sadeghi@oxy.edu (Behnam Sadeghi) (02/27/90)
[ nice analysis of 4:35; long, but worth it. --Naim ] In the Name of God. >From: ajax@zaphod.uchicago.edu (Scott Taddiken) >Message-ID: <4037@accuvax.nwu.edu> > >4:35 (from "Women"): > > Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one > superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to > maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen > parts because Allah has guarded them. As for those from whom you > fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and > beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against > them. Allah is high, supreme. > > --translation by N. J. Dawood > > In retrospect, I think this may be a mistranslation... (Note: 1. Since reading this article requires continual cross-reference, it will be easier for the reader to get a print-out of this posting. 2. Although inevitably Arabic words are used in this article, no knowledge of Arabic is required for understanding it.) Verse iv:34 of the holy Quran is a verse for which there are a number of different translations. There are several words in the verse that have been translated in various ways. Depending on what permutation of the translation of these words you take, you are going to get significantly different meanings. This article will be the first of two postings discussing this verse. This article will discuss the first part of the verse--the more controversial one-- and the next article will discuss the second and third parts of the verse. The next article will be written after I am done with my finals. That will be three to four weeks from now. I do have my own biases. After doing some reading and research on this verse and other relevant verses of the Quran, I couldn't escape the conclusion that interpretations such as Dawood's come from men who are desirous of finding Quranic justification for male supremacy. However, I am not going to argue one way or the other as to what the correct meaning of this verse is. I will mention the various existing translations and interpretations of this verse and let the reader decide for himself. When it comes to the translation of the crucial words, I will cite _all_ occurrences of the word in other passages of the Quran, something that enables us to gain an appreciation of the possible meanings of a word in its Quranic context. First Part. This table contains the phonetic transliteration of the first part of the verse juxtaposed with the various conflicting translations of each word. iv:34 .................................................................... Ar-rijalu qawwamuna ala-n nisa-i bi ma protectors Men (are) maintainers over women with what supporters of because guardians in those things which in charge guides agents .................................................................... fadhdhala-llahu ba'dhahum ala ba'dh-in wa God gave more to some over/than others and God bestowed more upon God gave an advantage God preferred God favored with more God made excel God made superior .................................................................... bi ma anfaqu min-amwalihim with what they [men] spend/give from their possessions because in those things which .................................................................... Beneath is the meaning of the same passage according to the famous translations of Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad. I will compare and contrast these two translations in the light of the above table. Muhammad Asad's translation is notable in that it is apparently the only English translation of the Quran by someone whose mother tongue is Arabic. Muhammad Asad Yusuf Ali Men Shall take full care of Men are the protectors women with the bounties which And maintainers of women, God has bestowed more Because God has given abundantly on the former than The one more (strength) on the latter, and with what Than the other, and because they may spend out of their They support them from their means possessions. (Please refer to the above table + translations by Dawood, Asad, and Y.Ali for the rest of the article). DISCUSSION: There are three words or phrases for which there are differing translations: qawwam, bi ma, and fadhdhala. 