What some of our Muslim brothers/sisters fail to realize is the ayat says nothing about changing words from

the text of the Scripture.

The distortion of Allah's message is not limited to the Tawrah its also done to the Qur'an Allah says:
"Indeed, alladhna (THOSE WHO) yul'idna (DISTORT) fi (IN) ytin (OUR VERSES) are not concealed from Us. So, is he who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection? Do whatever you will; indeed, He is Seeing of what you do." Sura 41/40 Allah tells us that those who distort Allahs verses rather they be in the Tawrah, Injil or the Quran are not concealed, hidden from Allah and His host. This doesn't specifically mean just the Tawrah it means the Qur'an as well no one can bring clear proof that Sura 41/40 is only talking about the Tawrah or Injil. Allah says: "Indeed, those who disbelieve bil-dhik'ri (IN THE REMINDER) after it has come to them. And indeed, it is a mighty Book." Sura 41/41 In fact, when we consult the earliest Muslim views we soon discover that the Jews were accused of changing words by misinterpreting the text. So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. yuarrifna (THEY DISTORT) kalima (THE WORDS) an (FROM) mawiihi
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(THEIR PALCES) and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. Sura 5:13

Allah informs us of the punishment He inflicted upon them when they violated His Covenant. Allah says:
because of their breach of their covenant, We have cursed them, that is, because they broke their pact, Allah expelled them from His Guidance. And <made their hearts grow hard> so they will not accept their guilt. The verse, < yuarrifna (THEY DISTORT) kalima (THE WORDS) an (FROM) mawiihi (THEIR PALCES) > means THEY MISINTERPRETED THE VERSES OF ALLAH, according to their own desires, and fabricated lies against Him. And indeed, there is among them lafarqan (A GROUP) who yalwna (DISTORT) the Scripture alsinatahum (WITH THEIR TONGUES) so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah ," but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know. Sura 3:78 Allah says none can change His Words however, as what Muslims do with the Quran, the Jews and Nazarenes ALTER AND DISTORT THEIR APPARENT MEANINGS. The Tawrah and Injil REMAIN AS ALLAH REVEALED THEM, AND NO LETTER IN THEM WAS REMOVED. However, again just like Muslims do with Hadith and Sunnah, these Rabbis misguide others by addition and false interpretation of the Tawrah, Injil along with the Quran, relying on books that they wrote themselves. Its no wonder they say: "This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. They corrupt the word mean they alter or change its meaning. Yet no one is able to change even a single word from any Book of Allah. The meaning is that they interpret the word wrongly.

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I dont follow any Hadith or Sunnah yet we are told that the Tawrah and Injil has been corrupted. Where did this come from? Did it come from the Quran, no. Did it come from Hadith or Sunnah books well, for the sake of argument let us investigate a bit in terms of what did the Scholars of the Sunnah and Hadith have to say about the Tawrah. Muslims will be quick to say that the Quran explicitly states that the Tawrah [tahrif]. A popular thought amongst Muslims today is that tahrif implies they changed the text of the Tawra. I would suggest and encourage you, Muslim or not to reject this opinion that is held by the majority in favour of the earliest and most credible sources which explicitly state the text of the Tawrah is intact, but Banu Yisrael misinterpreted it.

Ibn Abbas Misinterpreted the text

They corrupt the word means they alter or change its meaning, yet no one is able to change even a single word from any Book of God. The meaning is that they interpret the word wrongly (Kitaab Al-Tawheed, Baab Qawlu Allah Taala, Bal Huwa Quraanun Majeed, fi lawhin Mahfooth) and The word Tahrif [corruption] signifies to change a thing from its original nature; and there is no man who could corrupt a single word of what proceeds from God, so that the Jews and Christians could corrupt only by misrepresenting the meanings of the word of God (Muhammad Ismail al-Bukhari, quoted in Hughes Dictionary of Islam, p.62) these ahadith indicate that those who walked with the Prophet (PBUH) believed the text of the Torah was original, while holding the view that the Jews perverted their interpretation. 154 AH
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164 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Ibn al-Layth Misinterpreted the text

