The Quran doesn’t allow beating women in any way!

The Quran doesn’t allow beating women in any way!

The translation of An-Nisa [4] 34 is usually done so that women should be beaten. However, the expression of the verse and the holism of the Qur’an shows that such a translation cannot be correct. At first, let’s give the context an appropriate translation and then see the reasons for it:

وَالّٰت۪ي تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَاهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِي الْمَضَاجِعِ وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّۚ

“… To the women, you are worried about leaving/ divorcing you ([nushûzahunna] نُشُوزَهُنَّ ) :
• give advice
• get out of bed
• stay away/leave alone ([idribûhunna] وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّۚ ) …”
(an-Nisa [4] 34).

The word nushuz  نُشُوزَ  is usually given meanings such as disobedience, disagreement, irritability, stubbornness, ugliness, disloyalty. However, the dictionary meaning of this word is, to get up slightly from the seat when going (al-’Ayn). It would be more appropriate to refer to the verb nushuz, which is used 4 times in the Qur’an (al-Baqara [2] 259; al-Mujadila [58] 11; an-Nisa [4] 34, 128), in terms of holism, to give the meanings of abandonment. Therefore, nushuz means “separation anxiety,” not rebellion. In fact, in verse 35 of the same chapter, the duty of calling arbitrators from within the family is mentioned in order to reconcile in case of separation anxiety between husband and wife.

In order for the verb daraba  ضَرَبَ  to mean to beat, the preposition  بَ  ba must be prefixed to this verb, and the striking tool and the striking area must also be specified.

In all the verses in which the verb daraba is used as striking, means of striking such as the hand, staff and striking area such as stone, sea, neck and face are also mentioned. This is a Quranic principle with no exceptions. In the Qur’an, the verb daraba is never used in the sense of human beating.

Let’s take a look at the command given to Nabi (Prophet) Musa when he was looking for water for his people, as an example of the verses containing the preposition, the means of striking and the area of striking:

فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَۜ

“Hit the stone with your staff.” (al-Baqara [2] 60).

However, the verb in An-Nisa [4] 34 is in the simple form. In other words, there is no preposition in the verb, an object to strike and an area to strike. The integrity of the Qur’an also shows that it is not possible to give the meaning of beating for the verb daraba:

• “They are your dress. You are also their garment…” (al-Baqara [2] 187).

• “It is also one of the signs/proofs of Allah that He created spouses of your own kind for you, so that you can relax with them. He has also placed love and mercy among you…” (al-Rum [30] 21).

• “(Those who will enter Paradise) … are those who control their anger and forgive people’s mistakes. Allah loves the good-doers.” (Al Imran [3] 134).

• “…Get along with them (women) in accordance with the measurements of the Qur’an (al-Ma’roof). If you don’t like them, know that something you don’t like may have been a means of great good.” (an-Nisa [4] 19).

• The Qur’an orders the spouses who are about to separate, to “separate well.” (al-Ahzab [33] 28).

For this, the Quran does not allow expressions that would suggest violence, even in divorce. It is not possible to think that a creator who commands all these good attitudes, allows violence between spouses. After all, a marriage that will be conducted with violence will have neither love nor mercy.

Likewise, in al-Baqara [2] 229, the same attitude is repeated with the provision “(After talaq/divorce) a woman must either be kept with kindness or separated with beauty…,” it is revealed that the relationship should be kept with kindness or end with beauty in every case. In other words, in the case of divorce or continuing the marriage, the criterion is that they should be done with beauty. It is contrary to the logic of the Qur’an to interpret the verb daraba” in an-Nisa [4] 34 as beating.

Despite all this information, if the word daraba in an-Nisa [4] 34 is still given the meaning of beating, then the following contradictions will come into question:

• If beating is a punishment, the crime must be specified. The word nushuz mentioned in the verse is not a crime, so that punishment can be applied in return. How can a woman be beaten while there is no crime? Because in the verse, “a woman who is afraid of leaving her husband” is mentioned.

• If beating is understood from the verse, then it will be necessary to determine who will define the reasons for applying this act of violence. While a movement does not require beating for some, it may for others. There is no such explanation in the verse.

• There is no numerical or violence limit in the verse either. In this case, it can be concluded that the man is given unlimited power to beat the woman.

• If it is a crime of adultery, it has already been clearly explained in the verses about that crime (an-Nour [24] 2). Why should an-Nisa [4] 34 mention this subject again in an unclear form?

Therefore, this verse cannot be given the meaning of beating in any way.