2,743
edits
Wife Beating in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
→Wife-Beating in the Hadiths
| [checked revision] | [checked revision] |
Lightyears (talk | contribs) (→Wife-Beating in the Hadiths: it probably refers to the husbands, but is in any case ambiguous so removed) |
Lightyears (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 66: | Line 66: | ||
===Wife-Beating in the Hadiths=== | ===Wife-Beating in the Hadiths=== | ||
Some Muslims deny the Qur'an permits wife-beating and claim surah 4:34 has been misinterpreted, but in the Hadiths there are several examples, from various Hadith narrators and collectors, of Muhammad ordaining wife-beating, thus confirming the correct understanding of surah 4:34. There are multiple hadiths in which Muhammad's companions beat or struck women, and conflicting evidence narrated from his wife, 'A'isha, on whether Muhammad himself used physical force against women. In the section following this one, we identify hadiths in which Muhammad attempted to moderate the level of violence. | Some Muslims deny the Qur'an permits wife-beating and claim surah 4:34 has been misinterpreted, but in the Hadiths there are several examples, from various Hadith narrators and collectors, of Muhammad ordaining wife-beating, thus confirming the correct understanding of surah 4:34. There are multiple hadiths in which Muhammad's companions beat or struck women (sometimes in his presence), and conflicting evidence narrated from his wife, 'A'isha, on whether Muhammad himself used physical force against women. In the section following this one, we identify hadiths in which Muhammad attempted to moderate the level of violence. | ||
In our first hadith, [[Muhammad]] causes his wife [[Aisha]] physical pain by striking her in the chest. The word used here is lahada, which means he pushed violently or struck her chest<ref>lahada [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000204.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2676</ref>. | In our first hadith, [[Muhammad]] causes his wife [[Aisha]] physical pain by striking her in the chest. The word used here is lahada, which means he pushed violently or struck her chest<ref>lahada [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume7/00000204.pdf Lane's Lexicon] page 2676</ref>. | ||
| Line 86: | Line 86: | ||
Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to see Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came 'Umar and he sought permission and it was granted to him, and he found Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) sitting sad and silent with his wives around him. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: I would say something which would make the Prophet (peace be upon him) laugh, so he said: Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen (the treatment meted out to) the daughter of Khadija when you asked me some money, and '''I got up and slapped her on her neck. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) laughed''' and said: They are around me as you see, asking for extra money. Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) then got up '''went to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and slapped her on the neck''', and 'Umar '''stood up before Hafsa and slapped''' her saying: You ask Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) which he does not possess. They said: By Allah, we do not ask Allah's Messenger peace be upon him) for anything he does not possess. Then he withdrew from them for a month or for twenty-nine days. Then this verse was revealed to him:" Prophet: Say to thy wives... for a mighty reward" (xxxiii. 28). He then went first to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and said: I want to propound something to you, 'A'isha, but wish no hasty reply before you consult your parents. She said: Messenger of Allah, what is that? He (the Holy Prophet) recited to her the verse, whereupon she said: Is it about you that I should consult my parents, Messenger of Allah? Nay, I choose Allah, His Messenger, and the Last Abode; but I ask you not to tell any of your wives what I have said He replied: Not one of them will ask me without my informing her. God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and make things easy.}} | Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to see Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came 'Umar and he sought permission and it was granted to him, and he found Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) sitting sad and silent with his wives around him. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: I would say something which would make the Prophet (peace be upon him) laugh, so he said: Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen (the treatment meted out to) the daughter of Khadija when you asked me some money, and '''I got up and slapped her on her neck. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) laughed''' and said: They are around me as you see, asking for extra money. Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) then got up '''went to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and slapped her on the neck''', and 'Umar '''stood up before Hafsa and slapped''' her saying: You ask Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) which he does not possess. They said: By Allah, we do not ask Allah's Messenger peace be upon him) for anything he does not possess. Then he withdrew from them for a month or for twenty-nine days. Then this verse was revealed to him:" Prophet: Say to thy wives... for a mighty reward" (xxxiii. 28). He then went first to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and said: I want to propound something to you, 'A'isha, but wish no hasty reply before you consult your parents. She said: Messenger of Allah, what is that? He (the Holy Prophet) recited to her the verse, whereupon she said: Is it about you that I should consult my parents, Messenger of Allah? Nay, I choose Allah, His Messenger, and the Last Abode; but I ask you not to tell any of your wives what I have said He replied: Not one of them will ask me without my informing her. God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and make things easy.}} | ||
In the | In the hadith below, Ali (the fourth Rightly-Guided Caliph of Islam) gives a [[Slavery|slave-girl]] a violent beating in front of Muhammad. | ||
{{Quote|Ibn Ishaq: p 496|As for Ali he said “Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another. Ask the slave girl; she will tell you the truth.” So the Apostle called Burayra to ask her and Ali got up and gave her a violent beating, saying, ‘Tell the Apostle the truth.’”}} | {{Quote|Ibn Ishaq: p 496|As for Ali he said “Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another. Ask the slave girl; she will tell you the truth.” So the Apostle called Burayra to ask her and Ali got up and gave her a violent beating, saying, ‘Tell the Apostle the truth.’”}} | ||
At one time Muhammad gives a decree instructing men to not beat their wives, but changes his mind once Umar informs him that some of the women have become | At one time Muhammad gives a decree instructing men to not beat their wives, but changes his mind once Umar (the 2nd rightly guided Caliph) informs him that some of the women have become emboldened towards their husbands. | ||
{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud|11|2141}}|Iyas ibn Abdullah ibn AbuDhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not beat Allah's handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, '''he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them.''' Then many women came round the family of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) complaining against their husbands. So the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you.}} | {{Quote|{{Abu Dawud|11|2141}}|Iyas ibn Abdullah ibn AbuDhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not beat Allah's handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, '''he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them.''' Then many women came round the family of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) complaining against their husbands. So the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you.}} | ||
In another hadith, Umar instructs a man to beat his wife after she tried to prevent him from having intercourse with his slave girl. | |||
{{Quote|{{Muwatta|30||13}}|Yahya related to me from Malik that Abdullah ibn Dinar said, "A man came to Abdullah ibn Umar when I was with him at the place where judgments were given and asked him about the suckling of an older person. Abdullah ibn Umar replied, 'A man came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and said, 'I have a slave-girl and I used to have intercourse with her. My wife went to her and suckled her. When I went to the girl, my wife told me to watch out, because she had suckled her!' '''Umar told him to beat his wife and to go to his slave-girl because kinship by suckling was only by the suckling of the young.'''' "}} | |||
A hadith graded Hasan (the 2nd highest level of authenticity) quotes Muhammad saying that a man should not be asked why he beat his wife: | |||
{{Quote|1=[http://sunnah.com/urn/1263050 Sunan Ibn Majah 3:9:1986]|2=It was narrated that Ash'ath bin Qais said: | {{Quote|1=[http://sunnah.com/urn/1263050 Sunan Ibn Majah 3:9:1986]|2=It was narrated that Ash'ath bin Qais said: | ||