1. The word 'qawwam.' Yusuf Ali translates it as 'protectors and maintainers': "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because..." Muhammad Asad translates qawwam as 'supporters' and 'care-takers': "Men shall take full care of women with what..." According to Dawood, it means 'in charge of': "Men have authority over women because..." In the footnote to this verse Yusuf Ali discusses the meaning of qawwam: Qawwam: one whose stands firm in another's business, protects his interests, and looks after his affairs; or it may be, standing firm in his own business, managing affairs with a steady purpose. Cf. iv. 135 This Yusuf Ali's interpretation of qawwam fits all occurrences of the word in the Quran. In addition to the verse under discussion, these verses include: 4:135 and 5:8. iv:135 Ya 'ayyuhal lazina aamanu kunu qawwamina bil qist (O those who have believed, Be qawwamin to/of/with justice.) Which Yusuf Ali translates as: O ye who believe! Stand firmly For justice Also, v:8 Ya 'ayyuhal Lazina aamanu kunu qawwamina lillahi ... (O those who have believed, Be qawwamin to/of/with God.) Which Yusuf Ali translates as: O ye who believe! Stand firmly for God... We see that in both cases, the translation "stand firmly for..." or "support" fits the context perfectly. In neither case do the translations "be in charge of..." or "Have authority over..." make any sense. In the verse under discussion, translations such as "Men should stand firmly for women ...," or "Men should support women with what...," or "Men should take full care of women with what..." fit the context too. In a sense, both of the cited translations of Yusuf Ali and Muhammad Asad convey this idea of 'support' as well. For Yusuf Ali, this support is on account of 1) men's physical strength [although no mention of strength is made in the Quranic verse itself] and 2) the fact that they presumably support women financially. For Muhammad Asad, this support includes those matter in which God has bestowed more to the man than the woman, including financial matters: Men Shall take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions... Thomas Irving's translation, too, chooses the same meaning: "Men are the ones who should support women..." 2. The world 'fadhdhala.' The existing translations of this verb fall into two categories: 1) [God] 'gave (bestowed) more' or 'gave an advantage' or 'favored with more.' and 2) [God] 'made [some] excel [over]' or 'made superior.' The second category often implies innate superiority, whereas the the first translation does not. Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Asad, Ahmed Ali, and Dr. Thomas Irving choose the first translation. Dawood and Pickthal chose the second one. (Compare translations at the beginning of this article). In the appendix which appears at the end of this posting, all other verses containing any conjugation of the verb fadhdhala in the active form are cited along with their translations. The reader is invited to read through them. Probably the closest of these verses in context to the one we are discussing (iv:34) is verse iv:32. It comes only two verses earlier, it is about men and women, and it contains the phrase "FADHDHALA-llahu ... ba'dhakum ala ba'dhin" which is similar to our "FADHDHALA-llahu ba'dhahum ala ba'dhin." Here is the verse: 4:32, wa la tatamannaw ma fadhdhala-llahu bi hi ba'dhakum ala ba'dhin And don't covet what God FADHDHALA more on some than others li-r Rijali nasibun mimma-ktasabu wa li-n nisaa-i nasibun mimma-ktasabna To men is alloted what they earn and to women is alloted what they earn Wa-s'alu-llaha min fadhlihi inna-llaha kana bi kulli shay'in alimaa And ask God of His bounty/gifts. Indeed God is fully aware of all things. Yusuf Ali: And in no wise covet Those things in which God Hath bestowed His gifts More freely on some of you Than others: to men Is alloted what they earn, And to women what they earn: But ask god of His bounty. For God hath full knowledge Of all things. 3. The words 'bi ma.' The two translations for "bi ma" are 'with what' and 'because.' Muhammad Asad chooses 'with what' and Yusuf Ali chooses 'because.' (The proposition "bi" commonly means 'with' or 'to' and "ma" commonly means 'what'.) At first glance it may seem insignificant which translation is selected. But a brief inspection of the verse shows that the choice of the translation is crucial. To some extent, it effects how fadhdhala is interpreted. If "bi ma" is translated into 'with what,' then it will be impossible to translate fadhdhala into 'made superior.' Likewise, any other translations which imply superiority of males would be impossibles. It also affects how qawwamun is interpreted. If "bi ma" is