We have already clarified that when a man sees defiance or arrogance in his wife and realizes that she is not fulfilling his rights, he must first admonish her, then forsake her in bed, and finally—if the problem persists—strike her with a blow that is not severe. Even when he is permitted to strike because a valid cause exists, he must never strike the face.

The same rule applies to anyone besides the wife: no one is to be hit on the face. If a son makes a mistake, he must not be struck on the face, for the face is the most honored part of a person and the front of the entire body. Striking it humiliates someone far more than hitting another part—such as the shoulder, upper arm, or back—where the blow does not carry the same degradation. For this reason both striking the face and reviling it have been forbidden.

His words, “do not revile her,” mean: do not say, “You are ugly,” or “May Allah disfigure your face.” The prohibition encompasses every form of verbal abuse, both physical and moral. A man must not disparage her lineage by saying, for example, “You come from a contemptible tribe” or “from an inferior family,” or anything of that sort. All of this falls under the revilement that Allah has forbidden.

He also said, “Do not shun her except within the house,” meaning that if there is reason to shun her, do not do so publicly and let people see that you have turned away from her.

Shun her only inside the home, for you may avoid her today and reconcile with her tomorrow, and the matter will remain concealed. But if you make your estrangement public by spreading it and speaking about it, you have erred. Therefore, shun her within the house and let no one know; then, once you reconcile, everything returns to normal without anyone having been aware of it.

As for the second hadith, the narration of Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—it is a hadith