I once worked in a women’s medical ward in Lahore, Pakistan. I often treated women who had been abused. “Who gave you a black eye?” I would ask one woman. No response. “Who threw acid on your face?” I would ask another woman. Again, no response.
I always knew the answer. The perpetrator was the husband. The victims had different faces but the crime remained the same — domestic violence — and was never reported. Victims went back to their spouses after healing their physical wounds, never knowing how long this cycle of abuse would continue or if it would ever end. Many times it did end with a death.
Does Islam allow wife beating? I have been asked this question many times. The core of the question comes from a particular verse in the Qur’an (An Nisa, Verse 34), which has been misinterpreted on its face to allow wife beating. That misunderstanding is based on a surface reading of the translation.
To determine the true meaning of the Qur’an, it must be read and interpreted in letter and spirit. According to the Qur’an, the relationship between the husband and the wife should be based on mutual love and kindness. Any excess, cruelty, family violence or abuse committed by any Muslim can never be traced to any revelatory text (Qur’an or Hadith).
Such excesses and violations are to be blamed on the person who commit the acts — acts which show they are only paying lip service to Islamic teachings and are failing to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, who never hit any female. In fact, the Prophet used to say that the best of men are those who do not hit their wives. It is evident from many authentic traditions that the Prophet himself intensely detested the idea of beating ones wife. He forbade the beating of any woman with the words, “never beat God’s handmaidens.”
Don’t judge Islam by the ignorant or self-serving practices of Muslims like Muzammil Hassan, who has been charged with the heinous crime of beheading his wife Aasiya Hassan. Judge Islam by what the Qur’an and Sunnah say.
Living without violence is a right every woman should enjoy, regardless of age, race, economic status or religion. Religion can be a factor in some cases of domestic abuse but it’s never the cause. No religion permits or condones violence. Abuse is never God’s will. It’s always the responsibility of the perpetrator and that is who we must hold accountable.
Dr. Samina Ahmad is a scriptwriter, director, producer and most recently the host of a global wellness feature on downtowntv.com.
BY SAMINA AHMAD | MARCH 3, 2009; 9:19 AM ET
