The Most Controversial Qur'anic Verse: Why 4:34 Does Not Promote Violence Against Women

by John Andrew Morrow, Charles Upton (Contribution by), Abdülaziz Bayindir (Contribution by)

Overview

In this pivotal, courageous, and timely analysis, which works diligently and minutely to separate truth from falsehood, right from wrong, the moral from the immoral, and the ethical from the unethical, John Andrew Morrow provides an exhaustive study of the second part of the Quranic text 4:34, dispelling the belief that Islam allows domestic violence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761872092
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

John Andrew Morrow was full professor of foreign languages at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Permissions Observations Preface Introduction Chapter One: Interpret the Verse by the Verse Chapter Two: Interpret the Verse in Light of Directly Related Verses Chapter Three: Interpret the Verse in Light of the Qur’ān as a Whole Chapter Four: Interpret the Verse in Light of Prophetic Traditions that Prohibit Disciplinary Domestic Violence Chapter Five: Interpret the Verse in Light of Prophetic Traditions Permitting Disciplinary Domestic Violence Chapter Six: Interpret the Verse in its Historical Context Chapter Seven: The Reformist Reinterpretation Chapter Eight: Interpret the Verse in the Spirit of Islām as a Whole Chapter Nine: Interpret the Verse Allegorically Chapter Ten: Vocalization and Variants Conclusions Appendix 1: Predictors of Domestic Violence: Community and Societal Factors Appendix 2: Predictors of Domestic Violence: Individual Factors Appendix 3: Predictors of Domestic Violence: Relationship Factors Appendix 4: Norms and Beliefs that Support Violence Against Women Appendix 5: Assessing Risk in Domestic Violence Cases Appendix 6: The Cycle of Violence Appendix 7: Forms of Intimate Partner Violence Appendix 8: When to Suspect Spousal Abuse Appendix 9: Guiding Principles of Care for Healthcare Providers Appendix 10: Why Women Stay with their Abusers Appendix 11: When Women Leave Appendix 12: Preventing Domestic Violence Appendix 13: How to Help Appendix 14: Combating Domestic Violence Appendix 15: Is Islām Inherently Misogynistic? Appendix 16: The Ṣūfī Prescription for Overcoming Domestic Violence Works Cited Index About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Reading this religio-archeological debate is analogous to viewing a championship Wimbledon match with ideas bouncing from one side of the argument to the other as each player applies skill, study, and passion to the effort. The difference is that the winner of a tennis match will not change the course of life for billions of humans. "While I disagree with discarding Islamic Tradition and traditional scholars, as this amounts to tossing out the baby with the bathwater, I am equally convinced that fossilized religions have no future. They degrade, disintegrate, and return to dust. For religions to survive, they must be living organisms. They are like gardens that require care, cultivation, and pruning" (p. 189). If Dr. John Andrew Morrow can make even a dent in a 1400-year-old pattern of abuse, hundreds of millions of women will benefit and, he predicts, Islam itself will rise heavenward in the estimation of believers and unbelievers alike.

Midwest Book Review, vol 21, #1 - Barbara Castleton

What John Andrew Morrow has done is important and, in my view, it is so far the most comprehensive discussion/exposé of different possible readings of the second part of 4:34.

Ziba Mir-Hosseini

This study can be praised for two points. It’s uniquely courageous for implementing a holistic and multidisciplinary approach within Islamic studies— which is still rare—and for the amount and wide range of source texts Morrow was able to study and include in the research. This gives the reader a detailed insight in the classic and contemporary diverse options Islam offers, yet convincingly argues to interpret ḍaraba in a nonviolent way.

Reading Religion

John Andrew Morrow, in this valuable work, discusses the perception management played on Qur’anic verses and Islamic sources regarding violence against women, and he reveals the truth.

Abdülaziz Bayindir

The Most Controversial Quranic Verse is by far the most comprehensive book I have found on domestic violence from an Islamic perspective. This 333-page book completely destroys any notion that Islam condones violence against women and provides practical solutions for prevention within the Muslim community. This is a must-read for anyone in a family system.

Anisa Diab-Muslim Mental Wellness

Any Muslim who sees Muhammad as an exemplar of mercy and justice is routinely charged by Islamophobes with engaging in “whitewash.” There’s no way, however, that Dr. John Andrew Morrow can be accused of this offense, seeing that the darker aspects of Muslim history and jurisprudence have never been more starkly contrasted with the true sunnah of the Prophet than in the present book. Though Muhammad is known never to have beaten his wives, traditional fiqh (jurisprudence) and tafsir (Qur’anic commentary) have for the most part conveniently ignored his example, routinely taking the Arabic verb daraba in Q. 4:34 as literally meaning “to beat,” even though it is used 58 times in the Qur’an to denote many other things, and “to beat” is not even its most common meaning. Unfortunately, it is the rare Muslim “feminist” who will question this interpretation — but if Muslim women are so attached to male authority, maybe Dr. Morrow can teach them the real meaning of feminism, and Muslim men the real meaning of chivalry. Once again the author incisively demonstrates that the supremely human example of the Prophet Muhammad is the one truly Islamic pathway to a just and equitable Islam.

Charles Upton

Morrow’s work of excellent scholarship and research is a must-read for those who want a clear understanding of the real meaning of the Qur’anic verse 4:34.

Laleh Bakhtiar

John Andrew Morrow, in this valuable work, discusses the perception management played on Qur’anic verses and Islamic sources regarding violence against women, and he reveals the truth.

Abdülaziz Bayindir

Reading this religio-archeological debate is analogous to viewing a championship Wimbledon match with ideas bouncing from one side of the argument to the other as each player applies skill, study, and passion to the effort. The difference is that the winner of a tennis match will not change the course of life for billions of humans. "While I disagree with discarding Islamic Tradition and traditional scholars, as this amounts to tossing out the baby with the bathwater, I am equally convinced that fossilized religions have no future. They degrade, disintegrate, and return to dust. For religions to survive, they must be living organisms. They are like gardens that require care, cultivation, and pruning" (p. 189). If Dr. John Andrew Morrow can make even a dent in a 1400-year-old pattern of abuse, hundreds of millions of women will benefit and, he predicts, Islam itself will rise heavenward in the estimation of believers and unbelievers alike.

Barbara Castleton