Egyptian Cleric: 'Islam Instructs a Man to Beat His Wife...So That She Will Mend Her Ways' & Know Her Place

Egyptian cleric Abd Al-Rahman recently went on Al-Nas television to explain that men are "instructed" to beat their wives under Islam as a last resort before divorce, partly to show her that she is beneath her husband.

“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.

"When Aisha thought ill of the Prophet Muhammad, believing that he did not treat her the same as his other wives, and that when he left her room he would go to another wife, she followed him and spied on him. Aisha said that when the prophet Muhammad found out about this, 'he gave me a shove that was painful'... "The Prophet did this in order to discipline this woman."

Watch the cleric's remarks via MEMRI TV below:

(H/T: The Times of Israel)