“A good woman, even if beaten by her husband, puts her hand in his and says: ‘I will not rest until you are pleased with me.’ This is how the Prophet Muhammad taught his women to be,” Al-Rahman said on the television in a segment aired in August, according to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
“Islam instructs a man to beat his wife as a last resort before divorce, so that she will mend her ways, treat him with kindness and respect, and know that her husband has a higher status than her,” he said.
Al-Rahman continued: “I say to every husband: Do not rush to beat her whenever a problem arises. O servant of Allah, Allah said, ‘Admonish those of them on whose part you fear disobedience, refuse to share their beds, and beat them.’ One should not beat out of anger.”
The Egyptian cleric reminded his audience that the Prophet Muhammad beat one of his own wives, Aisha, in order to “discipline” her, not because he wanted to. In the same way, Al-Rahman explained, men must be disciplined in the manner in which they beat their wives.