Real Talk Series

"Does Islam permit a man to hit his wife?"

Islam condemns domestic violence, and a woman is never required to stay silent in the face of abuse. So how do we make sense of Quran 4:34, the verse Muslim women often wrestle with?

Yaqeen scholar Dr. Tesneem Alkiek and host Cadar Mohamud start with a key principle in the Islamic legal tradition: marriage never erased a woman’s independent legal identity. She owns property, enters contracts, and can take her husband to court when she is harmed.

Dr. Alkiek explains how jurists defined that harm. She then looks at what classical jurists actually said about physical discipline. That includes the strict limits they placed on it and how many of them advised men to avoid it entirely. The episode ends with the Prophet’s ﷺ example and what a woman should do when patience is the wrong response.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please know that support is available. For faith-sensitive counseling and emotional support, you can explore:

Khalil Center: https://khalilcenter.com

Naseeha: https://naseeha.org

As our audience spans the globe, we encourage you to seek local domestic violence support services in your country if needed. Your safety and well-being matter.

To explore more resources read:

Women in Islamic Law: Examining Five Prevalent Myths here: https://yqn.io/4b7c38

"How Can I Ever Get Past This?" Reclaiming Your Future After the Abuse Has Ended here: https://yqn.io/dcc106