An-Nisa

Sūrat an-Nisāʼ (Arabic: سورة النساء‎, "Women") is the fourth chapter of the Qur'an, with 176 verses. The title of the sura derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including verses 3-4 and 127-130.

Classification

It is a Medinan sura, as confirmed by Allamah Muhammad Hussain Tabatabai, who states that the sura must have been revealed after the hijrah based on the subject matter.

Although an-Nisā typically appears as the fourth sura, according to the Nöldeke classification of suras, based on Islamic traditions, "The Women" was approximately revealed as the hundredth sura. Amir-Ali places it as the 94th sura, while Hz. Osman and Ibn`Abbas believe it is the 92nd. Ja`fer es-Sadik places it as the 91st sura revealed. Based on the legislation concerning orphans, the sura was most likely revealed after many Muslims were killed at the Battle of Uhud, leaving numerous dependents in the new Muslim community. The revelation therefore began around the year three, according to the Islamic calendar, but was not completed until the year eight. Consequently, parts of this sura, the second longest in the Qur'an, were revealed concurrently with portions of "The Examined Woman," sura 60. However, the sura shows some thematic coherence, despite its disjointed and ongoing revelation.

An-Nisa, 34

The Quran, chapter 4 (An-Nisa), verse 34:

Transliteration: ar-rijālu qawwamūna ʿala -n-nisāʾi bimā faḍḍala - llāhu baʿḏahum ʿala baʿḍin wa bimā ʾanfaqū min ʾamwālihim fa-ṣ-ṣāliḥātu qānitātun ḥāfiẓātun l-il-ghaybi bimā ḥafiẓa -llāhu wa-l-lātī takhāfūna nushūzahunna fa-ʿiẓūhunna w-ahjurūhunna fi-l-maḍājiʿ w-aḍribūhunna fa ʾin ʾaṭaʿnakum falā tabghū ʿalayhinna sabīlan ʾinna -llāha kāna ʿalīyyan kabīran

In the Qur'an, verse 34 of Surah an-Nisa (abbreviated as 4:34) concerns the issue of marital relations in Islam. This verse is interpreted by some Muslims as giving women a degree of autonomy over their own income and property but obliging them to comply with the husband's wishes should they be congruent with Islamic principles and beneficial to the marriage. The verse is also interpreted to mean that men are also obliged to be responsible for maintenance of their female relatives.

There are a number of translations of this verse from the Arabic original, and all vary to some extent. Some Muslims, such as Islamic feminist groups, argue that Muslim men use the text as an excuse for domestic violence. However, Ahmed Ali translated "beat" as "separate", as Arabic in its nature is a multi-meaning language, and as such no word has a fixed sole meaning.