Evaluation of the Leiden's Encyclopedia of the Qur ān Entry for Family

‚Family‛ entry in Leiden’s Encyclopedia of the Qur’ān examines the word family in the Qur’ān and explains the Qur’ān’s view on the family and the status of man, woman, and children in family. The author of this entry, Avner Giladi, has briefly and incompletely addressed the above-mentioned issues and brought up some doubtful concepts including men’s having a rank above women, husband’s being allowed to punish his wife physically, a wife’s not being independence in her financial affairs, and divorce. In the present article, while touching upon the incomplete references made by the author of the entry, the misconceptions brought up in this entry are examined with an analysis of the above instances and reference to the interpretations. Furthermore, the Islam’s true attitude toward these issues is shown and it is clarified that these concepts have not been fully and correctly presented due to the author’s partial selection of the Qur’ān, and therefore a correct impression of this entry is not gained.