Salam

Separating from and/or punishing wives

Dear Dr Saab, I have a question regarding the following verse

4:34 Men are the protectors and maintainers of women. They shall take full care of women with what they spend of their wealth. God has made men to excel in some areas and women to excel in some areas. Men must see to it that women are provided for, and that they are able to stand on their feet in the society. So, righteous women are obedient to God’s Ordinances and guard their moral values even in privacy, the values that God Commands to be guarded. If you, the society, experiences rebellion from women against the Permanent Values, and they stand up against you, apprise them of possible consequences. Next, the husbands will leave them apart in their resting places. And keep admonishing them with examples that they stop rebelling, else they may receive chastisement through a court of law (just as rebellious men would). If they pay heed to you, seek not a way against them. God is Most High, Great.

[Qawwam = Protector = Maintainer. Nushooz = To stand up 2:259, 58:11, to stand up against, to rebel against the society, to rebel against the Permanent Values. Wa’az = To apprise of consequences 2:231, 3:66. Dharb = Example 13:17, 16:74, 36:13. Dharb = To stop 18:11, 43:5. = To embark upon a journey = Strike the road (begin to travel) 4:101. = To give examples 4:34, 13:17, 16:74, 36:13, 43:58. = To abstain from something 43:5. = To stop or prevent 4:34, 43:5. = To strike someone or something 2:60, 8:12, 7:160-161. The court of law will have the Authority to prescribe corporal punishment as for any rebel]

4:35 (Families and communities must adopt a proactive approach regarding a husband and a wife in discord.) If you fear a breach between the two of them (husband and wife), appoint two arbiters, one from his family and one from her family. If they decide to reconcile, God will help them get together. Surely, God is Knower, Aware.

According to this understanding the derivative Dharb is to leave them apart, separate from them, so that a tense situation can be defused between a husband and wife by them spending time apart to calm down. My first question is where does rebellion in society come in?

Secondly, if this is the case, then we should not use the other meaning of the word to “strike someone” which is used by the “wife beating” N2 “Muslims”. Even if we say that courts will administer punishment it is putting two meanings to one word which is not making the situation clear.