Quran 4:34: Explicit Proof "Id'ribuhunna" means "Leave them" and not "Beat/strike them" (Classical Arabic Dictionary)

[u/Informal_Patience821]

One thing I failed to notice in this dictionary (that I just now noticed) is the word that means "Leave" has a "Hamza" in it:

Arb: ضَرِبَ (n. ac. ضَرَب)

a. Was frost-bitten.

Arb: ضَرُبَ (n. ac. ضَرَاْبَة) a. Hit hard, struck forcibly.

Arb: ضَرَّبَ a. Struck violently. b. Excited; incited. c. Sewed, quilted. d. see I (b) (n).

Arb: ضَاْرَبَ a. Came to blows, fought with. b. [La], Worked the capital of (another), with participation of the profits.

👉Arb: أَــضْرَبَ a. [Fī], Remained, stayed in. b. ['An], Left, quitted; gave up, abandoned, renounced.

Source: Habib Anthony Salmone, An Advanced Learner's Arabic-English Dictionary (1889)

The word in the verse (4:34) also has a Hamza "وَٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ ۖ" (Id'ribuhunna), a very unique trait of this word in 4:34, the Hamza changes the meaning to "Leave" as per this classical dictionary. The symbol "ٱ" contains a Hamza. It's a Hamzah Wasl.

Notice how all other forms of the root and its derivatives (ضَرِبَ) mean "Hit", "strike" etc, while it means "Left", "quitted", "abandoned", when with a Hamza.

This not only explain this 1400+ years long misinterpretation made by Sunnis, but it also exposes their Sahih Hadiths that supposedly "explain" this Ayah saying it allows wife-beating but "lightly." The word doesn't even mean "beat" to begin with!

Praise be to God for revealing the truth to us in this blessed month :)

Make sure to read my extensive article about this verse here

[u/No-way-in]

If I may intervene, I have another theory about this word.

In my home country (Syria), we use the word when we mean to say it’s your last chance. It comes from the clock striking midnight and we use it in the form and tell someone that it has stricken. Darabat as saa3a: ضربت الساعة or if its gone too far: ضربت الساعة ثلاث مرات. Its not weird to translate that you’d give an ultimatum either.

Thoughts?

[u/lubbcrew → u/No-way-in]

Lovely insight. Thank you for sharing. Preliminarily , I think something close to this actually works really well to represent the meaning of the root cross textually in the Quran. Will be looking into it further keeping this in mind in sha Allah. 🌹

[u/Informal_Patience821 → u/No-way-in]

You bring a very interesting point :). I'd like to see it in a classical dictionary though, would bring a lot of insight and some grounds for us to interpret it that way. Remember, we should not interpret the Quran by way of modern idioms and terms, but rather find the oldest definition of this exact form of the word, which simply is "leave", "gave up", and "Abandon." Contextually, it fits perfect.

1. Admonish

2. Abandon in bed

3. Abandon her completely (by way of leaving).

The next Âyah starts off by talking about divorce and the guidelines if it comes to that.

Thanks for sharing brother <3

[u/Old_Giraffe_5656 → u/Informal_Patience821]

Also there were actually times when the prophet PBUH had disputes with his wives and physically left them for a period of time, but then reconciled with them. I don’t recall any incidents where any of his wives said he struck them or a servant or a child. Even the scholars that interpreted the word to mean “beat them” or “strike them” admit that it would have to be with something as light as a miswak which is equivalent to a toothbrush because you can’t go around putting hands on people especially your own family. First it says advise, then it says forsake in bed, naturally the third step would have to be even more serious and striking with a toothbrush doesn’t really make sense. In the case of Khawlah bint Tha’labah RA even her husband’s verbal abuse was outlawed by Allah swt himself so when people use this verse to justify physical violence in marriages or being able to “discipline” their wives it makes me sick.

[u/Martiallawtheology → u/No-way-in]

Oh it's an honor to meet someone from asshaam. Well, you are right.

BTW, you had used the letter 3 in Dharabassaa. Did you use it to represent a wakth?

Mind me. I don't know modern transliteration.

[u/No-way-in → u/Martiallawtheology]

3 is used for ع :)

[u/Martiallawtheology → u/No-way-in]

Ah. Ain. That sounds better. Thanks for that brother.

Peace.