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Qur'an 4:34

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Qur'an 4:34
Verse's Information
NameAl-Rijal Qawwamun 'ala l-Nisa Verse
SuraSura al-Nisa'
Verse34
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicJurisprudential
Related VersesQur'an 4:128


Al-Rijāl Qawwāmūn ʿalā l-Nisāʾ Verse (Arabic: الآية اَلرِّ‌جَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَی النِّسَاءِ) (Qur'an 4:34) refers to the guardianship and leadership of men over women in the family (Guardianship of men over women). This verse also addresses the mutual duties of husband and wife, such as the provision of living expenses by the man and the preservation of the man's property and honor by the woman. In Sunni sources, various occasions of revelation have been reported for this verse, which have been criticized by Shi'a exegetes.

According to Shi'a exegetes, the verse contains three main themes: first, explaining the role of the man in the guardianship of the family with an emphasis on qawwāmiyya (guardianship) meaning management, support, and care; second, referring to the mutual duties of husband and wife including maintenance and preserving the dignity of the family; and third, providing solutions for dealing with disobedience of the spouse, with a sequence ranging from admonition to separation in bed and finally light punishment, with the condition of observing justice and avoiding harmful violence.

Among Shi'a exegetes, Muhammad Sadiqi Tehrani and Hasan Mustafawi believe that this verse implies the necessity of men serving and performing affairs for women, rather than the guardianship and authority of men over women. The monograph Risala badi'a by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tihrani analyzes this verse philosophically and jurisprudentially.

Text and Translation

﴾ الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَبِمَا أَنفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ ۚ فَالصَّالِحَاتُ قَانِتَاتٌ حَافِظَاتٌ لِّلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَاللَّاتِي تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَاهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِي الْمَضَاجِعِ وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ۖ فَإِنْ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلَا تَبْغُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيًّا كَبِيرًا
Men are the maintainers of women because God 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 God 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; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely God is High, Great.


Quran 4:34


The verse "al-Rijal Qawwamun 'ala l-Nisa" is the thirty-fourth verse of Sura al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4:34), which refers to the guardianship and management of men over women[1] and guardianship in the family.[2] It is said that in this verse, God examines the position, responsibility, and duties of the man in the family, and also states the mutual duties of the woman towards her husband as well as the solution for preserving the family from collapse.[3]

Occasion of Revelation

Sunni commentaries have mentioned two occasions of revelation for the verse:

  • Sa'd b. Rabi', one of the elders of the Ansar, slapped his wife Habiba due to disobedience. Habiba, along with her father, complained to Prophet Muhammad (s), and the Prophet (s) said: "The woman has the right of Qisas (retaliation)." Upon Habiba's return, this verse was revealed, and the Prophet (s) said: "Return, for we desired something, but God desired something else, and what God desires is better."[4]
  • According to Fakhr al-Razi, what caused the revelation of this verse was the question and speech of women regarding men inheriting more [than women]. This verse, in response to those remarks, cited the payment of Sidaq (Mahr) and maintenance by men as the reason for this greater inheritance.[5]

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i believes that the narrations regarding the first occasion of revelation (Habiba being beaten by her husband Sa'd b. Rabi') are problematic. He argues that assuming these narrations are authentic, firstly, the Prophet (s) did not issue a verdict but only answered a question, because for a verdict to be issued, both parties must be present in court. Secondly, stating this occasion of revelation would imply attributing error to the Messenger of God (s), as it suggests the Prophet made a judgment that was incorrect [and then corrected by God], which contradicts the infallibility of the Prophet (s); therefore, such an occasion of revelation is unacceptable.[6]

Content of the Verse

It is said that the verse "al-Rijal Qawwamun 'ala l-Nisa" contains topics such as the guardianship and leadership of men over women in the family (Guardianship of men over women), provision of living expenses, mutual duties of spouses, and solutions for preserving the family from collapse in the event of women's Nushuz (disobedience).[7]

Guardianship and Leadership in the Family

Main article: Guardianship of men over women

Exegetes have interpreted the phrase "Men are qawwam over women" in verse 34 of Sura al-Nisa' through three general approaches:

