BEATING WOMEN, OR BEATING AROUND THE BUSH, OR ... "Verse 4:34 of the Quran orders believers to beat their wives; so, Islam is a male dominant religion." Many of us have heard this criticism from Christians, atheists, agnostics, etc. Personally, every time I read 4:34, I felt that something was wrong. How does God, the Most Wise order us to beat our women? What kind of solution is that? It is in contrast to the verses in which God describes marriage: "Among His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquility and contentment with each other. He places in your heart love and care towards your spouses. In this, there are signs for people who think." (30:21) Obviously, this mixed messages have bothered many contemporary translators of the Quran. To avoid the moral and intellectual problems, they tried to soften the word "beat" when they translate the verse 4:34. For instance, Yusuf Ali uses a merciful parentheses after "beat" to save women: ". . . As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly). . ." (4:34) Many tried to "beat" around the bush to "beat" the problem generated by the "beat" of 4:34. When I finished the Turkish translation (1991), this verse was on the top of my orange list to study carefully. Whenever I encounter a problem regarding the understanding of a Quranic verse, I remember 20:114 and pray accordingly: "Most Exalted is God, the only true King. Do not rush into (understanding) the Quran before it is revealed to you, an say, 'My Lord, increase my knowledge.'" Almost all of the translations have mistranslated the four key words or terms of this particular verse. These are: "Qawwamune," "Faddallallahu ba'dahum ala ba'd," "Nushuzehunne," and "Fadribuhunne." In our late book, "Errors in Turkish Translations" (Istanbul, 1992) we have discussed the real meaning of these words and the motivation and reasons for mistranslating them. Here, we will focus on the last word, "Fadribuhunne." A Famous Multi-Meaning Word The problem comes from the word "Idribuhunne" which we used to translate as "beat them". The root of this word is "DaRaBa". If you look at any Arabic dictionary you will find a long list of meanings ascribed to this word. That list is one of the longest list in whole Arabic dictionary. It can be said that "DaRaBa" is the number-one multi-meaning word in Arabic. It has so many different meanings, we can find numerous different meanings ascribed to it in the Quran. To travel, to get out: 3:156; 4:101; 38:44; 73:20; 2:273 To strike: 2:60,73; 7:160; 8:12; 20:77; 24:31; 26:63; 37:93; 47:4 To beat: 8:50; 47:27 To set up: 43:58; 57:13 To give (examples): 14:24,45; 16:75,76,112; 18:32,45; 24:35; 30:28,58; 36:78; 39:27,29; 43:17; 59:21; 66:10,11 To take away, to ignore: 43:5 To condemn: 2:61 To seal, to draw over: 18:11 To cover: 24:31 To explain: 13:17 As you see, in Quran alone we can witness the verb "DaRaBa" having at least ten different meanings. "DaRaBa" has also other meanings which are not mentioned in the Quran. For example, in the Arabic language, you do not print money--you "DaRaBa" money, you do not multiply numbers--you "DaRaBa" numbers, you do not cease the work--you "DaRaBa" the work. In Turkish we have many verbs similar to DaRaBa, such as "tutmak", "calmak", "vurmak" etc. In English we have two verbs which are almost equivalent to "DaRaBa". These are "strike" and "beat". Webster's Dictionary gives fourteen meanings to the verb "strike": hit (against); ignite; (of snake) bite; (of plants) (cause to) take root; attack; hook (fish); sound (time) as bell in clock etc.; affect; arrive at, come upon; enter mind of; discover (gold, oil etc.); dismantle, remove; make (coin); cease work as protest or to make demands. The same dictionary gives eight meanings to the verb "beat": strike repeatedly; overcome; surpass; stir vigorously with striking action; flap (wings); make, wear (path); throb; sail against wind. In the beginning of this article (underlined) I deliberately used "beat" in three different meanings in a single statement just to show the variety of meanings in a single word. In English, when we order someone to "beat it" we mean "get out". Similarly in Arabic, when we order someone with the commend form of "DaRaBa", that is "iDRiB", we mean "get out". How Can We Find The Appropriate Meaning When we encounter a multi-meaning word, we select the proper meaning according to the context, forms, and common sense. For instance, if we had have translated "DaRaBa" in 13:17 as "beat" instead of "explain", the meaning would be ridiculous: ". . . God thus beats the truth and falsehood." (13:17) Another example of mistranslation of "DaRaBa" can be found in the translation of 38:44. All the translations (except Dr. Khalifa's translation) inject a male-made story to justify their silly translation. Here is how Yusuf Ali translates the verse about Job: "And take in the hand a little grass, and strike therewith: and break not (the oath)." Yusuf Ali, in the footnote narrates the traditional story: "He (Job) must have said in his haste to the woman that he would beat her: he is asked now to correct her with only a wisp of grass, to show that he was gentle and humble as well as patient and constant." However, without injecting this story, we can translate it as the following: "Now, you shall travel the land to fulfill your pledge (that is to deliver the message)." We found him steadfast. What a good servant! He was a submitter." (38:44) Let's turn back to 4:34 Additionally, the word "Nushuz" which is generally translated as "opposition" has another meaning which can be translated as degrees of disloyalty