translated into 'with what' then qawwamun cannot be translated into 'in charge of.' Likewise all other translations of qawwamun which imply male control over females would be impossible. On the other hand, translation of "bi ma" into 'because' does not influence the interpretation of the words fadhdhala and qawwamun. Another existing translation which is far more similar to 'with what' than 'because' is 'in those things which' or 'in matters where.' An excerpt from an article by Azizah al-Hibri chooses this translation. The author also offers a translation of 'qawwam' which is different than 'stand firmly for' or 'support', namely 'guide' or 'care for.' I end this posting with the excerpt. <BEGINNING OF EXCERPT> [the view of male supremacy] is supported mainly by the following passage in the Qur'an: 'Men are 'qawwamun' over women in matters where God gave some of them more than others, and in what they spend of their money' The word 'qawwamun' is a difficult word to translate. Some writers translate it as 'protectors' and 'maintainers.' However, this is not quite accurate. The basic notion involved here is one of moral guidance and caring. Many men interpreted the above passage as one which puts men in charge of women's affairs because men were created by God superior to women (in strength and reason), and because they provide for women (they spend their money on them). However, this interpretation ... is (i) unwarranted and (ii) inconsistent with other Islamic teachings. Let me first show that (i) the interpretation is unwarranted. To start with, nowhere in the passage is there a reference to the male's physical or intellectual superiority. Secondly, since men are 'qawwamun' over women in matters where God gave _some_ of the men more than _some_ of the women, _and_ in what the men spend of their money, then clearly _men as a class_ are not 'qawwamun' over women 'as a class.' The conditions of being 'qawwamun' over as specified in the passage are two: (1) that the man be someone whom God gave more in the matter at hand than the woman, and (2) that he be her provider. If either condition fails, then the man is not 'qawwam' over that woman. If both obtain, then all that entitles him to is caring for her and providing her with moral guidance. For, only under extreme conditions (for example, insanity) does the Muslim woman lose her right to self-determination, including entering any kind of business contract without permission from her husband. Yet men have used this passage to exercise absolute authority over women. They also used it to argue for the males's divinely ordained and inherent superiority. It is worth noting that the passage does not even assert that _some_ men are inherently superior to _some_ women. It only states that in certain matters some man may have more than some women. For example, in making a business decision, a wife may find that her knowledge of the market place is inferior to that of many others (she has not been sufficiently involved). If her husband has superior knowledge to hers (in this area), then (and only then) can he be 'qawwam' over her in _this_ matter, i.e. guiding her and protecting her interests with full knowledge that the final decision is hers alone. (Note that according to this interpretation no one has the right to counsel a self-supporting woman.) Since Islam ... enjoins Muslims to consult each other in making decisions, this resolution falls totally within the spirit of Islam. I shall now show that (ii), the traditional interpretation, is inconsistent with other Islamic teachings. Elsewhere in the Qur'an we have the following passage: 'The believers, men and women, are "awliya," one of another.' "Awliya" means 'protectors', 'in charge', 'guides.' It is quite similar to 'qawwamun.' How could women be "Awliya" of men if men are superior to women in both physical and intellectual strength? How could women be in charge of men who have absolute authority over their lives? The last passage clearly places male and female on equal footing. The traditional interpretation raises the man above the woman. I close this part of the discussion with two quotes and a comment. The first quote is the Prophet's: 'All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a white over a black person _or of male over a female_. Only God fearing people merit a preference with God' [emphasis added] (Abdul-Rauuf, 1977; p.21) <END OF EXCERPT> I deleted the second quote and the comment since