The Myth in “The Message”: Does Islam Really Protect Women?

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of a cinematic and cultural icon of the Islamic world. What the movies Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments are for Christians, The Message (1976) is for Muslims. Virtually unknown to Americans, the movie tells the story of the birth of Islam and is considered by many Muslims to be an indispensable reference for Islamic history; it is broadcast during special occasions.^[1] In a 1976 interview, director Moustapha Akkad stated his goal for the film: “Being Muslim myself who lived in the West, I felt that it’s my obligation, my duty, to tell the truth about Islam…” ^[2] Thus, the film seeks to be a modern interpretation of Islamic teachings applicable to everyday practice and perception.

But does The Message tell the truth? The film is three hours long, and it would take an extended review to cover the religious and historical claims comprehensively. This brief review will focus solely on the movie’s portrayal of the Islamic view of women. By examining a relevant passage from the Quran and considering statements and testimonials from the Islamic world, I will argue that the film’s depiction of this aspect of Islam is misleading. In a time when the world speaks endlessly of the peacefulness of Islam, it is important to expose teachings within the religion that promote violence. A review of biblical passages will provide a helpful contrast to the Quran and demonstrate the superiority of Christian teaching on the treatment of women.

What “The Message” Says About Women

In the key sequence, Muhammad’s neophytes are charged with rebellion and appear before the Christian king of Abyssinia. They plead their case by explaining Muhammad’s new teachings, which include worshipping only one god, speaking truth, loving their neighbors, and protecting women from misuse.^[3] The Muslim spokesman clarifies, “God made woman to be the proper companion of man. She is different but equal.”^[4] Upon hearing the word “equal,” a Meccan emissary jeers, “Equal? We buy them, feed them, clothe them, use them, and discard them. Women, equal to us?”^[5] The court erupts in laughter, but the Christian king does not laugh. After hearing their case, he issues his verdict: “What Christ says and what your Mohammad says are like two rays from the same lamp.”^[6]

Like a forerunner to today’s modern Islamic media, the film attempts to persuade audiences that Islam protects and values women and that it is comparable to Christianity. Since Muslims consider the Quran their preeminent sacred book, it is helpful to see if the Quran’s teachings align with the film’s depiction of Islamic teaching on this subject.

“The Message” Contradicts the Quran on Protecting Women

The Quran contains 114 surahs, or chapters. In Surah 4:34, the Quran contradicts the claims of The Message by giving husbands instructions on how to punish their wives: “If you fear high-handedness from your wives, remind them [of the teachings of God], then ignore them in bed, then hit them.”^[7] The determination of whether a wife’s actions qualify as “high-handedness” or not is subjectively determined by her husband. Since there are no descriptions of the kinds of actions which warrant punishment, a wife may be punished for any perceived infraction, such as speaking in a cold manner^[8] or preparing a meal improperly.^[9]

In addition to the ambiguity regarding offenses, the passage also leads to arbitrary punishments since translations vary. In regard to the punishments, the Pickthall translation says, “As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them.”^[10] Another translation from A Yusuf Ali says, “As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct admonish them (first) (next) refuse to share their beds (and last) beat them (lightly),”^[11] And still another more recent translation by Tilal Itani says, “As for those from whom you fear disloyalty, admonish them, and abandon them in their beds, then strike them.”^[12] While many Muslims firmly deny violence is suggested in this passage, a respected imam, Shabir Ally (b.1953), acknowledges historic interpretations permit wife beating and admits no word translates to “lightly” in the original Arabic.^[13] Additionally, an authoritative Islamic Law text, Reliance of the Traveler, interprets this passage to indicate that a husband “may hit her, but not in a way that injures her, meaning he may not (A: bruise her,) break bones, wound her, or cause blood to flow.”^[14] It is difficult to see how Islam “protects women from misuse” when the Quran, as well as a text of Islamic jurisprudence, provide detailed instructions on beating wives with a severity falling just shy of requiring medical attention.^[15]

In a moment of rare transparency, British Muslim apologist, Mohammed Hijab, acknowledges that without outside guidance from other sources, the relevant verb in Surah 4:34 has a semantic range broad enough to mean anything from a parable to license for life-threatening violence.^[16] Rather than protect women from misuse, this particular verse opens up the possibility for men to discipline their wives however they see fit. Therefore, Islam does not “protect women from misuse” but provides a textual basis by which to justify it.