In the year 796 Abu l-Rabi Muhammad ibn al-Layth (a courtier to Kalif Harun al-Rashid ) penned a letter to Constatine VI stating that the word tahrif should be read as the Jews had distorted their sense. Whoever looks in the books of the prophets will find Muhammad (PBUH) mentioned, but the people of the book have obscured these references by changing their interpretation. Ibn al-Layth categorically denies the possibility of passages having been added to, or omitted from, the scriptures, and he then goes on to use the text of the Torah as proof of the authenticity of the Torah (a belief both he and the kalif share). Risalat Abi l-Rabi Muhammad ibn al-Layth allati katabaha li-l-Rashod ila Qustantin malik al-Rum
1

213 AH 223 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Ibn Rabban Misinterpreted the text

In the year 855 Ali ibn Rabban al-Tabari reaffirmed what al-Layth said before him, that the Jews distorted their interpretation of the scriptures and not of the text itself. Both al-Layth and ibn Rabban connected prophecies contained in the Torah to Muhammad (PBUH).
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Kitab al-din al-dawla

c 190 AH 200 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Ibn Qutayba Misinterpreted the text

Ibn Qutayba used the Torah as a proof that the coming of Muhammad (PBUH) had been foretold by the Torah throughout his numerous works like al-Layth he used the Torah as source of authentic historical reference. There can be no question that Ibn Qutayba believed tahrif to mean incorrect interpretation of a genuine text. c 230 AH 240 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death
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Al-Yaqubi Misinterpreted the text

Ahmad al-Yaqubi accepted evidence from the Torah throughout his works. This stands as a testament to his belief that the Torah was uncorrupted, as no scholar would use a corrupted text as a source of proof. c 250 AH 260 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Al-Tabari Misinterpreted the text

Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabar explains two separate instances of the word tahrif in the Torah: 1. When Moses ordered the Israelites to express their repentance, they used a phrase other than the one they had been commanded to use. The distortion that was an oral one, and not written. 2. Al-Tabari explicitly states that when the seventy elders that had accompanied Moses (PBUH) to Mount Sinai returned to the Israelites, some of them gave a false report of what they heard, distorting G-ds spoken words, but not the written Torah. c 290 AH 300 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Al-Baqillani Misinterpreted the text

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Tayyib al-Baqillani was of the opinion that the words of Moses were still extant in their Hebrew original and that the Jews had inadvertently made mistakes in their translations. 305 AH 315 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Al-Masudi Misinterpreted the text

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Masudi wrote that in the context of the Torah the word tahrif means that the Jews had distorted the sense of the Torah and not the text.
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Muruj adh-dhahab wa maadin al-jawahir

c 340 AH 350 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Al-Muqaddasi Changed the text

Al-Muqaddasi was the first author to deviate from the traditional understanding of tahrif with his suggestion that the very text of the Torah had suffered distortion. It took 300 years for a scholar to suggest this innovative idea and despite it being incompatible with the view of far greater scholars before him, it is this view that is most popular today. 390 AH 400 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

Ibn Hazm Changed the text

The most influential accusation of Jews falsifying the text of the Torah came 400 years after the death of Muhammad (PBUH) from Ibn Hazm an Andalusian scholar that denied Mosiac authorship and instead charged Ezra (Uzair) with penning the text we read today. This was a radical change from predecessors like Ibn Qutayba and AlTabari who not only believed the original words were extant, but that it was Ezra who reinstated them after they had been forgotten.
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Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wal-Ahwa wal-Nihal

390 AH 400 years after the Prophets (PBUH) death

al-Biruni Misinterpreted & changed the text

Abu Rayan al-Biruni a contemporary of Ibn-Hazm found prophetic allusions to Muahammad (PBUH) in the Torah , while simultaneously holding the belief that some of the words had been altered by Banu Yisrael. So here we have it only three Scholars believed that the Tawrah was changed, the rest of them believed that the Tawrah was quoted out of context. This is not corruption at all.

