The Most Controversial Qur'anic Verse

Why 4:34 Does Not Promote Violence Against Women

John Andrew Morrow

• Publisher: Hamilton Books
• Year: 2020
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780761872108
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Islamic Theology

A fourteen centuries old consensus by Islamic religious authorities has upheld the belief that God has granted husbands the right to beat their wives. Previously, the only element up for debate was the degree of severity, the instrument of the beating, and the limit to the damage allowed. This startling assertion, which shocks human sensibilities, is confirmed by hundreds of Qur'anic commentaries and works of Islamic jurisprudence authored over the course of the past millennia and a half.


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, Dr. John Andrew Morrow provides an exhaustive study of the second part of the Qur'anic text, 4:34, dispelling the belief that Islam allows domestic violence.



Like Titan, who bears the weight of the heavens upon his shoulders, Morrow takes on the entire corpora of Islamic Tradition. Along the way, the author delicately and defiantly dispels misogynistic misinterpretations of the Word of God while slashing and burning the sexist sayings that were attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. In so doing, he may well save Islam from those traditionalists and misogynists who claim to speak in God's name.

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Permissions
• Observations
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 Interpret the Verse by the Verse
• 2 Interpret the Verse in Light of Directly Related Verses
• 3 Interpret the Verse in Light of the Qur’ān as a Whole
• 4 Interpret the Verse in Light of Prophetic Traditions that Prohibit Disciplinary Domestic Violence
• 5 Interpret the Verse in Light of Prophetic Traditions that Permit Disciplinary Domestic Violence
• 6 Interpret the Verse in its Historical Context
• 7 The Reformist Reinterpretation
• 8 Interpret the Verse in the Spirit of Islām as a Whole
• 9 Interpret the Verse Allegorically
• 10 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
• About the Author