Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Advisor to PA President: Men May Only Beat Their Wives When They Are Disobedient

Mahmoud Al-Habbash, who is an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said that the only situation in which a man is ever permitted to beat his wife is when she is "being disobedient, crossing the line, [and] violating the sanctity of matrimony." He said that even under these circumstances, the man may not hit his wife in the face or in a fashion that causes harm, injury, or excessive pain. He said that men must remember that their wives are partners rather than maids or slave girls. Al-Habbash was interviewed on Palestine TV (Palestinian Authority) on December 1, 2018.

Mahmoud Al-Habbash: The one and only situation – and it is very limited and very rare – in which a man is permitted to beat [his wife] in a manner that causes no harm, that leads to no injury, that avoids the face, and that does not cause much pain… It is only permitted when his wife is being disobedient, crossing the line, violating the sanctity of matrimony, and violating the sanctity of the household and the family. Other than that, any kind of beating, abusing, or cursing of one's wife is haram. Men must realize that their wives are not maids or slave girls. They are their partners.