We keep learning!
So (the translation of) Q4:34 is one of those very few verses that I had always struggled to understand in my 12-year relationship with the meaning of the Quran.
It was 'weird' to think that after the earlier part of the verse talks about how a husband should care for, maintain and protect his wife, he would be encouraged to 'hit', 'strike' or 'beat' her according to popular translations.
I was always of the opinion that this was not congruent with the encouragement of Mercy to all creatures including animals, which is a recurrent theme in many verses of the Quran.
It also was not congruent with tranquility and Mercy that a marital union should give according to the Quran (Q30:21).
Recent news about Domestic Violence spurred a discussion in a Whatsapp group that I am part of and someone had asked (paraphrasing) 'Is it true that Islam permits a man to beat his wife?' I found out and shared with her that the word used in the verse translated as 'beat' had multiple meanings and that my belief is that Abuse/battering/violence is a valid reason for a woman to seek divorce in Islam. (Though, I was not completely satisfied with that temporary resolution.)
Yesterday, I was stimulated by a conversation around a very disturbing video, to seek more information around
1) the interpretations of Q4:34, and
2) Translation of the Quran by females
The video was about a woman in hijab being violently hit on the head repeatedly by a man (possibly her husband), with obvious fear in her eyes. I felt sad watching the video. And the (erroneous) narrative again was that Islam permits such actions.
From my quest,
a) Found out that there are a couple of women translators of the Quran.
b) Found a research paper comparing the translations by females against the male translations.
c) But more importantly came across this video that makes a lot of sense to me.
I have heard and seen people quote a couple of Hadiths to support 'wife beating' but as always, for me, the Quran is the standard. Also, Allah knows best and may He forgive my shortcomings.
Thoughts?
Originally my post on Facebook 5/14/16