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In classical Arabic, this word [tahrif] can either mean alteration (in the text), or misinterpretation (in the sense). While most of contemporary Muslim propagandists take only the first possible meaning into consideration, plenty of authoritative scholars of old (including Imam al-Ghazali and Shaykh Muhiddin Ibn Arabi) prefer the second one, and support their point of view through ahadith which are universally accepted as authentic. According to one of them, the Prophet Muhammad asked the Jews of Medina to bring their Torah Scroll and to read from it to confirm a verdict (and the argument is were that Scroll adulterated, the Prophet would have never judged on its base). According to another hadith, he met Jews who were bringing a Torah Scroll in procession, kissed the Scroll and said amantu bika wa amantu bima fik (I believe in you and in yours contents). The argument here is were that Scroll adulterated, the Prophet would have never said I believe in your contents.. As a Muslim scholar, I think that showing all these and other legal proof in Islam is the best way to lead Muslims to recognize the Divine character of the Torah as the Jews have it today.

What is the actual Arabic word that Muslims love quoting that they misconstrue and take out of context defining the word to mean corruption?
The Arabic root is kh b lm ( ) Kh-Ba-Lam means: To be or become corrupted, unsound, vitiated or disordered in intellect or reason, become possessed or insane, be
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lost, cut off, deprived of heart or reason. Prevent or hinder from doing a thing. Affliction, trouble, difficulty, distress, fatigue. Seek to corrupt, render unsound, occasioning to agitation like that of possession or insanity, by disease affecting the reason and thought. Difficulty in people in which they see not happiness. Egregious stupidity or foolishness, heedlessness or weakness of intellect, state of perdition or destruction. Disordered in the legs so as not to know how to walk. Going/passing/wasting away, being consumed or destroyed. To lend. Jinn, devil, mankind. Allah says: O ye who believe! Take not for intimates others than your own folk, who would spare no pains to khablan (RUIN) you; they love to hamper you. Hatred is revealed by (the utterance of) their mouths, but that which their breasts hide is greater. We have made plain for you the revelations if ye will understand. Sura 3/118 Had they gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except khablan (IN RUIN / CONFUSION), and they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] you fitnah. And among you are avid listeners to them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers. Sura 9/47 Throughout the entire Quran does Allah use this word relating it to the Tawrah or the Injil? Does Allah ever say that the Tawrah and Injil are ruin? Say: "Bring your proof." Sura 21/24 Say: "bring forth your proofs, if you are truthful." Sura 27/64 Another word is Fa-Sin-Dal to become evil/corrupted, invalid, decomposed, bad/spoiled/tainted, wrong, vicious, make mischief or foul deal. fasad - corruption/violence. Allah says: So they defeated them by permission of Allah , and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, would lafasadati (CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE CORRUPTED the earth, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds. Sura 2/251

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She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, afsadh (THEY CORRUPTED / RUIN IT) and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do. Sura 27/34 But if they turn away, then indeed - Allah is Knowing bil-muf'sidna (OF THE CORRUPTERS). Sura 3/63 And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice and do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, muf'sidna (SPREADING CORRUPTION). Sura 11/85 Now ask yourself this question, does Allah use ( ) Kh-Ba-Lam or Fa-Sin-Dal in relation to the Tawrah or the Injil? Does Allah ever say that Ahlul Kitab (People of the Book) are those spreading corruption in the Tawrah or Injil or are of the corrupters of the previous books? Both words have the implications of ruin, corruption so if you speak the truth present a clear ayat that describes the Tawrah as such. So what exactly is the Dhikr in both Quran 5:13 and 5:14 which was forgotten and whose words were moved from its places?

To elaborate further:
So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. yuarrifna (THEY DISTORT) kalima (THE WORDS) an (FROM) mawiihi (THEIR PALCES) and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good. Sura 5:13 The Arabic word Allah uses is Ha-Ra-Fa To pervert, dislocate, change, turn away, discard anything from, alter, tamper with. To turn a thing from its proper way or manner, mistranscribe a word, earn or gain subsistence or labour to do so for one's family or household, suffer the loss of property, turn away or aloof, to be debarred from the means of subsistence, to be made to experience difficulty, straitened in means of subsistence, have one's earnings or gain turned away from him.

In any of the ayats does Allah say they distorted the written Tawrah, the written Words of Allah?