ranging from flirtation to sexual liaison. If we study 4:34 carefully we will find a clue that leads us to translate that word as "flirting or cheating" or "extramarital affair" (Any word or words that reflect the range of disloyalty in marriage). The clue is the phrase before "Nushuz" as reads: ". . . and observe God's commandments, even when alone in their privacy." This phrase emphasizes the importance of loyalty in marriage life. Furthermore, the same word "Nushuz" is used in 4:128, but it is used to describe the misbehavior of husbands not wives as was in 4:34. So, the traditional translation of "Nushuz", that is, "opposition" will not fit here. In vertical relations, "opposition" cannot be a double-edged behavior. So, translators try to avoid this contradiction by ascribing just the opposite meaning of "opposition", i.e., "oppression" in verse 4:128. However, the meaning of "Nushuz" as "disloyalty" is appropriate for both cases described in 4:34 and 4:128. A Coherent Understanding When we read 4:34 we should not understand "idribuhunne" as "beat those women". We must remember that this word has many meanings. God gives us three ways of dealing with extra-marital-affair. In the beginning stage of such misbehavior husband should start from giving advice. If it does not work and she goes further and commit a proven adultery, that time husband has the right to strike them out (4:34 & 65:1). Let's present our suggestion for the translation of verse 4:34 "Men take care of women, since God has endowed each of them with certain qualities and men spend from their financial resources. The righteous women are obedient (to God) and during the absence (of their husband) they honor them according to God's commandment. As for those women whom you are experiencing a fear of disloyalty from, you shall first advice them, then (if they continue) you may desert them in bed, then you may strike them out. If they obey you then don't transgress against them. God is Most High, Supreme (4:34). Beating women who are cheating is not an ultimate solution; but "striking them out" from your house is the best solution. And it is fair too. ------------------------------------------------------- USURY Until recently I had questions that constantly tickled my mind regarding what constitutes "riba" (often translated as usury, or interest), such as: What is my justification for understanding it as "interest" or "usury"? What is the clear-cut difference between usury and interest? What is the Arabic word for interest? Did people have two different words for usury and interest during the time of revelation? What constitutes "high interest"? What justification can one provide for considering 15% or 18% or 20% as the border line between the Satanic usury and lawful interest? Do any fixed percentage, such as 20%, have any meaning in continuously contemporary economies afflicted with continously fluctuatign inflation and devaluation? Is it possible to refrain from all kinds of interest in today's economy?. . . After reading an excellent letter written by brother Dr. Amir Azadi of Canada on interest, these questions were transformed to giant intellectual challenges. I started talking with some friends on the issue. I found that some already had a satisfactory answer to my questions. For instance, Dr. Gatut S. Adisoma provided me with a paradigm-shifting hint. The answer was incredibly simple too! Finally, after studying related verses, the issue became clear for me. Before sharing this simple answer for all the above questions regarding usury or interest, I would like to quote the first three paragraphs from Izadi's article: Throughout history people have often debated the issue of usury in Islam. The question has always been: what exactly constitutes usury, or "riba" as mentioned in the Quran? It is my opinion, and that of numerous Islamic scholars, that usury as stated in the Quran refers to any "fixed" percentage of earnings collected for money loaned or deposited. The emphasis here is on "fixed" because it precludes the lender from any losses. Earnings, however, which vary with the profits or losses of the borrower are not to be considered usury. However there have always been those who have disagreed, and held the view that usury only implies the charging of exorbitant interest, or charging compounded interest, or any trade where one party takes advantage of another's predicament, or put simply, unfair business practices. The same propounders of this theory maintain that lending money at fixed interest rates is entirely satisfactory, because as long as there is mutual agreement usury can be considered a form of trade. The Quran provides the best response to this assertion in 2:275. "Those who earn from usury stand like one struck by the devil's touch. That is because they claim usury is a form of trade. But God permits trade and prohibits usury. . ." If usury merely implied amoral business practices such as profiteering or loan sharking the issue would be a moral one, and thus easily discernible to be wrong in consideration of all other teachings in the Quran. However, it seems likely that usury implies an activity which can easily resemble legitimate trade, thereby necessitating the mention of usury as different from trade. Eventually, however, it does become a moral issue, but only after we have understood the long-term repercussions it has on society. It is extremely important to educate ourselves in this respect, and not form opinions in haste after only listening to one or two scholars, but actively seek for ourselves all the available facts and base our