Comments on: ISNA President’s message of support

version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"? Background on The Sublime Quran translated by Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph.D. Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:14:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Lejla Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:14:18 +0000 http://www.sublimequran.org/index.php/2007/10/26/isna-presidents-message-of-support/#comment-36 I cannot agree more with Ustadtha's statement! Even though I am born and raised in a Muslim family, Arabic not being my mother tongue, I had to rely on different translations. In the beginning, whenever I read the ayah authorizing husbands to beat their wives I felt humiliated and sad in a strange way. Moreover, I even feared that someone who is not a Muslim might ask me to explain to him or her how this injuction should be in concordance with the Qur'anic message of peace, tolerance and justice. Allah forbids force and violence when it comes to a person's faith (deen) and, on the other hand, gives husbands the right to use violence and force against their wives if those should show signs of disobedience to them! For me it was a huge riddle and a deep contradiction. Eventually, as I got older I began to sense that there was something wrong with the translation of this ayah. I simply knew that sooner or later I will find some explanation to it. And I did! I investigated, read different interpretations, discussed the issue with my fellow-Muslims, asked Muslim scholars and finally came to the conslusion that "daraba" in this instance has to mean something else than "beat". Lelah Bakhtiar's rendering does not only make more sense in terms of the Qur'anic exegesis and the sunnah of our beloved Prophet, pbuh, it is also more logical in terms of sociology and psychology. As Amina Wadud points out in her book Inside the Gender Jihad, violence in family most often comes as the first, impulsive, uncontrolled act of rage on behalf of one member and almost never as a final step after calm and sensible verbal warnings and practical steps to solve a crisis. I cannot agree more with Ustadtha’s statement! Even though I am born and raised in a Muslim family, Arabic not being my mother tongue, I had to rely on different translations. In the beginning, whenever I read the ayah authorizing husbands to beat their wives I felt humiliated and sad in a strange way. Moreover, I even feared that someone who is not a Muslim might ask me to explain to him or her how this injuction should be in concordance with the Qur’anic message of peace, tolerance and justice. Allah forbids force and violence when it comes to a person’s faith (deen) and, on the other hand, gives husbands the right to use violence and force against their wives if those should show signs of disobedience to them! For me it was a huge riddle and a deep contradiction. Eventually, as I got older I began to sense that there was something wrong with the translation of this ayah. I simply knew that sooner or later I will find some explanation to it. And I did! I investigated, read different interpretations, discussed the issue with my fellow-Muslims, asked Muslim scholars and finally came to the conslusion that “daraba” in this instance has to mean something else than “beat”. Lelah Bakhtiar’s rendering does not only make more sense in terms of the Qur’anic exegesis and the sunnah of our beloved Prophet, pbuh, it is also more logical in terms of sociology and psychology. As Amina Wadud points out in her book Inside the Gender Jihad, violence in family most often comes as the first, impulsive, uncontrolled act of rage on behalf of one member and almost never as a final step after calm and sensible verbal warnings and practical steps to solve a crisis.

]]> Ustadtha Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:13:56 +0000 http://www.sublimequran.org/index.php/2007/10/26/isna-presidents-message-of-support/#comment-32 I have been studying and reading the Quran for over 15 years. As I am non-Arabic speaking Muslimah, I have had to rely on the various English translations. Every verse in the Quran rang true in my heart and through my personal experiences except when I came to verse 4:34. It was as if someone place a big rock in the middle of a smooth and even path. The translation of "beat them" is completely out of place from what the rest of the Quran instructs about fairness, justice and love and what I knew of beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) through his Seerah. It was also out of place from the verses themselves. Allah says to men that you are the protectors and maintainers of women, and then follows it by saying it's okay to beat them. And after having beaten them, then you should find arbitrators to make amends between the two quarreling parties. Even Caliph Umar (ra) said who can be worse than someone who strikes a woman, while he was himself a person who was very strict with his people. Dr. Bakhtiar, thank you for taking away this big rock that had always been an obstacle to my belief in the sublimeness of the Quran. I have been studying and reading the Quran for over 15 years. As I am non-Arabic speaking Muslimah, I have had to rely on the various English translations. Every verse in the Quran rang true in my heart and through my personal experiences except when I came to verse 4:34. It was as if someone place a big rock in the middle of a smooth and even path. The translation of “beat them” is completely out of place from what the rest of the Quran instructs about fairness, justice and love and what I knew of beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) through his Seerah. It was also out of place from the verses themselves. Allah says to men that you are the protectors and maintainers of women, and then follows it by saying it’s okay to beat them. And after having beaten them, then you should find arbitrators to make amends between the two quarreling parties. Even Caliph Umar (ra) said who can be worse than someone who strikes a woman, while he was himself a person who was very strict with his people. Dr. Bakhtiar, thank you for taking away this big rock that had always been an obstacle to my belief in the sublimeness of the Quran.

]]> Lori Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:36:43 +0000 http://www.sublimequran.org/index.php/2007/10/26/isna-presidents-message-of-support/#comment-21 Ameen!!!! Ameen!!!!

]]> Ahmad Abdul-Awwal Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:32:07 +0000 http://www.sublimequran.org/index.php/2007/10/26/isna-presidents-message-of-support/#comment-19 Salaamun Alaykum: I am pleased to see your support of Dr. Bakhtiar’s Sublime Quran. After reading excerpts from the English Edition I am eagerly awaiting the Arabic-English Edition, intend to purchase it as well as Dr. Bakhtiar’s Concordance. For too long my brothers and sisters have had their heads in the sand, have blindly followed persons with narrow-minded mentalities, and have suffered intellectually because of this posture. Additionally, I question the authority of this “leading Islamic figure” who proposes banning our sisters’ work. If this person were intellectually capable of being a “leading Islamic figure” then they would be supportive of Dr. Bakhtiar’s efforts in the path of Allaah and Al Islaam. Al Islaam should be producing great minds, great thinkers, and groundbreakers, in all arrears of positive human endeavors, rather than stifling them. Sincerely, Ahmad Abdul-Awwal Salaamun Alaykum:
I am pleased to see your support of Dr. Bakhtiar’s Sublime Quran. After reading excerpts from the English Edition I am eagerly awaiting the Arabic-English Edition, intend to purchase it as well as Dr. Bakhtiar’s Concordance. For too long my brothers and sisters have had their heads in the sand, have blindly followed persons with narrow-minded mentalities, and have suffered intellectually because of this posture. Additionally, I question the authority of this “leading Islamic figure” who proposes banning our sisters’ work. If this person were intellectually capable of being a “leading Islamic figure” then they would be supportive of Dr. Bakhtiar’s efforts in the path of Allaah and Al Islaam. Al Islaam should be producing great minds, great thinkers, and groundbreakers, in all arrears of positive human endeavors, rather than stifling them.
Sincerely,
Ahmad Abdul-Awwal

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