Domestic Violence A Maqasid-Based Islamic Perspective

Abstract

The phenomenon of domestic violence has been studied in various fields. It is examined here from a religious perspective, with the aim of highlighting the Islamic legal stance on the issue. The central questions of this study are: What constitutes domestic violence, and what is the Islamic legal stance on it? The study is based on the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as on the objectives of Islamic law. Descriptive and inductive methods are employed in the research, together with an analytical approach, particularly when citing exegeses that addressed the interpretation of the relevant verse. The findings reveal the extent to which the family is valued in Islam and its status as an institution whose members are tasked with worshipping God. Therefore, each member has been granted rights and duties that fulfill the objectives of Sharia in its establishment. It is also concluded that Islam does not permit violence within the family, regardless of its source. It becomes clear that the beating permitted by Sharia to the husband is a remedy to be resorted to only in the most extreme cases, and it cannot be considered violence in the true sense of the word, because it is governed by restrictions that remove it from the realm of violence.