away but if the man is unjust, woman has to wait for Allah to deliver justice. Will be it on judgment day or right after death? Even if Allah decides to do it the next day it will be too late considering the Islamic fact that 1 day of Allah is 50,000 human years. Justice at its best!

After scrutinizing the verse closely following points can be concluded:

1. Men are superior to women physically and emotionally.
2. Women who follow their husbands’ orders (willingly or unwillingly) even when they are wrong are the true obedient ones. Freedom of thought and speech is not granted to women because such would lead to disobedience.
3. Quran considers men as faithful and honest beings and holds women responsible for the marriage trouble.
4. If a husband is suspicious of misbehavior of his wife he can give her punishment.
5. Quran offers three methods of punishment to be used to bring wife in obedience: verbal warning, separating the beds and beating. Each one is followed by a stronger course of action. If the verbal warning fails then separating the beds is the next step. If that fails the next one is beating. Hence, it cannot be a simple tap or striking the wife with a stick as large as a toothbrush as many Muslim apologists claim but a full scale beating which causes pain.
6. Even after allowing men to deter women and instill fear in their minds, Allah remains “merciful” and “forgiving” in Quran. Hypocrisy at its best. To whom is Allah merciful and forgiving? Clearly to men because in the eyes of Allah women are simply unintelligent, dirty, inferior and personal property.

The readers must keep in mind that the word “beat” was chosen by Muslim scholars as the most accurate translation of the Arabic text. Had there been a better word, surely Muslims would have used it. Hence, the word “beat” is the instruction for the action to be taken and not used metaphorically or symbolically as many Muslims claim. Therefore, wife beating is allowed in Islam. One can clearly see how ridiculous the Quranic message is. Accusation of “misinterpretation” applies to Muslims for distorting the Quranic message for the purpose of seeking acceptance from the western society.

<< Previous                                                                                                                                                                 Next >>