God declares in surah 4, verse 34, that men are providers and maintainers of women and women are obedient to men and the “keepers of the unseen”. While the end of the verse is often what attracts our attention as modern readers because it is so at odds with our cultural conception of marriage, the beginning of the verse is the part in which ideals are set forth and thus far more universally applicable than the latter part of the verse that addresses what to do when things go wrong.
In the worldview laid forth in 4:34, a woman’s obedience to her husband is not a form of oppression but a means of cohesion between the sexes. Obedience also aids in a man’s ability to lead, provide and protect which in turn benefits women as well. God says, “Men are the caretakers of women, as men have been provisioned by Allah over women and tasked with supporting them financially…. So righteous women are devout, preservers of the Unseen.” Obedience, respect, or maybe better yet, cooperation, is required from a woman who has a husband fulfilling his duties towards her.
Some mistakenly believe this obedience to the man is due to an innate male superiority, but this is incorrect. The placement of a woman’s obedience after the man’s responsibility hints towards this not being the case. Fiqh further clarifies this, stating that obedience is nullified if the husband is no longer able to fulfill his duties. Sh. Nuh Ha Mim Keller, may God preserve him, states in his article on qawwamuna:
“Scholars have naturally inferred… that whenever a husband is unable to support his wife, he is no longer her caretaker: she is not obliged to remain at home [should he request it] in any school of jurisprudence, and according to the school of al-Shafi’i (Allah be well pleased with him), she is entitled to have the marriage annulled. He is no longer a caretaker or entitled to oblige her to remain at home because he has vitiated the objective of protecting her by marriage, for the aim of marriage is her security…”
Marriage, as outlined in this verse is a beautiful balance of rights and responsibilities. When rights are taken away and responsibilities are not fulfilled that is when we must contemplate the implications of the end of the verse. But before we get into (necessary) discussions about the meaning of darb in the context of this verse, it’s important to begin at the beginning. That initial ideal dictated at the start of the verse should be our primary focus.
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What is the meaning of qawwamuna as used in Surat al-Nisa’, verse 34? http://masud.co.uk/what-is-the-meaning-of-qawwamuna-as-used-in-surat-al-nisa-verse-34/
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Consider picking up a copy of my book, 40 Hadith of ‘Aisha, An English collection of 40 Hadith narrated by the beloved wife, scholar, and sage ‘Aisha bint Abu Bakr, available here. Also, consider signing up for our monthly newsletter here: bythefigandtheolive.com/newsletter. For speaking engagements visit Nuriddeenknight.com
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