There are many major distinctions between Islam and Christianity that are important for Christians to be aware of. Knowledge of Surah 4:34 enables Christians to highlight the distinction between the two different religions concerning the treatment women. This single verse equips Christians to oppose Islam by making the connection between the teaching of the Quran and the warrant for wife beating.^[17] Additionally, verses in the Quran that seem to contradict Surah 4:34 demonstrate inconsistency within the text itself.^[18] The Quran tells us in Surah 4:82 that if we find inconsistencies within the Quran itself, then we know it did not come from God.^[19] Therefore, according to this Quranic standard, the inconsistency we find between Surah 4:34 and other passages concerning the treatment of women demonstrates that the Quran is not divine revelation.^[20] The alternative is a hermeneutical contortion where love and kindness requires withholding intimacy and imposing physical pain from the husband’s own hand. She is different but equal, indeed.

The Treatment of Wives in the Muslim World

A helpful perspective on the outworkings of Surah 4:34 comes from former Muslim author and journalist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. For over twenty years, Hirsi Ali has written on the civilizational clashes across the West due to mass migration from Muslim-majority countries. She argues a key factor in ongoing conflict is the low view of women in Islam, based on seventh century tribal Arab values in which “women were the property of their fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, or guardians.”^[21] Such values lead many Muslims to regard violence against women as something they deserve for breaking cultural and religious rules. Hirsi Ali explains, “They reason that if your husband hits you, it must be because you had it coming to you.”^[22] In her autobiography, Hirsi Ali recounts her personal experience of living in Saudi Arabia as a child and hearing the screams of wives being beaten at night.^[23] During her formative years, her teachers explicitly confirmed that husbands could beat their wives,^[24] leading her to conclude that Muslim women are not “different but equal,” as The Message claims, but are worth less than men in every aspect of daily life.^[25]

Muslim leaders confirm her conclusions, such as the Egyptian cleric Sa’d Arafat, who responded to questions concerning wife beating by insisting wives are “honored” by the beatings.^[26] He went on to say, “The prophet Muhammad said: ‘Don’t beat her in the face, and do not make her ugly,’”^[27] and then adds, “There must not be more than ten beatings, and he must not break her bones, injure her, break her teeth, or poke her in the eye. There is a beating etiquette.”^[28] Such statements confirm Hirsi Ali’s point that violence against women is given sanction by Islamic teaching, and men inclined to violence can find justification in it for everything they do.^[29] In contrast to The Message, Hirsi Ali reiterates throughout her work that the inequality of the sexes is central to Islamic law.^[30]

From the textual evidence in the Quran, Hirsi Ali’s personal testimonials, and statements by Muslim leaders themselves, the claims made in The Message concerning the protection of women expose the film as cinematic fiction.

The Treatment of Wives in the Bible

The Bible speaks differently than the Quran. The Bible does not command husbands to retaliate against perceived “high-handedness” with sexual deprivation or beating, but instead, commands husbands to love their wives sacrificially and to not deprive them (1 Cor. 7:3–5). The Apostle Paul instructs husbands, “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). He repeats this idea in his letter to the Colossians, saying, “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them (Col. 3:19). The apostle Peter gives similar instructions for husbands saying, “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Pet. 3:7) These verses stand in stark contrast to Surah 4:34 and highlight the Bible’s superior teaching regarding the treatment of wives.

Awareness of the marked difference between Christianity and Islam regarding the treatment of wives is helpful when opposing Islam. Whereas a Muslim may cite verses from the Quran to justify beating his wife; the Christian will find no biblical support for such behavior.

Conclusion

On the treatment of women, the gap between the softened portrayal of Islam in The Message and the teachings of many Islamic sources is wide. Thankfully, Islamic texts and statements by Muslim clerics are readily accessible online, revealing a justification for violence against women that exposes the myth of The Message. The courageous work of Hirsi Ali also provides first-hand testimony from within the Muslim world concerning how the teachings of the Quran often play out in the lives of Muslim wives. Finally, a comparison between Surah 4:34 and relevant verses from the Bible shows that the teachings of Muhammad and the teachings of Jesus are not “two rays from the same lamp” at all.

