Re: How a man is supposed to deal with a female adversary
I know you well enough to where I never thought that this was about you. I don’t have any doubts about your marriage; nor do you strike me as the kind to hit a woman (wife or otherwise). I was speaking generally.
Cultural views are not always sound. You will come across “men” who believe that a woman should be taught an equivalent or greater lesson for striking a guy…and they will turn a blind eye to any provoking/harassment instigated by the guy. They will view your walking away as cowardice. You will even find women who share this view. I feel that I have answered your question. You have to make that decision for yourself as to whether or not you want to “cut out” cultural/societal influences if you know they are not in alignment with religion. Or even if you remove religion from the equation, it’s still your choice whether you surrender to cultural expectations…or whether you want to take heed of your zameer to reflect upon your own transgressions in the conflict…etc etc. We’re surrounded by all kinds of “influences” and people will always have opinions, but you can’t please everyone. Alongside ego, insaan has been given aqal and a conscience. It all boils down to choice…and you do have control over that and your responses.