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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Human Cycle Lesson 4 11-26-09 The Open School Class: Explanation of Forty Ahadith Summary In light of the discussion on women, this lesson focuses on verse thirty-four of chapter four ( surat al-Nisa ) of the Qur’an. Before delving into the verse, one must understand that Islam does not sponsor the mistreatment of women.

Individuals may mistreat women based on their misconceptions or culture, but just because a person, who claims to be a Muslim, does something wrong does not mean Islam is wrong ( e.g., Adolf Hitler claimed to be a Christian, but is it fair to blame Christianity for his actions?). Now, there are some who pick and choose certain verses from the Qur’an to condemn Islam.

However, if one really wants to seek truth, then one must analyze a subject honestly and consider the totality of the circumstances. For example, when reading an article or a story, one cannot truly appreciate the story or information conveyed without understanding the background or historical context. It does not make sense to read and try to understand information in a vacuum.

Misinterpretation and misguidance occurs without considering context ( e.g., the claims of the terrorists are based on misguidance due to the lack of understanding of context). The importance of understanding the background applies to everything, including the Qur’an. Yes, the Qur’an is a divine book that will remain alongside the progeny of the (peace be upon them all) until the Day of Resurrection, but the Qur’an was revealed in an Arabic language within a certain context and people.

So when considering legislation in the Qur’an, as in any legislation, one must understand the background of that legislation (because that background may enlighten a person about a goal behind that specific legislation). Looking at the background of the Qur’an, one sees that the Qur’an was revealed within an age of ignorance. Women really had no moral restrictions in their actions. Generally, they slept with multiple men even though they were married.

Women would have children, but because the women had so many sexual partners, the father of the children would not be known. The physical features of the children would be compared to the women’s partners to try to figure out the identity of the father. Islam came to abolish this depravity. The injunctions of Islam applied moral restrictions to women ( e.g. , they can only have sexual relations with their husbands).