This entry belongs to Shahrur’s lexicon. The key locus for the term here is the women’s verse 34, where Shahrur reads it outside the meaning of physical violence and connects it to withdrawing guardianship or suspending it when the relationship is out of balance.
The Meaning according to Shahrur
Beating in this context is not harming the woman, but a procedure related to guardianship itself. Guardianship is a function and a responsibility, and if the relationship becomes disrupted or discord occurs, the remedy lies at the level of function, reconciliation, and arbitration, not at the level of the body and punishment.
Differences
- It differs from physical violence, because Shahrur makes it connected to withdrawing guardianship or suspending it.
- It is inseparable from nushūz, split, and arbitration, because the verse for him is part of a process of addressing the problem.
- It is not read apart from guardianship, because the meaning of beating follows from understanding the function of guardianship itself.