Salaamat wa Aadaab
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Suura 4 : verse 34
Arrijaalu … hafizallaahu
Wal laatii takhaafuuna nushuuzuhunna
Fa izuu hunna
Wah juruuhunna fil madhaaji
Wadh ribuu hunna
Fa in atanakum
Falaa tabghuu alay hinna sabiilaa
Yusuf Ali – the name itself is synonymous with Allaamah with -
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“As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill conduct,
[then]admonish them (first),
= =
(next), refuse to share their beds (and last) beat them lightly;
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but if they return to obedience, seek not against means (of annoyance)” modernized
NB: i will comment on the first part of this verse – Arrijaalu … hafizallaahu – in a separate blogpost
Alternative reading by Maulana munir hassan, maulawi aalim, faazil:
“And as for those women whose nushuuz you fear
“fa advise them
“[if this does not yield results] do not share the bed with them
[or]
“do not be intimate with them while sharing the same bed
“[if this fails and you still fear their nushuuz] then leave them [temporarily or permanently]
“fa if they obey you [and stop nushuuz(ing)] then DO NOT
“seek against them any means [of annoyance] WHATSOEVER
Tafsiiri kalaam/comment by me, Maulana munir hassan, maulawi, aalim, faazil – as’siddiiq ash’shahiidul hay
To challenge and oppose the use of the quran as a means to legitimate the corporeal punishment of women is my unavoidable obligation.
However my personal circumstances prevent me from presenting a defense that befits:
the quran,
the infinite maternal ocean of divine mercy which is the origin of the quran, the ink with which the quran is written, the life force which permeates the text, which rushes to the aid of the helpless,
the burst of divine motherly love which triggers the inzaal/tanziil and ii’haa(au’hay’naa).
These personal circumstances include the psychological terror of amongst other things
Living under the constant threat of brutal assassination,
Having been brutally assaulted by muslim brownshirts for practicing investigative islam.
Bearing the trauma of having my aged mother assaulted more then once on my presence an being told to shut up
Total economic sanction – I an trained in Islamics and cannot get employment, hence I scavenge to subsist
The stress living a life on the verge of homelessness.
Living for years in food insecurity.
Having death threats conveyed to me through estranged family.
The corporeal punishment of a female spouse is HARAAM.
To say that the quran commands this is KUFR and obscene.
It is to brutally mutilate the intent of Allaah.
It is to poison water and give it to the parched the starving wearing a doctor’s or nurse’s uniform.
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Against this brutality this muhsan ilayhi-recipient of kindness of Aamina, mother of Muhammad and Islam-Iimaan-Ihsaan must at least utter the first syllable of the declaration of islam- laa/NO!
This aayah/verse is an instinctive outpouring of love and an infinitely wise and tactical succor.
The verb “takhaaafuuna” is 2nd person/mukhaatab, masculine, plural-
The aayah of help refers to a particular group of men. A particular subset who because of their lifestyle and profession and human weakness experience particular problems in their married life.
These are men who are absent from their wives for economic reasons – to earn a living in the harsh desert milieu – for stretches at a time.
Issues of faithfulness pose a particular challenge to marriages of this type.
The psychological literature on marital problems and that dealing with marriages where the spouses are separated for periods must be consulted to gain insight into the aayah
The quraan must not be confined to the plato’s cave-like treatment on daarul uluums (which they are not), Islamic universities.
Commentary on the quraan must be multidisciplinary, tafsiir must reflect the complex reality which divine mercy comes to the aid of.
Those men who are absent from their homes for stretches at a time are easy prey to rumors about their wives conduct in their absence.
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People are most spiteful.
People kill people.
People rape people.
People rape children.
People sell drugs to children.
People abuse children
Of the abuse of children by adults i have an intimate expertise. After the death of my father Faqiir Ahmad Hassan i was/am the victim of diabolic psychological abuse and violence by those who were supposed to my family and caregivers. How they enjoyed terrorizing me. They still enjoy seeing the effects of that psychological terrorism.
