Retranslating and Reinterpreting a Controversial Qur’anic Verse about Wives

..After understanding the significant financial burden Islam places on a husband, a seemingly contentious Qur’anic verse, often translated as follows, becomes clear:

"Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband’s] absence what Allah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear arrogance [nushūzuhuna sing. nushūz] –[first] advise them…."

Too often, readers – both Muslim and non-Muslim – interpret this verse 34 to mean that Allah created men as superior to women since they have been placed in charge of women.

First, in the aforementioned translation as well as many others, the phrase “in charge” is translated from the Arabic word “qawwāmūn (sing. qawwām),” and the well-known Arabic dictionary Lisān al-ʿArab defines “al-qawwām” as a person who protects and is just.

So, in this verse, Allah designated men as protectors of women. In fact, the English translation of this same verse by Yusuf Ali and Mohsin Khan provides, as the translation of the beginning of this verse: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women…” If we delve into the meaning of qawwamun further, qawwām comes from the root qawm, which is defined as a sizeable group of people.

Thus, the true meaning of the Arabic word qawwamun encompasses the responsibility of leading and protecting not only women, but the family as a whole.

The first line of this verse also makes clear that Allah chose men to fulfil this leadership role because He required men to provide for their wives and family members.

Arguably, it stands to reason that if a man fails to fulfil the key condition of this role by financially providing for his wife and family, he is no longer deserving of the leadership position or of having the final say in the household.

While there is disagreement about why and when the marital financial obligation is triggered, this verse undoubtedly makes clear that men must financially provide for their wives. Specifically, many scholars maintained that the nafaqah (financial maintenance during the marriage) that a husband owes his wife is a financial right that begins from the consummation of the marriage because they see this obligation of maintenance as an exchange for the husband’s fulfilment of his sexual needs.

Some scholars reason that we can infer this start date of nafaqah from the Sunnah of the Prophet as his nafaqah upon ʿĀ’ishah i did not begin after the marriage contract, but rather commenced two years later once the marriage had been consummated. Interpreters of the Qur’an, however, point out that the words of Allah in the 34th verse of Sūrah al-Nisā’ mentioned above along with the following words that appear in the second Chapter of the Qur’an, verse 233, indicate that during pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing, a husband is obligated to provide for his wife, regardless of whether his sexual needs are met at those times: “…and it is incumbent upon him who has begotten the child to provide in a fair manner for their [mother and child] sustenance and clothing.”

Therefore, some scholars, including Imam Abū Ḥanīfah, go so far as to argue that if a man marries a young woman who is not yet ready to consummate the marriage, but is his wife and companion in every other sense, she still deserves nafaqah. The Shāfiʿī jurist al-Māwardī reasons that this was the view of Imam al-Shāfiʿī because the situation resembles illness— since, when ill, a wife may be unable to have sexual relations with her husband but would, in his view, unquestionably retain the right to nafaqah under Islamic law.

Similarly, Imam Ibn Ḥazm said, “Indeed the nafaqah (for the wife) is an exchange for marriage and not an exchange for sexual intercourse.” This viewpoint stands out as a compelling and equitable one, particularly in light of the fact that when a man decides to marry a young woman, he is surely cognizant of both her age and her readiness or lack thereof to consummate the marriage.

The claim that the Messenger did not begin financially supporting ʿĀ’ishah i until the marriage was consummated appears to be an assumption by some scholars, as there was no Prophetic tradition that indicated that he did not at all financially provide for her after the marriage was contracted.

The Ḥanafī scholar al-Kāsānī clarified that a man must pay his wife nafaqah if the marriage was not consummated and she re- mains in her parents’ household if, (1) he did not request that she move into his home and/or (2) she has certain legitimate reasons for refusing to move into his home.

Legitimate reasons that justify her refusal to move into her husband’s home after the contractual agreement include instances where she has not received her prompt mahr or if her husband failed to provide a suitable home for her.

Excerpt is from The Wealth of Women by Rabab Razik

Embark on a journey through the various stages of life, from marriage to divorce
and widowhood, to witness how women living within the Islamic tradition are endowed with the right to safeguard their financial independence.

This comprehensive exploration confronts an ongoing disconnect between Islamic law and Muslim family dynamics to equip men and women alike with the knowledge and tools to uphold an important body of Islamic financial laws