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"Do you covet, that they would believe for you while farqun (A PARTY) min'hum (OF THEM) yasmana (HEAR) kalma (THE WORDS) of Allah and yuarrifnahu (THEN THEY DISTORT) it after they had understood it while they were knowing?" Sura 2/75

Allah explains this is what they used to do:

"Among the Jews yuarrifna (THEY DISTORT) kalima (THE WORDS) from mawiihi (THEIR PROPER PLACES) and say, "We hear and disobey" and "Hear but be not heard" and "Ra'ina," twisting their tongues and defaming the religion. And if they had said [instead], "We hear and obey" and "Wait for us [to understand]," it would have been better for them and more suitable. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few." Sura 4/46 "O Messenger, let them not grieve you who hasten into disbelief of those who say, "We believe" with their mouths, but their hearts believe not, and from among the Jews. [They are] avid listeners to falsehood, listening to another people who have not come to you. yuarrifna (THEY DISTORT) kalima (THE WORDS) min (FROM) badi (AFTER) mawiihi (THEIR CONTEXT), saying "If you are given this, take it; but if you are not given it, then beware." But he for whom Allah intends fitnah never will you possess [power to do] for him a thing against Allah. Those are the ones for whom Allah does not intend to purify their hearts. For them in this world is disgrace, and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment." Sura 5/41 There is not one ayat Allah alluding to a corrupted Tawrah at all. Again, what has been presented is that they misinterpreted the text. Muslims do the same today with the Quran.

One distortion of the Quranic ayat is the alleged belief of some Muslims who believe the Quran condones the beating of women.

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They translate the Quran as:

"Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places wai'ribhunna (AND BEAT THEM); then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." Sura 4/34 Hence, to water it down a bit why do they distort the meaning of Qur'an in Sura 4:34 ... As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, wa-i'ribhunna (AND BEAT THEM THEM LIGHTLY) Are the words, wa-i'ribhunna (AND BEAT THEM THEM LIGHTLY) lightly in the Quran, of course not so where did they come from? So we have to issues at hand, the Quran says: 1) BEAT THEM 2) BEAT THEM LIGHTLY The first one says that the Quran condones the beatings of women and then others translate the Quran to get the pressure off of the Quran so it wont look so brutal to mean lightly. Is this not distortion? Muslim apologists often squirm over this relatively

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straightforward verse from what they perceive Sura 4:34 - which actually give men the right to beat their wives if they even have a "fear" of disloyalty or disobedience. This is what they translate the Qur'an to be...they distort the Qur'an to accommodate Hadith. This is how they distort the ayats, verses of the Most High rather it be in the Tawrah, Injil or the Quran. Despite what the left would have us believe, there are real differences between those living in Western (overwhelmingly Christian) society and those in the Muslim world. A look at how many Muslim men treat their own wives and daughters, may shock you. The fact that these men are almost always allowed to get away with it, will anger you. Brutal treatment of women and young girls is rampant throughout the Muslim world. The abuse and murder is condoned by Muslim governments. Muslim women are regularly subjected to beatings at the hands of their husbands, for a host of reasons. They may suffer a savage attack for having an affair, or for simply disobeying their Muslim husband's daily orders. It is also perfectly socially acceptable within the Islamic community, for a father to beat his daughter. The young girl may have spoken with a boy of whom the father does not approve, or forgotten to cover her face in public. http://www.examiner.com/article/muslim-women-are-regularly-beaten-andmurdered-where-is-the-outrage

