Violence against Women in Qur’an 4:34: A Sacred Ordinance?

“Wife-beating” is considered to be one kind of violence against women. Some people claim that this abuse is excessively practiced by Muslim husbands because there is a verse in the holy Qur’an that—as claimed—orders or gives permission to husbands to beat their wives. However, this wrong and widely held impression is unjustified and arises as a result of misinterpretations of verse 4:34. This article intends to clarify certain misunderstandings that have arisen over this verse of the Qur’an. Violence against women is one of the most widespread violations of human rights that cuts across boundaries of culture, race,