Document Type : Academicm and Research

Authors

• Negar Karimpour ¹
• Mohsen Badreh ²

¹ Ph.D. Candidate, Women’s Studies, Faculty of Women and Family, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Women and Family Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, Alzahra University, Tehran,

Abstract

Highlights

The Comparative Exegesis of Javadi Amoli and Alusi regarding Maraj al-Baḥrain and al-Luʾluʾ wa-l Marjān*

Negar Karimpour¹ and Mohsen Badreh²

¹ Ph.D. Candidate, Women’s Studies, Faculty of Women and Family, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran (corresponding author). Email: ne.karimpour@gmail.com  

² Assistant Professor, Department of Women and Family Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, al-Zahra University, Tehran, Iran. Email: m.badreh@alzahra.ac.ir

Abstract

The concept of nushūz (disobedience) in verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter is one of the most frequent issues of women’s rights in the Quran. One of the neo-thinkers who pay special attention to this verse is Azizah al-Hibri. Allamah Tabatabai’s al-Mizan, one of the most important books of Shiite exegeses, also includes an interpretation of this verse. This paper, using a comparative exegesis method, delves into Allamah Tabatabai and al-Hibri’s interpretations of nushūz in the abovementioned verse and what similarities and differences these interpretations have with each other. Allamah Tabatabai considers the identity of a woman to be equal to that of a man and believes that one cannot have a biased view toward women. Thus, common assumptions regarding the hitting of women have no place in his view. Al-Hibri addresses nushūz mostly with emphasis on a narration of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) in which he interprets it as an evident disgrace, that is, adultery and, as a result, she makes the meaning of nushūz much narrower.

Keywords: verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter, women in the Quran, adultery, nushūz, Islamic feminism

Introduction

The concept of nushūz (disobedience) in verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter is one of the most frequent issues of women’s rights in the Quran. One of the neo-thinkers who pay special attention to this verse is Azizah al-Hibri. The al-Mizan Exegesis is also one of the most important exegetic books that has addressed these verses. The issue that this paper seeks to address is what interpretation of nushūz have Allamah Tabatabai and al-Hibri presented and what differences do these interpretations have with each other? Thus, using a comparative exegetic method, we will compare the views of these two scholars.

A comparative exegesis between Allamah Tabatabai and al-Hibri regarding the disobedience of a woman

Just as Allamah Tabatabai’s interpretation of the Quran through the Quran method that requires the exegesis of the verse of the al-Nisa Chapter in the light of the general moral propositions of the Holy Quran as well as al-Hibri’s approach in adherence to the moral worldview of the Quran which was previously explained require, any interpretation of the issue of nushūz in verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter must at least possess two essential characteristics:

1. It must be consistent with the meaning of other phrases of this verse that the exegete has provided. For example, if the phrase faḍribūnna has been translated as hitting and the exegete has considered that as a form of punishment for a sin that the wife has committed, this meaning should not be inconsistent with the phrase takhāfūna which means the lack of definite occurrence of disobedience (nushūz) and should not be perceived as the permissibility of punishment before committing a sin. Or if a referent or specific referents are mentioned for nushūz, the effectiveness of the three mentioned allowed hierarchical reactions (advising, separating beds, and hitting) must be congruent with those referents and be justifiable.
2. It must be congruent with the whole of the Quranic text including the context of verses in this chapter and other related propositions in other chapters as well as the ethics and theology of the Quran. For example, the interpretation of the term qawwāmuna (guardians) in this verse must not be completely separate from other instances of the word qawwām in other chapters and verses where it is normally accompanied by the establishment of justice. Or, because obedience and being submissive has been used only in relation to God in numerous instances – for example: “O Mary, be obedient to your Lord…” [3: 43] – this verse is not interpreted as submissive and complete obedience to the husband. Or that, if, for example, here nushūz is interpreted as disobedience to the husband, it must be explained why this same word is not correspondingly explained as the disobedience of the husband in relation to his wife in verse 128 of this same chapter: “If a woman fears from her husband misconduct or desertion…” [4: 128]. Similarly, if the exegete perfectly illustrates the issues of the hierarchy of power and obedience in the family based on this verse, he must explain how he would consistently explain the generality of the mutual obedience of believers in verse 71 of the al-Tawbah Chapter (“But the faithful, men and women, are comrades of one another: they bid what is right and forbid what is wrong…”) in a way that is compatible with this way of interpretation.

Accordingly, it can be said that traces of al-Hibri’s exegesis of verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter and especially nushūz (disobedience), have realized the methodology of interpreting the Quran through the Quran that Allamah Tabatabai has explained in volume one of al-Mizan and which is considered one of the notable and distinctive aspects of his method more than him and this matter is mostly because due to the possible scope for explaining a verse in a sequential commentary, Tabatabai did not have the opportunity to focus on this verse on par with an independent work of several dozen pages, such as al-Hibri's article. This is the reason why, for example, al-Hibri has considered numerous other uses of the root word qa na ta which denotes submissive obedience before God in all places in the Quran as a means of understanding its opposite concept, that is, nushūz and to distinguish its meaning in the principle of disobedience to God and his command to fidelity and chastity and refraining from committing adultery, the point of reference that completely narrows the circle of disobedience of the woman and is separated from the instances of disobeying the husband. In addition, since any interpretation of the referents of nushūz also includes the permissibility of the three stages, especially hitting, Allamah’s general interpretation of the sign of the husband's disobedience regarding household affairs does not address the sensitivity of this situation and leaves open the question of exactly which of the wife’s behaviors may merit such a punishment, especially since the Quran prescribes the fear of disobedience and does not specify the implementation of these steps after the occurrence of disobedience.

Conclusion

In this study, it has become clear through the comparative exegesis between Allamah Tabatabai and al-Hibri regarding disobedience (nushūz) that al-Hibri’s interpretation of verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter especially of the topic of disobedience has realized the method of interpretation of the Quran through the Quran that Allamah Tabatabai has explained in al-Mizan and is considered one of the notable and distinctive aspects of his method more than Allamah Tabatabai himself.

References

Holy Quran

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* Received: 2023 Oct 03 | Received in revised from: 2023 Nov 11 | Accepted: 2023 Nov 20 | published online: 2023 Dec 21

• Karimpour, N., & Badreh. M. (2023). The Comparative Exegesis of Javadi Amoli and Alusi regarding Maraj al-Baḥrain and al-Luʾluʾ wa-l Marjān. Comparative Interpretation Research, 9 (2), 125-149. https://doi.org/10.22091/PTT.2023.9027.2196

Keywords

• verse 34 of the al-Nisa Chapter
• women in the Quran
• adultery
• nushūz
• Islamic feminism 

Main Subjects

• Islamic