In their attempts to justify the beating of women they use Hadith that also condones and supports the beating of women.
Bukhari (72:715) - A woman came to Muhammad and begged her to stop her husband from beating her. Her skin was bruised so badly that she it is described as being "greener" than the green veil she was wearing. Muhammad did not admonish her husband, but instead ordered her to return to him and submit to his sexual desires. Bukhari (72:715) - "Aisha said, 'I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women'" This is Muhammad's own wife complaining of the abuse that the women of her religions suffer relative to other women. Muslim (4:2127) - Muhammad struck his favorite wife, Aisha, in the chest one evening when she left the house without his permission. Aisha narrates, "He struck me on the
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chest which caused me pain." Muslim (9:3506) - Muhammad's father-in-laws (Abu Bakr and Umar) amused him by slapping his wives (Aisha and Hafsa) for annoying him. According to the Hadith, the prophet of Islam laughed upon hearing this. Abu Dawud (2141) - "Iyas bin Abd Allah bin Abi Dhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: Do not beat Allahs handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them." At first, Muhammad forbade men from beating their wives, but he rescinded this once it was reported that women were becoming emboldened toward their husbands. Beatings are sometimes necessary to keep women in their place. Abu Dawud (2142) - "The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife." Abu Dawud (2126) - "A man from the Ansar called Basrah said: 'I married a virgin woman in her veil. When I entered upon her, I found her pregnant. (I mentioned this to the Prophet).' The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: 'She will get the dower, for you made her vagina lawful for you. The child will be your slave. When she has begotten (a child), flog her'" A Muslim man thinks his is getting a virgin, then finds out she is pregnant. Muhammad tells him to treat the woman as a sex slave and then flog her after she has delivered the child. Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 969 - Requires that a married woman be "put in a separate room and beaten lightly" if she "act in a sexual manner toward others." According to the Hadith, this can be for an offense as petty as merely being alone with a man to whom she is not related. Kash-shaf (the revealer) of al-Zamkhshari (Vol. 1, p. 525) - [Muhammad said] "Hang up your scourge where your wife can see it" Dr. Muzammil Saddiqi, the former president of ISNA (the Islamic Society of North America), a mainstream Muslim organization, says it is important that a wife "recognizes the authority of her husband in the house" and that he may use physical force if he is "sure it would improve the situation."

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Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the head of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious institution says that "light beatings" and "punching" are part of a program to "reform the wife" Dr. Jamal Badawi endorses corporal punishment as "another measure that may save the marriage" He isn't clear on how striking a woman will make her more inclined toward staying with her assailant, unless the implication is fear of a more serious beating if she leaves. Egyptian cleric, Abd al-Rahman Mansour, said in a 2012 televised broadcast that in addition to discouraging the wife from filing divorce, beatings would inspire the wife to "treat him with kindness and respect, and know that her husband has a higher status than her." During Ramadan of 2010, another cleric named Sa'd Arafat actually said the woman is "honored" by the beating. No one else seemed terribly surprised by this. An undercover report from progressive Sweden in 2012 found that 60% of mosques there actually advised beaten women not to report the abuse to the police. These women were also told that they must submit to non-consensual 'sex' with their husbands. In the Saudi Arabia, about half of Saudi women are beaten at home. "Hands and sticks were found to be used mostly in beating women, following by mens head cover and to a lesser extent, sharp objects." According to Islamic law, a husband may strike his wife for any one of the following four reasons: - She does not attempt to make herself beautiful for him (ie. "let's herself go") - She refuses to meet his sexual demands - She leaves the house without his permission or for a "legitimate reason" - She neglects her religious duties Any of these are also sufficient grounds for divorce.

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Respected Quran scholars from the past interpreted verse 4:34 with impressive candor. Tabari said that it means to "admonish them, but if they refused to repent, then tie them up in their homes and beat them until they obey Allahs commands toward you." Qurtubi told wife-beaters to try to avoid breaking bones, but added that "it is not a crime if it leads to death." Muslim apologists sometimes say that Muhammad ordered that women not be harmed, but they are actually basing this on what he said before or during battle, such as in Bukhari (59:447), when Muhammad issued a command for all the men of Quraiza be killed and the women and children taken as slaves. (Having your husband murdered and being forced into sexual slavery apparently doesn't qualify as "harm" under the Islamic model). But, in fact, there are a number of cases in which Muhammad did have women killed in the most brutal fashion. One was Asma bint Marwan, a mother or five, who wrote a poem criticizing the Medinans for accepting Muhammad after he had ordered the murder of an elderly man. In this case, the prophet's assassins literally pulled a sleeping infant from her breast and stabbed her to death. After taking Mecca in 630, Muhammad also ordered the murder of a slave girl who had merely made up songs mocking him. The Hadith are rife as well with accounts of women planted in the ground on Muhammad's command and pelted to death with stones for sexual immorality - yet the prophet of Islam actually encouraged his own men to rape women captured in battle (Abu Dawood 2150, Muslim 3433) and did not punish them for killing non-Muslim women (as Khalid ibn Walid did on several occasions - see Ibn Ishaq 838 and 856). In summary, according to the distortion of the Qur'an, and Hadith and Islamic law, a woman may indeed have physical harm done to her if the circumstances warrant, with one such allowance being in the case of disobedience. This certainly does not mean that all Muslim men beat their wives only that they distort the Quran and perceive that they are given permission to do so.