decisions upon the research. Since it is not readily obvious why usury (earnings with fixed percentages) should be prohibited when all that seems to take place is a legitimate transaction between two parties that are in mutual agreement, the detrimental effects of such fixed earnings on society should be considered. The subject of this paper is to show precisely such effects of usury on the economy, and how in the absence of usury a more productive, stable, and just society will result. The effects of usury on inflation, unemployment, and government deficits will be considered, as well as its contribution to the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Dr. Izadi, after this introduction, provides the reader with a detailed argument supporting his points made above. Though I'm not an economist nor a businessman, I found his argument sound and compelling. He demonstrates myriad problems and side effects which are apparently caused by usury (which he uses it synonym of "interest"). Leaving this argument for experts on economy, I would like to invite you for a new look to the verses regarding interest or usury. This "new"--for me at least--understanding makes the aforementioned questions and arguments irrelevant. If we evaluate all the verses on the issue (2:261-281; 3:130-134 and 4:161-162), we will clearly see that the prohibition has nothing to do with business interactions; it is about charity and loaning money for charity purposes. Quran prohibits charging any interest, be low or high, on money lent to people in need. The borrower is defined as "the poor" who needs the money to spend on his/her basic necessities, not as an entrepreneur who wants to start or improve businesses. They are not out there to make money from your loan, but try to survive on it. Therefore, God prohibits us from taking advantage of our neighbor's or friend's basic needs. Lending them money is not business, but entirely a humanitarian act, an act of charity. You are supposed to help the poor without exploiting their weakness. Below are the verses from Sura 2 (Al-Baqarah) that I believe, define "riba" (usury or interest) as loans lent for the purpose of charity. The word charity is highlighted, to pull your attention to the context: 270. Any CHARITY you give, or a CHARITABLE pledge you fulfill, God is fully aware thereof. As for the wicked, they will have no helpers. 271. If you declare your CHARITIES, they are still good. But if you keep them anonymous, and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and remits more of your sins. God is fully Cognizant of everything you do. 272. You are not responsible for guiding anyone. God is the only one who guides whoever chooses. Any CHARITY you give is for your own good. Any CHARITY you give shall be for the sake of God. Any CHARITY you give will be repaid to you, without the least injustice. 273. CHARITY shall go to the poor who are suffering in the cause of God, and cannot emigrate. The unaware may think that they are rich, due to their dignity. But you can recognize them by certain signs; they never beg from people persistently. Whatever CHARITY you give, God is fully aware thereof. 274. Those who give to CHARITY night and day, secretly and publicly, receive their recompense from their Lord; they will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. 275. Those who charge "riba" are in the same position as those controlled by the devil's influence. This is because they claim that "riba" is the same as commerce, However, God permits commerce, and prohibits "riba". Thus, whoever heeds this commandment from his Lord, and refrains from "riba", he may keep his past earnings, and his judgment rests with God. As for those who persist in "riba", they incur Hell, wherein they abide forever. 276. God condemns "riba", and increases (yurbi) CHARITIES. God dislikes every disbeliever, guilty. 277. Those who believe and lead a righteous life, and observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory CHARITY (Zakat), they receive their recompense from their Lord; they will have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. 278. O you who believe, you shall observe God and refrain from all kinds of "riba", if you are believers. 279. If you do not, then expect a war from God and His messenger. But if you repent, you may keep your capitals, without inflicting injustice, or incurring injustice. 280. If the debtor is unable to pay, wait for a better time. If you give up the loan as a CHARITY, it would be better for you, if you only knew. 281. Beware of the day when you are returned to God, and every soul is paid for everything it had done, without the least injustice. I kept the original word "riba" to let the reader infer its meaning from the Quranic context by themselves. Different forms of the word "riba" is used in many verses meaning: to swell (22:5; 4139), to increase (30:39), more numerous (16:92), a hill, an elevated part of the Earth (2:265, 23:50), high and fertile (2:265), lofty (23:50), exceedingly severe (69:10), high, abundant (13:17) increase (2:276). Verse 2:276 is enough by itself to clarify the issue, since it contrasts "riba" with charity. Besides, it clarifies the literal meaning of "riba" by using a verb (yurbi = increases) from the same root with "riba" to describe charity. If we reflect on the context, I believe, it will save us from personal speculations and uncertainty regarding this Satanic conduct which is equivalent of declaring war against God and His messenger. It will also save us from relying on contradictory opinions of scholars or any hadith besides the Quran.