The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about the words of the Most High:
“As for those wives whose defiance you fear, admonish them, forsake them in bed, and strike them.”
And His words:
“When you are told to rise, then rise,”
through to His words:
“Allah is All-Aware of what you do.”
“Would our shaykh explain to us how this nushūz differs from that?”
He answered:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds.
Nushūz in His words, “Whose defiance you fear, admonish them and forsake them in bed,” means that a woman turns away from her husband and shuns him, refusing to obey him when he calls her to bed, leaving his home without his permission, or otherwise withholding the obedience she owes him.
As for nushūz in His words, “When you are told to rise, then rise,” it means getting up, standing, and rising. The basic meaning of this root is elevation and roughness. Hence nashz refers to elevated, rugged ground. From the same root are His words:
“And look at the bones—how We raise them,”
meaning that We raise them up to join one another. Those who read it as nanshuruhā intend the meaning “We bring them to life.” Thus, a disobedient woman is called nāshiz because of her harshness and her holding herself above obedience to her husband. Getting up is called nushūz because the seated person rises from the ground. And Allah knows best.