Now what does the Quran say about violence, and what does the Quran say about Sura 4/34? First what does Allah say about the male and the female?
"And among His Signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves, litaskun (THAT YOU MAY FIND TRANQUILITY) in them, and He has placed
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between you muwaddatan (LOVE) waramatan (AND MERCY). Indeed, in that are Signs for those who reflect" Sura 30/21 From the above verse it is clear that the institution of marriage is one of tranquility, love and mercy. Even in the complex matter of divorce, we find clear instructions of arbitration, mutual consultation and kindness with no recourse to harm or injury of any kind "And when you divorce women and they reach their prescribed time, then either retain them in good fellowship or set them free with liberality, and do not retain them for Diraran (INJURY / HURT), so that you exceed the limits..." Sura 2/231

"O you who believe! it is not lawful for you that you inherit women (by) force (against their will), and do not put constraint upon them in order that you may take part of what you have given them, unless they are guilty of manifest indecency. bil-mar'rufi (AND CONSORT / LIVE WITH THEM IN KINDNESS). But if you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing in which God has placed much good" Sura 4/19

In the Quran, the Beating of the wife is a distortion

"Indeed, alladhna (THOSE WHO) yul'idna (DISTORT) fi (IN) ytin (OUR VERSES) are not concealed from Us. So, is he who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection? Do whatever you will; indeed, He is Seeing of what you do." Sura 41/40

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They distort the Quran, translating it:

Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places wai'ribhunna (AND BEAT THEM); then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." Sura 4/34 As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, wa-i'ribhunna (AND BEAT THEM THEM LIGHTLY) Hence, the trickery they do is they put in brackets 'lightly' is arguably influenced the Hadith Prophetic traditions which serve to lighten the intensity of the beating basically watering it down a bit. The Arabic word 'idribohunna' in general would be read as 'beat them' and thus to pretend that this usage in general dialect isnt there would not only be incorrect, but intellectually dishonest. Allah says: Those who yastamina (LISTEN TO) qawla (THE WORD), fayattabina (AND FOLLOW) asanahu (THE BEST THEREOF): those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding. Sura 39/18 And follow the best that has been revealed to you from your Lord before there comes to you the punishment all of a sudden while you do not even perceive. Sura 39/55

The Arabic root d r b ()

This Arabic root word is multifaceted: "...daraba fi'l-ard ("he journeyed on earth"), or daraba 'sh -shay' bi'sh -shay' ("he mixed one thing with another thing"), or daraba mathal ("he coined a similitude" or "propounded a parable" or "gave an illustration"), or 'ala darb wahid ("similarly applied" or "in the same manner"), or

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duribat 'alayhim adh -dhillah ("humiliation was imposed on them" or "applied to them")..."

One of the meanings of 'darab' is to give examples; to propound a similitude or to coin parables in Sura 2:26 Indeed, Allah is not timid to yariba (SET FOURTH) an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allah intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient, Sura 2/26 Another is example given of a gnat, Sura 14/24-5 - an example given of a goodly word; Sura 14/45 - the dwellings of old; Sura 16/75 - an example of a slave, Sura 16/76 - an example of the dumb, Sura 16/112 - a secure town, Sura 22/73 - example of a fly, Sura 18/32 - example given of two men with two gardens etc In the Quran we are presented with other examples such as to set out on a journey or to travel such as Sura 3/156; 4/94; 4/101; 5/106 hence witnesses and travel in Sura 73:20; 2/273; or to condemn Sura 2/61 - The Children of Israel's complaint with regards food; to seal Sura 18/11 - companions of the cave, to take away as in the reminder Sura 43/5 and of course, to strike or beat Sura 2/60, 2/73; 7/160, Moses and the rock; Sura 8/12 instruction to the angels; Sura 20:77 Moses; Sura 24/31 women and feet; Sura 26/63; 37/93; 47:4 battlefield; Sura 8/50; 47/27 angels and death. O you who have believed, when arabtum (YOU GO FORTH) in the cause of Allah , investigate; and do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace "You are not a believer," aspiring for the goods of worldly life; for with Allah are many acquisitions. You [yourselves] were like that before; then Allah conferred His favor upon you, so investigate. Indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted. Sura 4/34 And when arabtum (YOU TRAVEL) throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may

