of Nokounam, may his secret be sanctified, Session (627)
The Holy Qur'an, as the Divine Book of Guidance, elucidates the status of humanity within the system of creation through a profound and multilayered discourse. Within this framework, it accords special attention to the preservation of the dignity and rights of women. Verse 231 of Surah Al-Baqarah stands as one of the pivotal verses in this regard, employing a decisive and admonitory tone to forbid injustice against women and emphasise their grandeur as a Divine blessing and signs of creation. This verse, by utilising threats, admonitions, and calls towards piety, offers an ethical and rational paradigm for the treatment of women, applicable not only within familial relations but also within social and spiritual structures. In this treatise, adopting a scientific and systematic approach, we interpret and analyse this verse, exploring its profound meanings through a multidisciplinary lens, relying on psychology, sociology, and religious knowledge.
وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ نَفْسَهُ ۚ وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ هُزُوًا ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلْحِكْمَةِ يَعِظُكُم بِهِۦ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
"And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself. And do not take Allah's verses in mockery. And remember the favour of Allah upon you and what He has sent down to you of the Book and wisdom by which He admonishes you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is Knowing of all things."
Verse 231 of Surah Al-Baqarah, following the rulings related to divorce, elucidates improper behaviours towards women and forbids any form of injustice and harm to them in a resolute tone. This verse highlights behaviours such as harming women with the intent of coercion or exploitation (irran litatad), stressing the severe consequences of such actions. By employing expressions such as wronging oneself, mocking the verses, remembering the favour, and calling to piety, God delineates an ethical and spiritual system in which women are honoured as Divine blessings and signs of creation.
A profound understanding of the Holy Qur'an necessitates a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, encompassing not only religious texts such as the Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and Scriptures but also the human sciences, including psychology and sociology. Temporal and spatial limitations have hindered the full utilisation of Qur'anic knowledge and accentuate the necessity of revisiting interpretative methodologies. This verse, as a prominent example, requires examination through the prism of various sciences to reveal the depth of its meanings.
Verse 231, with an unparalleled tone within the Qur'an, forbids oppression against women and emphasises the preservation of their dignity through multiple admonitions, including warnings, advice, and wisdom. This sensitivity either originates from the grandeur of women as the foundation of creation or from the severity of injustices historically inflicted upon them in human societies. God explicitly condemns any form of harm and injustice towards women and cautions against its grave consequences.
Verse 231 of Surah Al-Baqarah, in a decisive and multilayered expression, emphasises the necessity of respecting women and refraining from oppressing them. This verse introduces women as Divine blessings and signs of creation, forbidding any humiliation or harm against them. A multidisciplinary approach to interpreting this verse facilitates a deeper comprehension of Qur'anic knowledge and highlights the necessity of revising interpretative methodologies.
The phrase fa-qad alama nafsahu in verse 231 explicitly indicates that oppression against women primarily harms the individual himself. This psychological principle considers the oppression of others as a form of self-harm. An individual who inflicts harm upon women first contaminates his own psyche and character, with this damage subsequently permeating society. Such behaviour resembles an addiction that initially yields false pleasure but ultimately leads to psychological and social ruin.
Certain individuals, especially men, suffer from the psychological disorder of sadism, manifesting as persistent abuse of women (irran) and violation of their rights (litatad). The Holy Qur'an vehemently condemns such behaviours through these terms, recognising them as signs of psychological deviation. This conduct harms not only women but also drives the perpetrator towards the abyss of destruction.
Conversely, some women may engage in abusive behaviour towards their husbands; however, due to their innate tendency to preserve relationships and satisfy men, such behaviour is less prevalent. Gender-based psychological differences indicate that women naturally incline towards affection and harmony, while wife abuse, as a psychological deviation, is rare.
Harming women may initially produce a false pleasure, akin to the euphoria caused by narcotics. This pleasure is transient and swiftly leads to adverse effects such as mental illness, distress, and neglect of others. The Holy Qur'an, by the phrase alama nafsahu, alludes to these long-term consequences and warns that such behaviours deprive the individual of psychological and social well-being.
The psychological and sociological analysis of verse 231 demonstrates the depth of Qur'anic knowledge in explicating human behaviours. Oppression against women, as a psychological and social deviation, harms not only the individual but also leads to societal degradation. The Holy Qur'an, emphasising self-oppression and condemning sadistic behaviours, offers a model for rectifying individual and social conduct.
The Holy Qur'an introduces women as Divine signs of creation that constitute the foundation of creation and the structure of existence. The phrase wa-l tattakhidh yti Allhi huzan warns that humiliating women is tantamount to mocking the Divine signs. Women, due to their fundamental role in procreation and the preservation of life, embody Divine creation and are regarded from a perspective even grander than the Qur'an itself.