In one sense it is true define the human as “that which is evil”
To continue
Similarly the wives are also subject to rumors about their husbands. Business rivals spread truths, weaknesses, untruths, admixtures of multiple lies and contorted truths about each other.
I do not want in any way detract from the suffering of women in anyway whatsoever. My circumstances and the tsunamis of hostility under which I live and my penury and destitution prevent me from doing my duty. All I can manage is to say Laa?NO!
It is also important to note that marriage in subsistence situations effect the survival of both the spouses and the children.
i note that the quraan has a thorough grasp of the social and psychological dynamics of patriarchy and enters into this milieu and works and solutioneers in this context. The is not impractical. The quraan is procedural.
In the aayah under tafsiiri kalaam addresses the power center, the male spouse – the man is of course not the absolute power center -
First the infinite ocean of divine maternal wisdom and love asks the male if he really has cause to doubt his partner. There must khauf, fear, not suspicion, wahm…halumma jarran
Then the fear must relate to nushuuz – absolute infidelity and an incorrigible total pattern of conduct that is contrary to the aims and objectives of a marriage.
Even in this case the infinite ocean of maternal addressing a power center in the context of patriarchy says FA izuu hunna
The FA is of immense importance – Ustaad(R) said that the huruuf give great meaning to the quraan. They are like the force of gravity. They prevent things from spinning out of control. They order matters.
FA here demands a cooling period. Do not jump into accusations, arguments…
Put your mind in a freezer for a while.
The male animal – hayawaan – is ordered to engage the mind he must alone and with the counsel of able, reliable, willing persons, with mind and heart verbally engage his wife. This will and must of necessity give her the opportunity to express herself.
If the problem is solved at the stage of FA izuu hunna then the command of Fa in atanakum Falaa tabghuu alay hinna sabiilaa must be applied. The male animal must never impugn his wife in the slightest ever again.
If the process of FA izuu hunna does told solve the marital discord then the male is advised to share the marital bed with his wife but not to force himself carnally onto her. This proximity should create opportunity for dialogue and exploration as to the future of the union.
If the problem is solved at the stage of Wah juruuhunna fil madhaaji then the command of Fa in atanakum Falaa tabghuu alay hinna sabiilaa must be applied. The male animal must never impugn his wife in the slightest ever again.
Or Wah juruuhunna fil madhaaji can be taken to mean that spouses should not share the marriage bed. They should separate. This separation will give each spouse time to reflect over the union and its viability.
If the problem is solved at the stage of Wah juruuhunna fil madhaaji then the command of Fa in atanakum Falaa tabghuu alay hinna sabiilaa must be applied. The male animal must never impugn his wife in the slightest ever again.
Now note! the direction of the flow of the infinite maternal river of love and wisdom. This aayah has direction, it is a vector. This point of the vector nature of the aayah must be taken note of and cannot be overemphasized.
Divine maternal love seeks to solve the problem. The method offered is introspection, dialogue, appropriate mediation. If all this fails what is the next step? i Maulana munir hassan, maulawi, aalim, faazil – as’siddiiq ash’shahiidul hay say that the reading of Wadh ribuu hunna as iizaa causing pain and harm to the female unit of the marriage goes against the direction, the vector, that is initiated at wallaatii. Doing so is to miss the entire point entirely. In the least it is kufr. The semantic pool, denotative spectrum of Wadh ribuu is vast. What we see in lisaanul arab, tarul aruus an the other dictionaries and lughwi commentaries and glosses is the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
Literary investigation yields that the root dha, ra, ba mean amongst very many other things to separate totally.
If all efforts at removing discord, ill-will, suspicion, discontent… fail then the power holder in the union in a patriarchal context is commanded to leave his wife completely. He must never comment at her in the market, while passing in the street, at the public well, at the start of the separation he may not go to her place of residence to argue, cause a ruckus or any disturbance whatsoever. The marriage must of need be ended. The female must not live in a hell of suspicion, insult… at all.
Oh Aaminah, Mother of Muhammad and Islam, i, munir hassan present this at your feet.