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disrupt [or attack] you. Indeed, the disbelievers are ever to you a clear enemy. Sura 4/101 wa-i'rib (AND SET FOURTH) to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops. Sura 18/32 In the Arabic root its also clear that 'Daraba' can also mean to turn away or shun if it appears with a preposition 'an'. As there is no preposition 'an' in the Quranic word 'idribohunna', it is usually argued that the Arabic word cannot take the meaning of 'shun / turn away' in this context.

afanaribu (THEN SHOULD WE TURN AWAY) ankumu (FROM YOU) dhik'ra (THE REMINDER), disregarding you, because you are a transgressing people? Sura 43/5 However, it appears from certain Arabic lexicons that the phrase 'Idribohunna' does not necessarily require the preposition 'an' to make the rendition 'shun - turn away from' operative. Therefore, the word 'Idribohunna' in the Quran can still retain the meaning to 'turn away from - shun' without necessitating the requirement of the preposition 'an'.

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This rendering also finds support with the overarching philosophy depicted by the Quran which underscores how marriage institutions should be managed in kindness, respect and without causing harm to one another. Other authors have also sought support from trusted Arabic lexicons to make a similar case. "Nevertheless, narrowing its meaning in a given instance is not as difficult as it may first seem, because in Arabic verbs acquire various connotations only in combination with specific prepositions. For instance daraba acquires the meaning of "to separate" in combination with baina, and the meaning of "to turn away from," "to leave," "to avoid," and "to shun" in combination with 'an. In the passage in question, daraba is not combined with either of these prepositions. Yet Lane points out that the command form of the verb, udribu, with or without 'an, can mean "ignore," "pay no attention to," or "turn away from," as well as "hit," "beat," or "strike." Hence, udribu-hunna, could mean, "beat them" or "strike them," or alternatively, "turn them away," "ignore them," or "shun them."

Alternative better translation:

As from those whom you fear nushuzahunna (ILL CONDUCT) faihunna (THEN ADVISE THEM) wa-uh'jurhunna (And FORSEK THEM) fi (IN) majii (THE BED) wa-i'ribhunna (AND SEPARATE FROM THEM); but if they return to obedience, then do not seek against them a way. Indeed, Allah is Most High, The Greatest" Sura 4/34

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REFERENCES

[1] LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 5, Page 1775 Highlights marked in red on the lexicon excerpt are my own insertions. They have no bearing on the original text other than they emphasise relevance to the topic at hand. These are merely illustrations and have solely been utilised for educational and explanatory purposes. [2] ASAD. M, The Message of THE QUR'AN; Dar Al-Andlus Limited, 3 Library Ramp Gibraltar, Spain 1980, Verse 2:72, Note 57 [3] PENRICE. J, A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran, Adam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition 1873, Reprinted in India 1991, Page 87 [4] LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 5, Page 1779 Highlights marked in red on the lexicon excerpt are my own insertions. They have no bearing on the original text other than they emphasise relevance to the topic at hand. These are merely illustrations and have solely been utilised for educational and explanatory purposes. [5] Ibid. [6] LANG. J, Losing My Religion: A Call for Help, Amana Publications, First Edition, Page 429 Author Reference [93] Edward Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, Fredrick Unger Publishing (1956), page 1779, first column, two-thirds down the page. Highlights marked in bold black are my own insertions. They have no bearing on the original text other than they emphasise relevance to the topic at hand. These are merely illustrations and have solely been utilised for educational and explanatory purposes. [7] GUILLAUME. A, The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, Oxford University Press, Page 651 Highlights marked in bold black are my own insertions. They have no bearing on the original text other than they emphasise relevance to the topic at hand. These are merely illustrations and have solely been utilised for educational and explanatory purposes.

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[8] Joseph Islam http://quransmessage.com/welcome.htm

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