The Holy Quran is a book which, like a crystal-clear spring, has, throughout various ages, streamed divine knowledge towards truth-seeking humanity. Nonetheless, the understanding of certain verses, particularly within the context of social and cultural transformations, necessitates rational and specialised reconsideration. Verse 34 of Surah An-Nis, addressing the subject of mens guardianship over women, financial support, and related family relationship rulings, is among those verses that demand a renewed interpretation in the light of collective intellect and contemporary expertise. This essay critically reexamines this verse with reliance on principles of rationality and expertise, situating it within its historical and social context, while examining the positions of women and men as two complementary wings for flight towards human perfection. Its objective is to dispel the dust of superstitions and prejudices, casting a new light on the comprehension of this verse, so that, like a mirror, it may reflect the truth of human relations.
الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَبِمَا أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ ۚ فَالصَّالِحَاتُ قَانِتَاتٌ حَافِظَاتٌ لِلْغَيْبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَاللَّاتِي تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَعِظُوهُنَّ وَاهْجُرُوهُنَّ فِي الْمَضَاجِعِ وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ۖ فَإِنْ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلَا تَبْغُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيًّا كَبِيرًا
Men are the maintainers of women, because God has favoured some of them over others and because they spend out of their wealth. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient and guard in the husband's absence what God would have them guard. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them, forsake them in bed, and strike them. But if they obey you, do not seek a way against them, for God is Exalted and Great.
Verse 34 of Surah An-Nis, owing to its multiple clauses and explicit injunctions, evokes challenges from the standpoint of collective reason and contemporary expertise. This verse, which addresses mens guardianship over women, financial support, and disciplinary measures against disobedient wives, historically responded to the needs of a primordial society wherein patriarchal systems and social violence prevailed like a harsh storm upon human relations. Yet, in the modern worldwhere rationality and expertise serve as steadfast pillars shaping intellectual and social foundationsthese rulings require reconsideration. Their incompatibility with the values of gender equality and human dignity provokes fundamental inquiries within the minds of researchers.
The phrase الرِّجَالُ قَوَّامُونَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ at first glance introduces mens guardianship over women as a pillar for family order. However, this guardianship, rooted in the socio-economic conditions of the period of revelation, resembles a tree with roots in dry soilnow devoid of legitimacy. In the pre-Islamic society, men assumed guardianship owing to physical strength and property ownership. But can a sixteen-year-old youth, still in the springtime of his life, be considered the guardian over his seventy-year-old mother, who, like a precious jewel, harbours experience and wisdom? Such a ruling is not only incompatible with collective reason but also constitutes an insult to parental status, standing contrary to ethical values.
The second part of the verse, referring to بِمَا فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ, during the time of revelation, attributed mens superiority to their physical and social capabilities. Yet virtue, like a radiant gem, does not lie in gender but rather in knowledge, literacy, and individual competencies. Women and men are like the two wings of a bird that require one another to soar towards perfection. Being male, in itself, is not a virtue; just as being female alone does not confer virtue. A woman, through her beauty, wisdom, or ability, may shine like a star in the sky above hundreds of men, and a man, through his knowledge and art, can illuminate the path like the sun for thousands.
The phrase وَبِمَا أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ points to mens financial support of women, implying that women are like beggars on the margins of life, dependent on mens wealth. This perspective, rooted in the patriarchal system of the revelation era, conflicts with the dignity of women. In the pre-Islamic society, women were deprived of ownership, and mens expenditure placed them in a subordinate position. However, in todays world, where women shine alongside men in fields of knowledge, work, and creativity, support given grudgingly wounds human dignity. Women are not in need of alms but are equal partners in life who, like a sacred Kaaba, form the axis of creation and family life.
Verse 34 of Surah An-Nis, within its historical context, responded to the needs of a primitive society overshadowed by patriarchy and social violence. Yet, in the light of contemporary reason and expertise, the rulings regarding guardianship, financial support, and disciplining women have not only lost their function but also stand incompatible with the values of equality and human dignity. Women and men, like two halves of a gem, complement one another, and virtue lies within individual capabilities, not gender.
The well-known narration of the seventy-three sects, which claims that Islam is divided into seventy-three sects and only one is saved, collapses under rational scrutiny like an empty bubble. The truth is that Islam, over time, has fragmented into thousands of sects and doctrines, none of which can claim absolute salvation. Many of these sects are products of fabricated hadiths by individuals proficient in Arabic, who constructed narratives to advance their own interests. Such fabrications, like weeds, have polluted the garden of religious knowledge and diminished its authenticity.
Extremist groups such as ISIS and the Taliban, relying on erroneous and violent interpretations, have turned religion into a tool for oppression and slaughter. These groups, like wolves in sheeps clothing, have attacked humanity, bearing no relation to the true essence of religion. Authentic religion, like a pure spring, must be accompanied by reason and expertise; otherwise, it becomes tainted with superstition and violence. The forty-year wars in Afghanistan, rooted in sectarian fanaticism, exemplify this deviation, which has devastated human lives like a destructive storm.
Superstitions such as placing cloths on shrines or believing in healing through sacred objects have distanced religion from its authenticity. These superstitions, like dust on the mirror of religion, hinder the illumination of truth. In this context, crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, like a cleansing fire, have exposed these superstitions and underscored the necessity to return to reason and expertise. Religion, if not accompanied by knowledge and rationality, becomes an empty shell, preserving only external forms such as mosques and churches.
Religious deviationsfrom fabricated hadiths to violence in the name of religion and prevalence of superstitionsstem from the absence of reason and expertise. Authentic religion, like a clear stream, must be irrigated with rationality and knowledge to remain immune to contamination by superstition and violence. Reinterpretation of Quranic verses, including verse 34 of Surah An-Nis, requires a perspective that extracts truth from the veils of prejudice and superstition through reason and expertise.
Women and men are like the two wings of a bird that require one another to soar towards perfection. Each, with their unique abilities, complements the other. In todays world, where gender roles have been redefined, men and women are equal in areas such as cooking, tailoring, and other skills, like two rivers converging into one sea. Pregnancy and motherhood are womens special abilities, but these characteristics neither confer superiority nor inferiority. Men, with their own roles, complement women, and neither is complete without the other.
The dowry, which in ancient traditions transformed women into economic commodities, is incompatible with human and rational values. Marriage, as a loving covenant, must be founded on peace
