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BEATING WOMEN, OR BEATING AROUND THE BUSH, OR....
By : Edip Yuksel
Obviously, this mixed
messages
have
bothered
many
contemporary translators
of the Quran.
To avoid the
moral and
intellectual
problems,
they tried to
soften the
word "beat"
when they
translate the
verse 4:34.
For instance,
Yusuf Ali
uses a
merciful
parentheses
after "beat"
to save
women:
Many tried to "beat" around the bush to "beat" the problem generated by the "beat" of 4:34. When I finished the Turkish translation (1991), this verse was on the top of my orange list to study carefully. Whenever I encounter a problem regarding the understanding of a Quranic verse, I remember 20:114 and pray accordingly: "Most Exalted is God, the only true King. Do not rush into (understanding) the Quran before it is revealed to you, an say, 'My Lord, increase my knowledge.'" Almost all of the translations have mistranslated the four key words or terms of this particular verse. These are: "Qawwamune," "Faddallallahu ba'dahum ala ba'd," "Nushuzehunne," and "Fadribuhunne." In our late book, "Errors in Turkish Translations" (Istanbul, 1992) we have discussed the real meaning of these words and the motivation and reasons for mistranslating them. Here, we will focus on the last word, "Fadribuhunne." A Famous Multi-Meaning Word The problem
comes from
the word
"Idribuhunne" which we
used to
translate as
"beat them".
The root of
this word is
"DaRaBa". If
you look at
any Arabic
dictionary
you will find a
long list of
meanings
ascribed to
this word.
That list is
one of the
longest list in
whole Arabic
dictionary. It
can be said
that
"DaRaBa" is
the number-one multi-meaning
word in
Arabic. It has
so many
different
meanings, we
can find
numerous
different
meanings
ascribed to it
in the
Quran.
As you see, in Quran alone we can witness the verb "DaRaBa" having at least ten different meanings. "DaRaBa" has also other meanings which are not mentioned in the Quran. For example, in the Arabic language, you do not print money--you "DaRaBa" money, you do not multiply numbers--you "DaRaBa" numbers, you do not cease the work--you "DaRaBa" the work. In Turkish we have many verbs similar to DaRaBa, such as "tutmak", "calmak", "vurmak" etc. In English we have two verbs which are almost equivalent to "DaRaBa". These are "strike" and "beat". Webster's Dictionary gives fourteen meanings to the verb "strike": hit (against); ignite; (of snake) bite; (of plants) (cause to) take root; attack; hook (fish); sound (time) as bell in clock etc.; affect; arrive at, come upon; enter mind of; discover (gold, oil etc.); dismantle, remove; make (coin); cease work as protest or to make demands. The same dictionary gives eight meanings to the verb "beat": strike repeatedly; overcome; surpass; stir vigorously with striking action; flap (wings); make, wear (path); throb; sail against wind. In the beginning of this article (underlined) I deliberately used "beat" in three different meanings in a single statement just to show the variety of meanings in a single word. In English, when we order someone to "beat it" we mean "get out". Similarly in Arabic, when we order someone with the commend form of "DaRaBa", that is "iDRiB", we mean "get out". How Can We Find The Appropriate Meaning When we
encounter a
multi-meaning
word, we
select the
proper
meaning
according to
the context,
forms, and
common
sense. For
instance, if
we had have
translated
"DaRaBa" in
13:17 as
"beat"
instead of
"explain", the
meaning
would be
ridiculous: Another
example of
mistranslation of
"DaRaBa"
can be found
in the
translation of
38:44. All the
translations
(except Dr.
Khalifa's
translation)
inject a male-made story to
justify their
silly
translation.
Here is how
Yusuf Ali
translates
the verse
about Job:
Yusuf Ali, in the footnote narrates the traditional story: "He (Job) must have said in his haste to the woman that he would beat her: he is asked now to correct her with only a wisp of grass, to show that he was gentle and humble as well as patient and constant." However,
without
injecting this
story, we can
translate it as
the
following:
Let's turn back to 4:34 Additionally, the word "Nushuz" which is generally translated as "opposition" has another meaning which can be translated as degrees of disloyalty ranging from flirtation to sexual liaison. If we study 4:34 carefully we will find a clue that leads us to translate that word as "flirting or cheating" or "extramarital affair" (Any word or words that reflect the range of disloyalty in marriage). The clue is the phrase before "Nushuz" as reads: ". . . and observe God's commandments, even when alone in their privacy." This phrase emphasizes the importance of loyalty in marriage life. Furthermore, the same word "Nushuz" is used in 4:128, but it is used to describe the misbehavior of husbands not wives as was in 4:34. So, the traditional translation of "Nushuz", that is, "opposition" will not fit here. In vertical relations, "opposition" cannot be a double-edged behavior. So, translators try to avoid this contradiction by ascribing just the opposite meaning of "opposition", i.e., "oppression" in verse 4:128. However, the meaning of "Nushuz" as "disloyalty" is appropriate for both cases described in 4:34 and 4:128. A Coherent Understanding When we read 4:34 we should not understand "idribuhunne" as "beat those women". We must remember that this word has many meanings. God gives us three ways of dealing with extra-marital-affair. In the beginning stage of such misbehavior husband should start from giving advice. If it does not work and she goes further and commit a proven adultery, that time husband has the right to strike them out (4:34 & 65:1). Let's present
our
suggestion
for the
translation of
verse 4:34
Beating women who are cheating is not an ultimate solution; but "striking them out" from your house is the best solution. And it is fair too. . |
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