they don't pertain to this article. Behnam Sadeghi. --APPENDIX-- <BEGINNING OF APPENDIX> This appendix contains all the verses containing occurrences of any conjugation of the verb fadhdhala (in the active form). After a phonetic transliteration of each verse comes Yusuf Ali's translation of the verse. FADHDHALA 4:32, wa la tatamannaw ma fadhdhala-llaho bi hi ba'dhakum ala ba'dhin And don't covet what God FADHDHALA more on some than others li-r Rijali nasibun mimma-ktasabu wa li-n nisaa-i nasibun mimma-ktasabna To men is alloted what they earn and to women is alloted what they earn Wa-s'alu-llaha min fadhlihi inna-llaha kana bi kulli shay'in alimaa And ask God of His bounty/gifts. Indeed God is fully aware of all things. And in no wise covet Those things in which God Hath bestowed His gifts More freely on some of you Than others: to men Is alloted what they earn, And to women what they earn: But ask god of His bounty. For God hath full knowledge Of all things. 4:95, 4:95, ... fadhdhala-llaho mujahidina fi sabili-llah bi amwalihim wa anfusihim God FADHDHALA those who strive in God's path with their possessions and lives alal qaa'idina darajatan an advantage over those who sit [and do nothing] ...wa fadhdhala-llaho mujahidina alal qaa'idina ajran 'azimaa. And God FADHDHALA strivers/fighters over those who sit a great reward. God hath granted A grade higher to those Who strive and fight With their goods and persons Than to those those who sit (at home). [Unto all (in Faith) Hath God promissed good] But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished Above those who sit (at home) By a special reward 16:71 wallaho fadhdhala ba'dhakum ala ba'dhin fir-rizqi... And God FADHDHALA some of you over some in providing/means... God has bestowed His gifts Of sustenance more freely on some Of you than others... FADHDHALTUKUM 2:47, Ya bani isra'ila-zkuru ne'mati-llati an'amtu alaykum... O childern of Isarel recall the favor/gift I bestowed on you wa anni fadhdhaltukum alal 'alamain and I FADHDHALTUKUM over [everyone in] universe O Children of Israel! Call to mind The (special) favour which I bestowed Upon you, and that I preferred you To all others (for My Message) 2:122, [Exact repetition of verse 47] FADHDHALKUM 7:14, qaala aqayra llahi abghikum ilaha wa He said: Other than God should I seek a deity and howa fadhdhalkum alal 'alamin He FADHDHALKUM over [every one in] Universe He [Moses] said: "Shall I seek for you A god other than the (true) God, when it is God Who hath endowed you With gifts above the nations? FADHDHALNA 2:253 Tilka-rrosulu fadhdhalna ba'dhahum ala ba'dhin Those apostles FADHDHALNA some of them over others min humman kallama-llahu wa rafa'a ba'dhahum darajatin wa among them God spoke to and rose some of them degrees and aatayna 'isa-bni maryama-l bayyinaati wa ayyadnaahu we gave Jesus son of Mary explanations and strengthened him bi roohil qudsi... with the Holy Spirit Those apostles We endowed with gifts, Some above others: To one of them God spoke; Others He raised To degrees (of honour); To Jesus the son of Mary We gave Clear (Signs), And strengthened him With the holy spirit. 6:86 wa isma'ila wal yasa'a wa yunusa wa lutan wa kullan And Islmail and Elisha and Jonas and Lot and all fadhdhalna alal 'alamin FADHDHALNA over [all in] the world And Isma'il and Elisha. And Jonas, and Lot: And to all We gave Favour above the nations 17:20-21, Kullan numiddu ha'olaa'i wa ha'olaa'i min 'ataa'i rabbika (To) all we give, these and these, out of your lord's gifts wa ma kana 'ataa'u rabbika mahzur * Unzur kayfa fadhdhalna and Are not your Lord's gifts withheld.* See how FADHDHALNA ba'dhihum ala ba'dhi wa lal-'akhiratu akbaru daraajatin some of them over others and for hereafter greatest degrees Of the bounties of thy Lord We bestown freely on all-- These as well as those: The bounties of thy Lord Are not closed (to anyone) See how We have bestowed More on some than on others; [Note by Yusuf Ali: Nor should man suppose But verily the Hereafter that all gifts are of equal value. The Is more in rank and gradation spiritual ones rank far higher in dignity And more in Excellence and real worth than the transitory ones...] 17:55, ...wa laqad fadhdhalna ba'dhin Nabiyyina ala ba'dhin wa 'atayna dawooda Zabura And indeed FADHDHALNA some prophet over some and gave to Dawood zabur ...We Did bestow on some Prophets More (and other) gifts Than others: and We gave To David (the gift Of) the Psalms. FADHDHALANA [fadhdhala us] 27:15, Wa laqad aataynaa dawooda wa solaymana 'ilman wa qaalaa And indeed we gave Dawood and Solayman knowledge and they (two) said: alhamdu lillah illazi fadhdhalna ala kathirin mmin ibadihil mo'minin Praise for God who FADHDHALNA over many of his believing slaves We gave (in the past) Knowledge to David and Solomon: And they both said: "Praise be to God, Who Has favoured us above many Of His servants who believe!" FADHDHALNAHUM [fadhdhala them] 17:70, wa laqad karramna bani aadama wa hamalnahum fil barri wal bahri and indeed we honored Adam's children and transported them in land and sea wa razaqnahum min attayyibati wa fadhdhalnahum ala kathirin mimman and we gave them of pure things and FADHDHALNAHUM on many of those khalaqna tafdhilaa we created favors We have honoured the sons Of Adam; provided them With transport on land and sea; Given them for sustenance things Good and pure; and conferred On them special favours, Above a great part Of Our Creation. 45:16, wa laqad aatayna bani 'israil alkitaba wal hukma wan nubuwwata and indeed we gave children of Israel the book and 'hukm' and prophethood wa razaqnahum mmin at-tayyibati wa fadhdhalnahum alal 'alamin and gave them of pure things and FADHDHALNAHUM over [all in] the world We did aforetime Grant to the Children Of Israel the Book, The Power of Command, And Prophethood; We gave Them, for sustenance, things Good and pure; ane We Favoured them above the nations. <END OF APPENDIX> End of Part One.
hanan@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu (03/01/90)
In Article 176 of soc.religion.islam: >No body really can claim the opposit, after all men and women are physically >and biologically different. From physical point of view, it is quit obvious >that men are superior to women. From intelligent point we cannot really >know that since we live in societies where male are dominant even in the west. >From physcological view, we know that men and women concentrate on different >part of the brain, make them better in some fields and worst in other fields. Yes, men and women are physically and biologically different. But how is it obvious that men are superior to women in the physical sense? Scientific studies indicate that although men are perhaps stronger that women, men and women have similar physical endurance and some studies seem to indicate that a women's physical endurance is greater. >For instance, this fact make men better in areas involving Mathmatics, and >women are emotionally stronger than men (that generally speaking and there >are always exception. This kind of exceptions exist for every vers of the >Quran and usually explained in the Sunna or other Islamic litterature). This >is my opinion and Allah know best. I have to respond to this. As a woman in computer science, I found the above statement almost funny. You are trying to use the Quran as justification for your opinion that women are inferior to men. Now men do better in math tests. But this has nothing to do with intelligence. It seems that most societies teach that men are supposed to be better at math. Women are told that math is "not for them". Women who overcome these sterotypes do just as well in math as men. As for the rest of this article, others have done a good job in showing that the Quran does not support the "women are inferior" hypothesis. Hanan Lutfiyya
merigh@bailey.cpac.washington.edu (Merigh Mohamed) (05/31/90)
Somebody told me that a good article on women has been posted to this
newsgroup, but I cannot find it. Could anybody repost it or email it to
me. Thanks.
I have two questions:
1- Why does a woman count as only half a witness (i.e 2 women = men)?
2- Does anybody have an explanation for "Lan youfliha kaoumoun ouallaou
amrahoum imraa"?
Thanks.
Mohamedlakhani@zebra.ecn.purdue.edu (Salim Lakhani) (06/02/90)
In article <8515@accuvax.nwu.edu> merigh@bailey.cpac.washington.edu (Merigh Mohamed) writes: > >2- Does anybody have an explanation for "Lan youfliha kaoumoun ouallaou ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > amrahoum imraa"? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >Thanks. >Mohamed Can some one provide a translation of this ? Thanks -- -----------------------------> Salim Lakhani <----------------------------- Electrical Engineering Box 295, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 Phone -------> (317) 494-0636 or (317) 743-6841 Internet: lakhani@ecn.purdue.edu Bitnet: lakhani%ecn.purdue.edu@purccvm.bitnet