While it is true that spousal abuse is found among Christian and Islamic families alike, the different responses to it reveal an undeniable demarcation between these two religions and point to the truth of the Christian worldview. In many Muslim communities, wife beating is accepted and justified by divine mandate. In Christian communities, on the other hand, wife beating is recognized as a departure from the Bible’s direction for husbands to love and care for their wives sacrificially. Overall, the teachings and outcomes of Islam regarding the treatment of women stand in marked contrast to Christianity. Only the Bible provides consistent guidance that values women and truly protects them from misuse.

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1. Muhammad Bensaoud, “The Message: A Cinematic Reading Between the Sacred and History,” Libya Film Institute, January 8, 2026. ↑
2. R. H. Greene, “40 Years On, A Controversial Film on Islam’s Origins is Now a Classic,” National Public Radio, August 7, 2016. ↑
3. “The Message,” directed by Moustapha Akkad (Morocco and Libya: Tarik Film Distributors, 1976), YouTube @53:40. ↑
4. “The Message,” @54:40. ↑
5. “The Message,” @54:43. ↑
6. “The Message,” @55:41. ↑
7. Quran 4:34 (trans. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) ↑
8. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Heretic (New York: HarperCollins, 2015), 143-144. ↑
9. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Heretic (New York:HarperCollins, 2015), 169. ↑
10. Quran 4:34 (trans. Marmaduke Pickthall) ↑
11. Quran 4:34 (trans. A. Yusuf Ali) ↑
12. Quran 4:34 (trans. Talal Itani) ↑
13. Shabir Ally, “Men Are the Protectors of Women, Quran 4:34, Misunderstood Quranic Verses,” Let the Quran Speak, August 15, 2024, YouTube, @1:40. ↑
14. Reliance of the Traveller: The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law ‘Umdat al-Salik by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (d. 769/1368) in Arabic with Facing English Text, Commentary, and Appendices Edited and Translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, “The Relations Between Husbands and Wives,” m10.12, 559. ↑
15. “Can You Beat Your Wife or Not? Twisting Scripture 101, Ep. 10, Quran 4:34,” CIRA International, August 4, 2020, @3:44. David Wood makes the point that Surah 4:34 not only allows wife beating, but provides directions for a three-step process of escalation, whereby the third step is logically understood to be more severe than the previous two. ↑
16. “Hijab Said the Quiet Part Out Loud-Me and David Wood Respond,” Testify Apologetics, March 24, 2025, @12:43. ↑
17. Hirsi Ali, The Caged Virgin, 154. ↑
18. Verses such as Surah 4:19 and Surah 30:21 instruct husbands to treat their wives with love and kindness. ↑
19. Quran 4:82 (trans. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) ↑
20. In a “Dialogue with Islam and Judaism at Orange Coast College” Greg Bahnsen mentions two other inconsistencies of note: Noah’s family is said to be saved through the flood, but one of Noah’s sons is elsewhere said to have drowned in the flood, and the Islamic doctrine of “tanzih” (or transcendence) – which says that no human language can positively describe Allah because he is allegedly “incomparable” (Surah 42:11) – would render it logically impossible for the Koran to be what it claims to be, a positive revelation and description of Allah. ↑
21. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam (New York: Free Press, 2006), xi. ↑
22. Hirsi Ali, The Caged Virgin, 27. ↑
23. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007), 47. ↑
24. Hirsi Ali, Infidel, 103. ↑
25. Hirsi Ali, Infidel, 50, 102. ↑

26. Andrew C. McCarthy, “Annals of Sharia: ‘Allah Honored Wives by Instating the Punishment of Beatings,” National Review, September 23, 2010. ↑
    

27. Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath al-Sijistānī. Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Translated by Ahmad Hasan. Sunnah.com. https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2142. Note that modern translations often soften the phrase “do not make her ugly,” which points to wife-beating, into “do not revile her.” ↑
28. McCarthy, “Annals of Sharia.” ↑
29. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, The Caged Virgin (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006), 154. ↑
30. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Heretic, 145. ↑