A Comparative Review of Physical Punishment for Women in Sunni and Shia Commentaries, With Regard to the Verse 34, Chapter Al-Nisa (The Women)

One of the things which may happen in the family is disobedience of wife towards her husband, which is called "Nashoz" in Quranic terms. A wife can be disobedient (nashezeh) toward her husband due to different motivations such as suppressing the husband to satisfy her luxury needs, economic advantages, willing to associate with others, etc. The Holy Quran mentions physical punishment to avoid one's wife's disobedience. Now two basic questions are how physical punishment is consistent with woman's human dignity, and why God commands it? The present article reviews and criticizes the issue from the view of Sunni and Shia commentators, with regard to the verse 34 of Chapter Al-Nisa. It is a problem-based research which uses a descriptive-analytical method. The research findings indicate that Sunni and Shia commentators interpret the Quranic verse as ordering the husband to advise his wife, and then avoid going to bed with her if the advice is useless. Finally, he can punish his wife under certain conditions if two pervious ways are fruitless in order to regain his rights in case she violates them. Therefore, the Quranic order of physical punishment for wife is a necessary prescription for absolutely especial conditions, that is, when the wife is disobedient. It is not only considered improper and forbidden in other cases, but also absolutely forbidden in many traditions. Thence, physical punishment never contradicts with woman's human dignity in certain cases.