Qur'an 4:34
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Al-Rijal Qawwamun 'ala l-Nisa Verse |
| Sura | Sura al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4) |
| Verse | 34 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Jurisprudential |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 4:128 |
Qur'an 4:34, known as the Verse of al-Rijāl Qawwāmūn ʿalā l-Nisāʾ (Arabic: آية الرِّجَال قَوَّامُونَ عَلَی النِّسَاء) refers to the guardianship and leadership of men over women within the family (guardianship of men over women). This verse also addresses the mutual duties of husband and wife, such as the husband's obligation to provide financial support and the wife's duty to safeguard the family's property and honor. 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, defining the man's role in managing and supporting 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 a light disciplinary measure, with the condition of observing justice and avoiding harmful violence.
Among Shi'a exegetes, Muhammad Sadiqi Tehrani and Hasan Mustafawi interpret the verse as emphasizing men's duty to serve and care for women, rather than granting them authority over women. The monograph Risala badi'a by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tihrani offers a philosophical and jurisprudential analysis of this verse.
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 Qur'an 4, which refers to the guardianship and management of men over women[1] and guardianship within 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 because of what he considered to be disobedience. Habiba, along with her father, complained to Prophet Muhammad (s), and the Prophet (s) said: "She has the right to 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]
- Fakhr al-Razi reports that the verse was revealed in response to women questioning why men receive a larger share of inheritance. This verse, in response to those remarks, cited the payment of sidaq 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 Qur'an 4:34 contains topics such as the guardianship and leadership of men over women in the family, provision of living expenses, mutual duties of spouses, and solutions for preserving the family from collapse in the event of women's nushuz.[7]
Guardianship and Leadership in the Family
Exegetes have interpreted the phrase "Men are qawwam over women" in verse 34 of Qur'an 4 through three general approaches:
- Many Shi'a thinkers and exegetes, understanding the man's role as involving responsibility for the management of the family, have interpreted the concept of qawwāmūn through such notions as guardianship and stewardship (qaymūma),[8] authority (wilāya),[9] and dominance (sulṭa).[10]
- Muhammad Sadiqi Tehrani considered qawwāmiyya to mean responsibility for women's affairs, care, support, and service.[11] Hasan Mustafawi also believes that the verse of qawwāmiyya only indicates caring for 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 respecting women's dignity and caring for their affairs.[13]
Mutual Duties of Spouses
According to Shi'a exegetes, in another part of verse 34 of Qur'an 4 ("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 ensuring a decent standard of living, 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, cooperative, and committed to family life. By obeying her husband and safeguarding her husband's honor and property—not only in his presence but also in his absence—and preserving her husband's dignity and reputation, 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 wives who are considered nashiza (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 a light disciplinary measure) 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 advice and admonition ("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 same bed while expressing displeasure through such actions as turning one's back or refraining from intimacy.[17]
- Corporal Punishment: According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, if rebellion and neglecting duties and responsibilities exceed the limit and the woman stubbornly puts the family 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 result in fractures, wounds, or even bruises.[20]
See Also
Notes
- ↑ Riḍāʾī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i mihr, vol. 4, p. 117.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 369.
- ↑ Muṣṭafawī-fard, Rūykard-i andīshwarān-i Shīʿa bi mafhūm-i qawwāmiyyat-i mard dar āyay-i 34 sūray-i Nisāʾ, p. 82.
- ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān, p. 155; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, vol. 2, p. 72.
- ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, vol. 10, p. 70.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 349.
- ↑ Muṣṭafawī-fard, Rūykard-i andīshwarān-i Shīʿa bi mafhūm-i qawwāmiyyat-i mard dar āyay-i 34 sūray-i Nisāʾ, p. 82.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 343; Qurashī Bunābī, Aḥsan al-ḥadīth, vol. 2, p. 354; Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 73.
- ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, vol. 2, p. 315; Fāḍil al-Miqdād, Kanz al-ʿirfān, vol. 2, p. 211.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 68.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, vol. 7, p. 38.
- ↑ Muṣṭafawī, Tafsīr-i rawshan, vol. 5, p. 360.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 370; Balāghī, Ḥujjat al-tafāsīr, vol. 2, p. 39; Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, pp. 229-230.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 69; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 370; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, vol. 7, p. 38.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 69; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, p. 37; Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, vol. 2, pp. 316-317.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 345.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 4, p. 345.
- ↑ Ḥurr al-ʿĀmilī, Wasāʾil al-Shīʿa, vol. 21, p. 517.
- ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 3, p. 521; Ṭūsī, al-Mabsūṭ, vol. 4, p. 338.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 3, pp. 373-374.
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