There have been repeated reports of imams being deported from Western countries for advocating hitting wives, including an imam in Spain who was imprisoned and fined for authoring a book on wife-beating. These individuals paid the price for misunderstanding the interpretation of the Quranic verse (وَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ), which does not mean physical beating but rather means separation from the home according to the meanings of “daraba” in the Quran. The Prophet Muhammad, as the interpreter of the Quran through his actions, never physically hit his wives even when angry. If the verse meant physical beating, the Prophet would have been obliged to hit them to implement the Quranic command, but instead, he separated from them for a month. He said about those who hit their wives: “They are not among your best,” “Only the worst of you hit,” and “Do not hit the servants of Allah.”

The Quran does not command anything that would make men evil, according to the Prophet. The follower and jurist Ata ibn Abi Rabah said: “He does not hit her even if he orders her and forbids her and she disobeys.” Scholars who interpret the verse’s “beating” as separation include Dr. Shawki Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt; Dr. Mahmoud Al-Tahan, Fatwa Secretary at Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta; Dr. Ahmed Al-Sayeh, Professor of Creed at Al-Azhar and member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; Sheikh Abdullah Hassan, advisor to the Islamic Sharia Council and founder of Imams Against Domestic Violence; Professor Mehmet Okuyan, Quranic interpretation specialist; Sheikh Khaled Al-Gendy, member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Egypt; Dr. Mohamed Hidaya, Professor of Sharia at Al-Azhar; Sheikh Omar Abdelkafi, Director of the Quranic Studies Center for the Dubai Quran Award; Dr.

Abdulhamid Abu Suleiman, Saudi founder and director of the Islamic University in Malaysia who authored a book proving the verse means separation; Dr. Amina Nasir, Professor of Creed at Al-Azhar; Dr. Suhaila Zain Al-Abidin, daughter of the Grand Imam; Dr. Ashraf Al-Feel; Dr. Ali Sallabi; Sheikh Sayed Zayed; Sheikh Khaled Al-Jamal; Sheikh Sufyan Saleh; and Professor Taher Al-Qadri, head of Islamic Legislation Department and translator of the Quran titled “Irfan-ul-Quran,” as well as the American Quran translation “The Sublime Qur’an.”

Studies show that wife-beating is a major cause of divorce and psychological/mental illnesses among wives and children. The definitive evidence disproving the interpretation of the verse as physical beating comes from testimonies of near-death experiences (NDE), documented by Western doctors. There is an Islamic program called “Life After Life” with about 200 episodes interviewing Muslims who experienced near-death. The greatest shock for men is being held accountable for hitting their wives and children. One person saw a husband suffering terribly for hurting his wife, with the husband’s authoritarian control and imposition of obedience on his wife manifesting as terrifying beasts worse than any horror movie designed to torment and frighten the husband. Another man was held accountable for hitting his daughter. A husband was beaten by his wife with a club because he was controlling and prevented her from visiting her family.

His sister also hit him with a club because he hit her. Another man had his bones crushed by his wife and sister and was told he had no right to hit his wife, and he was held accountable despite claiming his hitting was symbolic and not painful. Another husband was told his diabetes and major amputations were due to hitting his wife. Another man saw a husband hitting himself nonstop because he had hit his wife.