In an incident that has stirred controversy in Saudi Arabia, a woman allegedly beat up her Saudi husband with a vacuum cleaner, bruising his face and injuring his scalp.

Claiming it was self-defense, her husband hit her using his Agal - a black cord used to keep a ghutrah in place - and thus wounded her face and shoulder, according to Saudi daily Okaz.

The domestic feud has been widely discussed among the kingdom's Twitter users, with the hashtag #زوجه_تضرب_زوجها_بالمكنسه (Wife beats husband with vacuum cleaner) trending worldwide.

The incident grabbed the public's attention after the wife lodged a complaint to the Public Prosecution against her husband, Okaz reported on Sunday.

A medical report confirmed she was suffering from bruises on her cheeks, right shoulder, and right eye, adding that she is expected to recover within five days.

Meanwhile, the husband alleged that he was defending himself after his wife hit him using a vacuum cleaner.

He submitted a medical report confirming that he had been injured and estimating his recovery period as seven days.

The feud started off as a verbal disagreement over family disputes, but the exact reason behind the fight remains unclear.

Saudi Arabia's King Khalid Foundation launches anti-domestic abuse campaign in 2013 Source: Arab News

The news has drawn polarized reactions online, with the overwhelming majority of the comments focusing on the woman's actions rather than those of her husband.

Here is how people responded to the incident:

Many are applauding the wife

And saying that the husband probably had it coming

Some took the opportunity to mock the arguments often used when men abuse their wives

"That's normal. He's her husband and she's disciplining him, where is the problem? No one should interfere with other people's business."

More sarcasm followed

"He should deal with it and stay at home with his kids. Otherwise, what would people say about him if he gets divorced?"

"Did she beat him lightly so he may learn his lesson and be a better husband?"

The issue of men abusing their wives has long been a >topic of dispute in Muslim communities, with several Muslim scholars allowing husbands to "lightly hit" their wives based on a controversial Quranic verse.

However, as Muslim lawyer Qasim Rashid points out on the Huffington Post, "Prophet Muhammad explicitly admonished Muslims, 'Do not beat your wives'."

Meanwhile, other users disagree with the wife

Since domestic abuse is unacceptable in all cases

"I don't know whether or not the news is real, but I noticed that female human rights supporters are happy about it. If the husband had been the one hitting his wife with a vacuum cleaner, their tweets would have revolved around abuse and the guardianship system.

What is wrong remains wrong, whether the husband or the wife is responsible for it. Whoever supports wrongdoings is dumb and unfair."

"If it's the other way around, it's considered abuse"

"Violence is never a solution"

"Jokes aside, I find it really weird when a woman hits her husband and vice versa. Whatever the fault is, it's stupid to try and resolve it with a bigger fault. Violence is never a solution. 'Retain with honor or leave with grace (Quranic verse)'."

On the other hand, some users took the matter lightly and cracked jokes

"Leaked footage of the wife hitting him."