  • Many Shi'a thinkers and exegetes, considering the status of the man as the status of family management, have referred to the concept of qawwāmūn under titles such as guardianship and stewardship (qaymūma),[8] authority (wilāya),[9] and dominance (sulṭa).[10]
  • Muhammad Sadiqi Tehrani considered qawwāmiyya to mean standing up to affairs, caretaking, undertaking women's affairs, and agency/service.[11] Hasan Mustafawi also believes that the verse of qawwāmiyya only indicates attending to women's affairs, not dominance over them.[12]
  • Some other exegetes, combining the two previous views (leadership and agency), believe that qawwāmiyya is not only guardianship in the sense of commanding and forbidding, but also involves paying attention to the dignity of women and attending to their affairs.[13]

Mutual Duties of Spouses

According to Shi'a exegetes, in another part of verse 34 of Sura al-Nisa' ("and because they spend out of their property"), God addresses the duties that husband and wife have towards each other. Exegetes consider the meaning of this part of the verse to be the husband's commitment to providing an honorable livelihood, including the payment of the wife's and children's maintenance and the women's mahr, as well as protecting the sanctity of the family.[14]

Based on existing commentaries, corresponding to the obligations the husband has towards other family members, God has also asked the wife to be humble, compatible, and committed to the family system. By obeying her husband and preserving his honor and property—not only in his presence but also in his absence—and maintaining the husband's dignity and respect, she fulfills her duty as a wife and avoids betrayal.[15]

Solutions for Preserving the Family

At the end of the verse, the method of dealing with nashiza women (women who do not fulfill their marital duties) is discussed. According to exegetes, regarding women who are nashiza, men must carry out the solutions recommended in the verse (Admonition, separation in bed, and light punishment) step by step and without transgressing the bounds of justice.[16] According to the classification by Nasir Makarim Shirazi in Tafsir-i nimuna, the stages of dealing with a nashiza woman are as follows:

  • Admonition and Advice: The first stage of dealing with nashiza women is friendly admonition and advice ("admonish them") and explaining the negative consequences of the actions they are taking.
  • Separation in Bed: If admonition and advice are ineffective, the second stage is to distance oneself from the disobedient wife in bed ("and leave them alone in the sleeping-places"). According to Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i in al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur'an, the apparent meaning of the phrase "leave them alone in the sleeping-places" is not to leave the bed and sleep separately, but rather it means maintaining the sharing of the bed while performing actions that indicate indifference and displeasure, such as turning one's back or ceasing intimacy.[17]
  • Corporal Punishment: According to Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, if rebellion and neglecting duties and responsibilities exceed the limit and the woman stubbornly puts the family center at risk of harm, the final stage, meaning light beating ("and beat them"), is recommended. Of course, the punishment of women must be light; as stated in narrations[18] and jurisprudential books,[19] this punishment must not lead to breakage, injury, or even bruising on the woman's body.[20]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Riḍāʾī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 4, p. 117.
  2. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 369.
  3. ↑ Muṣṭafawī-fard, "Rūykard-i andīshwarān-i Shīʿa bi mafhūm-i qawwāmiyyat-i mard dar āyay-i 34 sūray-i Nisāʾ", p. 82.
  4. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān, 1411 AH, p. 155; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 2, p. 72.
  5. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 10, p. 70.
  6. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 4, p. 349.
  7. ↑ Muṣṭafawī-fard, "Rūykard-i andīshwarān-i Shīʿa bi mafhūm-i qawwāmiyyat-i mard dar āyay-i 34 sūray-i Nisāʾ", p. 82.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 4, p. 343; Qurashī Bunābī, Aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 354; Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 2, p. 73.
  9. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 2, p. 315; Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, 1373 Sh, vol. 2, p. 211.
  10. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 68.
  11. ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Al-Furqān, 1365 Sh, vol. 7, p. 38.
  12. ↑ Muṣṭafawī, Tafsīr-i rawshan, 1380 Sh, vol. 5, p. 360.
  13. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 370; Balāghī, Ḥujjat al-tafāsīr, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 39; Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 7, pp. 229-230.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 69; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 370; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Al-Furqān, 1365 Sh, vol. 7, p. 38.
  15. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 69; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 37; Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 2, pp. 316-317.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 4, p. 345.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 4, p. 345.
  18. ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, 1409 AH, vol. 21, p. 517.
  19. ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, 1413 AH, vol. 3, p. 521; Ṭūsī, Al-Mabsūṭ, 1387 AH, vol. 4, p. 338.
  20. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, pp. 373-374.

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