Laleh Bakhtiar: An American Woman Translates the Qur'an
by Andrea Useem, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly,04/18/2007
What does it mean beat someone "lightly?" Muslims have debated this question over the centuries while interpreting a verse in the Qur'an where God instructs Muslim men, if they fear "disobedience" from their wives, to take several steps: admonish them, sleep separately from them, and then—here's the point of controversy.
Until now most Muslims have understood the final command, idribuhun, to mean "beat them lightly." Scholars have given this phrase a range of meanings, some as innocuous as tapping a wife with a wet noodle, others as ominous as hitting them without leaving a mark.
But to Laleh Bakhtiar, an Iranian-American Muslim author and translator, this interpretation seemed both illogical and immoral. "As Muslims we are supposed to follow the Prophet Muhammad's example, and we know that the Prophet never hit anybody," so how could the Qur'an be saying it is okay? Bakhtiar told RBL, noting that when the Prophet Muhammad was upset with any of his multiple wives, he withdrew from them for some weeks rather than beat them.
When Bakhtiar, in the midst of what became a seven-year project to translate the Qur'an into English, came across an alternative translation for the word in question that meant "to go away from," instead of "to beat lightly," it made perfect sense to her, she said. Her new translation of the holy text, The Sublime Quran, is out this month from the Chicago-based Kazi Publications and is the first by an American Muslim woman; U.K.-based Madinah Press published the 1999 Noble Qur'an, which was translated by Englishwoman Aisha Bewley and her husband.
But with the "beat them lightly" interpretation so ingrained in Muslim thought and legal structures, will her translation really effect change? "It's a start," she said. "The very fact that Kazi Publications, the oldest Muslim publisher in America, is willing to publish it is in itself a sign things are changing." So far her translation has stirred mostly controversy, with Arabic grammarians challenging her translation of the verse and rank-and-file Muslims in the blogosphere criticizing the fact that Bakhtiar doesn't speak modern Arabic.
Bakhtiar said she hopes her translation will elevate the image of the Prophet Muhammad around the world. "Why can the Danish feel they can make fun of him? Because we're allowing behavior that is immoral and then expecting everyone to respect our Prophet. It doesn't work that way. It has to start with us: we have to morally heal ourselves first."
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| Submitted by: | Aisha W 10/31/2009 10:00:30 AM PT |
| Location: | South Africa |
Interesting article. I'm a friend of Aisha Bewley and was amused by the fact that although she has lived in England for decades, she is actually an American from California!!!
| Submitted by: | Mubaschir Inayet (mubashir@rogers.com) 10/21/2007 2:58:11 PM PT |
| Location: | Toronto, Canada |
| Occupation: | Parts Clerk |
Re: Furor over a five-letter word Oct 21
Laleh Bakhtiar is right to question the acquired meaning of certain Arabic word that suggest spousal abuse, which she says was never practiced by Prophet Muhammad.
The word that has caused confusion is “Dharb”. Here is a better translation from “Qur’an as it explains itself” by Dr Shabbir Ahmed of Florida:
4:34 Men are the protectors and supporters of women. They shall take
full care of women with what they spend of their wealth. God has made
men to excel in some areas and women to excel in some areas. Men
should ensure that women are able to stand at their feet in the society.
So, righteous women are obedient to God’s Ordinances and guard the
moral values even in privacy, the values that God has commanded to be
guarded. If you experience ill-treatment from them, apprise them of
possible consequences. Next, leave them in their resting places, but
keep admonishing them with examples. If they pay heed to you, do not
seek a way against them. God is Most High, Great.
[Qawwam = Protector = Maintainer = One who helps others to stand at
their feet. Nushooz = Ill-treatment = Rebellion = To stand up (2:259,
58:11) = To stand up against virtue = Mental abuse = Domestic violence
= To rebel against the permanent moral values. Wa’az = Admonishment
= To apprise of consequences (2:231, 3:66). Dharb = Example (13:17,
16:74, 36:13) = To stop or prevent (8:11, 43:5) = To embark upon a
journey = Strike the road or begin to travel (4:101) = To give examples
(4:34, 13:17, 16:74, 36:13, 43:58) = To withdraw (43:5)]
In “Al Qu’ran, a Contemporary Translation” by Ahmed Ali a different shade of meaning has been given based again on a Hadith (Prophetic utterances) that the Muhammmad forbade hitting of wives. It is inconceivable that the Qur’an says one thing and the Prophet the opposite.
Sincerely
Mubaschir Inayet
10 Tuxedo Court
Apt 1101, Scarborough
Ont. M1G 3S4
(416) 289-1642
| Submitted by: | EGBERT BHATTY (eandabhatty@tellurian.com) 4/19/2007 7:56:47 PM PT |
| Location: | Ridgewood, New Jersey |
| Occupation: | Writer |
Laleh Bakhtiar''s translation certainly makes sense to me! I doubt very much that so noble a person as the Prophet would advocate beating disobedient wives.
Those Muslims who advocate violence against wives are just like those Christians who say, after Paul [or, a later scribe?], that women should be "subject" to their husbands, a word that has led to unimaginable violence against them at their husband''s hands.
Words and phrases denigrating the dignity and equality of women that are found in the three Abrahamic Books are clearly the work of scribes, far removed from the original Authors, who sought to assert male dominance by holy writ.
The same one God Who is reverenced by the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims could not have discriminated against the distaff side of His creation. By His very nature He could not. But, man, of his free will, and for his own purposes, could -- and did.
Hopefully, better translations of the three Holy Books will bring man to a view of women that is akin to God''s.
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