Friday Nasiha - Issue # 456

Dhul-Hijja 4, 1428, A.H. - December 14, 2007, C.E.

Living the Quran

Al-Nisa (The Women) Chapter 4: Verse 34 "To beat" or "to go away" "Men are supporters of wives because God has given some of them an advantage over others and because they spend of their wealth. So the ones who are in accord with morality are the ones who are morally obligated, the ones who guard the unseen of what God has kept safe. But those whose resistance you fear, then admonish them and abandon them in their sleeping place, then go away from them; and if they obey you, surely look not for any way against them; truly God is Lofty, Great." Fear and anxiety result in hate, isolation and apathy. Meanwhile, love, deference and trust result in charity, dedication and enthusiasm. For long time, the Muslim Community has been enduring severe infliction of suppression and humiliation, and a culture of despotism and patronage. In so many societies, such tyrannical practice is no longer a monopoly of the state police or security apparatus. In fact, these abuses have become part and parcel of the common culture, and they occur amongst different categories of the society, in particular, between the “strong” and the “weak.” [full article here]