be pleased with them) were men of the highest caliber—the first and most favored generation—who, whenever they were summoned to Allah and His Messenger, said, “We hear and we obey.” They therefore refrained from striking women. Women, however, are limited in intellect and deficient in religion.
When the Prophet ﷺ prohibited striking them, they became bold toward their husbands, as ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Messenger of Allah, the women have grown audacious toward their husbands,” meaning that they had become insolent and had raised themselves above the men. When the Prophet ﷺ heard what ʿUmar said, he permitted striking them. The men then exceeded all bounds and began beating their wives even when they had no right to do so; consequently, the women went round to the family of the Prophet ﷺ—that is, to his houses—and gathered there complaining about their husbands.
The Prophet ﷺ then addressed the people, informing them that those who beat their wives are not the best among them—that is, they are not the finest of men—just as he said, “The best of you are those who are best to their families.” This shows that a person must neither neglect nor be excessive in striking his family; if a legitimate cause exists that warrants a beating, there is no harm in it.
Allah, exalted be He, has laid out the stages of this matter in His Book: “As for those women whose rebellion you fear, admonish them, then abandon them in their beds, and finally strike them” (Quran 4:34). The third stage, therefore, is striking; and if they strike, it must be a blow that is not severe.
The author then cited the ḥadīth of ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ that the Prophet ﷺ said, “This world is but an enjoyment, and the best enjoyment it offers is a righteous wife.” His words “This world is but an enjoyment” mean that it is something from which one takes benefit, just as a traveler makes use of his provisions and then they come to an end. The finest enjoyment it contains is a righteous woman: if a person is granted success with a wife who is upright in her religion and sound in her mind, that is the best enjoyment.