Domestic Violence: A Societal Imperfection With No Place In A Perfect Religion

By Asma Hanif

Peace is the absence of violence. In order to make peace with others, one must first have peace within themselves.

Domestic violence is an affliction disruptive to the peaceful co-existence of husband and wife. Such disruptive states infringe not only on the immediate family, but also the Islamic family community at large.

Domestic violence does exist within the Muslim community. One may consider this existence an imperfection within a perfect way of life, or a paradox in which imperfect humans behave imperfectly. However it is viewed, it’s presence cannot be denied.

Dr. Pamela Heath, Medical Director of Muslimat Al-Nisaa, states “Domestic violence within the Muslim community is difficult to quantify due to under-reporting. It would not surprise me if non-Muslim physicians over-estimate it and Muslim physicians under-estimate it. Neither is doing any good for the victims or the image of Islam”.

We cannot hope to attain a peaceful existence until we acknowledge both on an individual level and at a community level that abusive behavior does exist within Muslim individuals and within the Muslim communities.

Admittedly the world is full of problems, ranging from homelessness and domestic violence, to drug addiction and fornication.

If we fail to acknowledge these real world problems, then we allow them to carry over into our Islamic way of life, and subsequently fail to circumvent the human imperfections which created them.

However, domestic violence cannot be justified under the guise of human imperfection — a cornucopia of experiences, mistakes and illusions relative to man’s reliance on his own unguided opinions and desires. Therefore, regulation of actions cannot be by our own judgment, but by choosing to be guided by the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) without any consideration of one’s self.

Communities which fail to discourage violence and persecution in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah will also fail to provide shelter and social services for its victims. In these communities, open harassment, or other harmful acts against innocent individuals not only continue unopposed, but they flourish.

Within the conceptual framework of Islam, a perfect religion, there can be no tolerance of domestic violence. Such tolerance signifies a passive acceptance of domestic violence as well as an injustice which one is unwilling to prevent. Failure to be proactive in the face of domestic violence can be understood as a magnanimous indulgence shown toward the perpetrator without the moral determination to externally disapprove of the action.

This kind of tolerance implies indifference towards right and wrong and in principle, a countenancing of this imperfection.

Hence, it is clear that tolerance of domestic violence is a failure of every man to recognize their religious, moral and ethical obligations. Truly, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” – Robert Burns.

Intolerance of domestic violence should be a prominent characteristic of believers, nationally and internationally . Further, for the safety and protection of those victimized by their and our silence, including the “covering of faults”, perhaps there should be the establishment of some degree of universal recognition of abusers.

Allah (Subhanahu w ta’ala) Says: “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (Qur’an, Surah V:3)

Allah (Subhanahu w ta’ala) completed His favor on us with a “perfect” way of life — if there are any imperfections in creation, it is due to disobedience of Allah (SWT). Even though there exist many examples of imperfections in society, none exist as flaws in Islam. When we utilize the Qur’an and Sunnah as our criteria it serves to purify mankind from all imperfections.

Inherent within this perfect religion are ayaat and hadith which should touch the hearts and conscience of the ummah compelling them to leave behind apathetic behaviors and move aggressively toward the elimination of domestic violence as a social ill within the Muslim community

If we don’t have the desire to make things better, then things will never get better.

Domestic violence has to be resolved in the context of Islam. Those who know Islam, understand Islam, and love Islam must become proactive in keeping “peace” within this perfect religion.

The paradigm of thought cannot simply be the abhorrence of domestic violence, but must also include the enforcement of the tenets of justice contained within Islam – a Perfect way of life. Protecting victims should be a simple matter of adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah. However, preventing abuse requires active work by the community at many levels.