Some Further Clarifications Regarding 'Beating' Wives... What constitutes "light beating"? Is this up to the discretion of the husband? Does disobedience also mean that a wife can not disagree or argue with a husband and his decision? Did the Prophet (pbuh) ever hit any of his wives? Reply 1 & 2- The first thing to keep in mind is that it is not a beating of revenge or a beating of an enemy that we discuss here, it is nothing more than a corrective action. It is a beating of a well wishing head of a family. It is just like a corrective action taken by a father or a mother against his/her son. Obviously, when a father takes a corrective action against his son, he has absolutely no intentions of seriously harming him. In the same way, if a husband is forced to take such an action against his wife, it must not be a beating of a gangster. In one of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), in Muslim: Kitabu'l-Hajj he is reported to have used the words: "Dharban Ghaira Mubarrihin" (a beating that is not severe). But on the other hand, it is not possible to state in an objectively determinable manner when does a "beating" cross the limits of being "light". 3- The Arabic word "Nushooz" does not mean a simple case of disobedience, it actually implies refusal to submit to an authority. Keeping this in view, obviously, a woman's difference with her husband in a particular opinion or an argument between a husband and a wife on any issue are not cases of "Nushooz". 4- I have not come across any tradition or narrative (hadith) that narrates such an event where the Prophet (pbuh) hit any of his spouses. The Learner