The many justifications and explanations on what beating one’s wife means is highlighted below. Some Islamic preachers explain it to mean a light “beating” intended to be a disciplinary measure to “remind her she misbehaved”. It is also highlight that Muhammad’s instructions were to beat wives with a sewak.
This is what Islamic doctrine says about wife-beating, with examples provided in the Hadith for those who insist it was not intended to cause pain….
“Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them (Quran 4:34)
“And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath (Quran 38:44) –
“A woman came to Muhammad and begged him to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that it is described as being “greener” than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband, but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires. Sahih Bukhari (72:715)
“Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, “He struck me on the chest which caused me pain.” Sahih Muslim (4:2127)
No matter how ‘wife beating’ is interpreted in Islam, it is highly demeaning to women who are treated like children. In a democracy, women are equal to men and Imams who counsel this are counseling domestic abuse. One does not simply abandon his or her faith when migrating to nations where such tenets are unacceptable, which poses obvious integration problems.
“Detroit Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa: Wife-Beating Serves to Remind Her That She Misbehaved”, MEMRI TV, May 27, 2019:
Shiite Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa said in a class he taught at the Az-Zahraa Islamic Center in Detroit, Michigan that when the Quran refers to beating one’s wife, it is referring to a beating that does not cause pain and that should be done using a sewak dental twig. He explained that the purpose of the “beating” is to clarify and remind the wife that she has misbehaved, and that it is only to be done when verbal admonishment and forsaking her in bed have been ineffective in getting her to change her ways. Imam Al-Sheraa compared the “beating” to slapping the hand of one’s child when he reaches to touch an electrical socket or eats something dangerous. The video was uploaded to the Az-Zahraa Islamic Center’s YouTube channel on May 27, 2019. For more from Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7002.
Bassem Al-Sheraa: “The Quranic verse that people cite in order to attack Islam, claiming that Islam permits wife-beating… Who says that ‘beat them’ means that the beating should cause pain?
The Prophet Muhammad explained this Quranic verse. He said that ‘beat them’ means beating them with a sewak. A sewak is a twig one uses to clean one’s teeth…That’s the sewak. The beating is not meant to cause pain. According to Islamic jurisprudence, if you beat [your wife] and any part of her body becomes red, you have to pay compensation.
“What kind of beating does not cause pain? [The Prophet] said that the beating is meant to remind her that she has misbehaved in cases when words [of admonishment] do not make her change her ways. First, the husband follows ‘forsake them in bed.’ He turns his back to her. But what if she says: ‘I’m better off [like this]. I don’t want to see your face. Turn around’? He can snub her, refuse to talk to her…..