Read Qur'an 4:34-35 and 4:128-130 in the Haleem translation of the Qur'an, specified for this course. Pay particular attention to 4:34,
a notoriously problematic verse. Compare these translations with the rather different way that Laleh Bakhtiar (one of the few female
translators of the whole Qur'an) has translated that verse in her translation, The Sublime Quran (islamicworld.com: 2007):
“Men are supporters of wives because God has given some of them an advantage over others and because they spend of their
wealth. So the ones (f) who are in accord with morality are the ones (f) who are morally obligated, the ones (f) who guard the unseen
of what God has kept safe. But those (f) whose resistance you fear, then admonish them (f) and abandon them (f) in their sleeping
place, then go away from them (f); and if they (f) obey you, surely look not for any way against them (f); truly God is Lofty, Great.”
(The “(f)” indicates that a feminine pronoun is present).
THEN read Edip Yuksel's article, "Should men beat their wives?” (will provide)
THEN read Laleh Bakhtiar's explanation for her translation. Her first couple pages deal with more general issues of translation,
before she deals specifically with 4:34, but notice especially how she deals with the example of the Prophet in the Sunna as a way of
understanding what the Qur'an passage means.
AFTER critically reading these resources, answer this question in a 2-3 page thesis-based paper: Was Qur'an 4:34 originally
intended to encourage violence against women? The first paragraph of your paper must include a 1-2 sentence "thesis statement”
that directly answers the question in the previous sentence. Make certain that you provide reasons/arguments for your answer,
demonstrating that you understand the process by which Muslim scholars try to understand the meaning of a Qur'an passage.
Sample Solution