Does the Quran "command" Muslim men to beat their wives to death or is this an exaggeration?

Question

First, lets look at the relevant Islamic scripture -

Quran 4:34 “…and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them…” http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/004.qmt.html

Imagine your a pious Muslim who follows the Quran to the letter. Suppose one day, you feel very insecure, get paranoid, and through no fault of your wife, get the irrational fear that she might "desert" you. What does the Quran tell you to do - "Admonish" THEN "leave alone" THEN "beat her".

Notice how these are all straightforward commands that are triggered by the "fear of desertion". Now, once you beat her, doesnt your fear of her leaving you only increase? What must you do when you fear desertion...beat her again right? Therefore, the only thing that can stop this viscious circle of beating woman than make you feel insecure, is death.

FEAR OF DESERTION -> BEAT WOMAN -> MORE FEAR -> MORE ISLAMIC BEATING...DEATH

Joe D: Hey einstein, Im an atheist. Oh, and tell me something...how clean does my yard have to be before I can criticize a violent religion at war everywhere in the world?

Answer 1

Some of those muslim women need a good beating, after the way they choose their wardrobe

Answer 2

Truth seeker , you mentioned in the title "Does the Quran "command" Muslim men to beat their wives to death " while nothing in the Quran says to beat the wive to death. Actually if a husband killed his wife, he will be killed also.
Second : You imply say that the Quran instructs the husband to beat his wife when he only fears that she may desert him. This is not correct, since at the end of the verse, it is mentioned: " then if they obey you,......" . That means that a man beats his wife only when she disobeys him not just out of fear. Moreover beating is a solution only when the husband advices his wife first and then abandons her in the same house and these trial fail.
The good question is: How should a muslim beat his wife?
The answer is given in the prophet's saying:" a light beating "
At last, it's worth saying that the prophet himself never beated a wife nor a any of his servants.

Answer 3

I wouldn't attack Islamicists only to obtain atheism.It would be like going from the frying pan into the fire.Not much hope for the world is there?We've seen what Islam and atheism has done for Pakistan and the former Soviet Union respectively.

Answer 4

Islam does condone wife beating. Which I find deplorable and is enough to turn me off this "religion". However, I do believe that saying that the Koran commands beating your wife to death is an exaggeration.

PS: for those stating that there is a lot of Christian wife beating going on, I totally agree. The difference is that wife beating is not condoned by Christianity. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that wife beating is an acceptable form of conduct. On the other hand, the Koran explicitly instructs men to beat their wives as a form of disciplining them for disobedience.

Answer 5

hmm..would u mind presenting THE WHOLE VERSE?

also, tht only applies if the woman is disobeying him. and it also says in the Quran tht the husband (if he hits her) can not leave any sort of scar or mark on the womans body. thus, a light slap is ok.

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

to Joe D above... there is no such thing as "christian" wife beating because the new testament does not order christian men to beat their wives.

If a man claims to be christian and then beats his wife, that is not "christian wife-beating" as you say, it's merely some ****** who beats his wife.

On the other hand, Truth Seeker has accurately pointed out that Islam has commanded all muslim men from its highest source (the qur'an) to beat their wives.

This is why wife beating runs rampant in muslim countries.

Answer 8

The answer to your question is, the way you made your statement is exaggeration to the fullest and false.
The Quran doesn't command men to beat their wives to death.

To Separate Fact From Fiction

* Contrary to widespread erroneous belief,
* Contrary to widespread negative stereotyping, and
* Contrary to regrettable practices in some Islamic societies where anti-Islamic culture traditions have won over Islamic teachings and where women are subdued (and men even more so)

# This information has been written with the objective of briefing you on the true Islamic teachings regarding women laid down by the Quran and prophet Mohammad over 14 centuries ago. Islam declared women and men equal.

# Islam condemned pre-Islamic practices degrading and oppressing women.

# The same injunctions and prohibitions of Islam equally apply to both sexes.

# Islam gave woman the right of inheritance and the right of individual independent ownership unhampered by father, husband, brother, son or anyone else.

# Islam gave women the right to accept or reject a marriage proposal free from pressure, and by mutual agreement to specify in the marriage contract that she has the right to divorce (if she misses that option she has the right to seek court divorce if she deems the marriage to have failed beyond repair).

# Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage.

# Islam protects the family and condemns the betrayal of marital fidelity. It recognizes only one type of family: husband and wife united by authentic marriage contract.

# "Heaven is at the feet of mothers", is a basic Islamic teaching.

# "The best of you are the kindest to their wives and I am your best to mine", is a teaching by prophet Mohammad.

# Islam enjoins sounds morality in thinking, behavior and appearance. Dress fashions and social patterns that reduce woman to a sex object and exploit her as such are not acceptable to Islam.

# The observance of chastity and moral standards is equally demanded by Islam from both men and women. "Women are the siblings of men", is a saying of prophet Mohammad.

Answer 9

Ever read the Christian Bible?------------you can find the same type of thing in here, too.

These were written as man saw things then----and this was a custom. With time, man has matured and only fanatics would follow the words literally.

Answer 10

There is only one allah... there is only one koran... there is only one islam... submit to islam or be killed... that is the word of allah as given to the so-called prophet mohamid and recorded in the koran... the law of allah as given in the koran is the only law that applies to all of islam... no exceptions... there is no such thing as a " moderate" muslim... the "moderates" will suffer the same fate as all others who do not submit fully to allah's law.