Hamza Yusuf – Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence

About this lecture

In this powerful lecture, Hamza Yusuf addresses the global crisis of domestic violence through the lens of Islamic scholarship, dismantling the misuse of Quranic verse 4:34 to justify abuse and demonstrating that the Prophet ﷺ never struck a woman, child, or servant in his life. Drawing on the tafsir of Ibn Ashur and classical Arabic linguistics, he argues that marriage in Islam is fundamentally a mercy and a civilizing institution, and that any form of domestic violence is Jahiliyyah — incompatible with the Quran and the example of the Prophet ﷺ. He calls on Muslim communities to protect the vulnerable, support victims in seeking help from authorities, and uphold the Quranic principle that believing men and women are protectors of one another.