Sadly we currently see the efforts of the Christian missionary activity focused primarily on derailing Islam now more than any other period in history when discussing the issue of the young marriage of Aisha and Muhammad, upon whom be peace. Thus, we witness numerous travesties and parodies coming from them in their attempts to twist, manipulate and totally abuse historical and etymological facts. These polemics range from a variety of the utterly hilarious to the outright abusive and cruel.
One such dishonest Christian missionary polemic has been the allegation of the young marriage of Aisha(R) to the Prophet Muhammadﷺ. The missionaries try to accuse the Prophet(P) of being a child molester — albeit in politically-correct terms — due to the fact that Aishah was betrothed (zawaj) at the age of 6 years old and the marriage was consummated (nikah) a few years after the marriage at 9 years old when she was in full puberty.
If it were not for the fact that some gullible Christians and atheists have been parroting the claims without understanding the reasons behind it, we would have not even bothered with a refutation. Such a claim is based only on conjecture and moral relativism, and not on fact. This article seeks to refute the allegation, insha’Allah.
Hadiths Reporting The Marriage of Aisha and Muhammad
Jonathan AC Brown explained this beautifully :
Narrated by Aisha : The Prophet ﷺ married me when I was six years old and consummated our marriage when I was nine years old. Then I remained with him for nine years (i.e., until his death).
The lapse of time between the zawaj and nikah of Aisha(R) clearly shows that her parents were waiting for her to reach puberty before her marriage was consummated.
(to be updated)
Puberty And Young Marriage In Semitic Culture
The hilarity of the whole saga of Christian missionaries accusing the Prophet(P) of committing “child molestation” is that this contradicts the basic fact that a girl becomes a woman when she begins her menstruation cycle. The significance of menstruation that anyone with the slightest familiarity with physiology will tell you is that it is a sign that the girl is being prepared to become a mother.
Women reach puberty at different ages ranging from 8 – 12 years old depending on genetics, race and environment. We read that
There is little difference in the size of boys and girls until the age of ten, the growth spurt at puberty starts earlier in girls but lasts longer in boys.
The Incredible Machine, National Geographic Society, p. 235
We also read that :
The first signs of puberty occur around age 9 or 10 in girls but closer to 12 in boys[.]
The Incredible Machine, National Geographic Society, p. 239
Women in warmer environments reach puberty at a much earlier age than those in cold environments.
The average temperature of the country or province is considered the chief factor here, not only with regard to menstruation but as regards the whole of sexual development at puberty.
Herman H. Ploss, Max Bartels and Paul Bartels, “Woman”, Volume I (Lord & Bransby, 1988), p. 563
Marriage at the early years of puberty was acceptable in 7th century Arabia as it was the social norm in all Semitic cultures from the Israelites to the Arabs and all nations in between.
According to the Talmud which the Jews regard as their “oral Torah”, Sanhedrin 76b clearly states that it is preferable that a woman be married when she has her first menses, and in Ketuvot 6a there are rules regarding sexual intercourse with girls who have not yet menstruated.
This further collaborates what Jim West said when he observes the following tradition of the Israelites :
The wife was to be taken from within the larger family circle (usually at the outset of puberty or around the age of 13) in order to maintain the purity of the family line.
Jim West, Th.D, Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs (online article)
Puberty has always been a symbol of adulthood throughout history.
Puberty is defined as the age or period at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction, in other eras of history, a rite or celebration of this landmark event was a part of the culture.
Sue Curewitz Arthen, Rites of Passage : Puberty
The renowned sexologists, R.E.L. Masters and Allan Edwards, in their study of Afro-Asian sexual expression, states the following :
Today, in many parts of North Africa, Arabia, and India, girls are wedded and bedded between the ages of five and nine ; and no self-respecting female remains unmarried beyond the age of puberty.
The Cradle of Erotica (Julian Press, New York, 1962)
Were There Any Objections to the Marriage of Aisha ?
The answer to this is an emphatic no. There are absolutely no records from Muslim, secular, or any other historical sources which even implicitly display anything other than utter joy from all parties involved over this marriage.
Nabia Abbott describes the marriage of Aisha(R) to the Prophet(P) as follows :
In no version is there any comment made on the disparity of the ages between Mohammed and Aishah or on the tender age of the bride who, at the most, could not have been over ten years old and who was still much enamoured with her play.
Nabia Abbott, Aishah, The Beloved of Mohammed, p. 7
Even the well-known critical Orientalist, W. Montgomery Watt, said the following about the Prophet’s moral character :
From the standpoint of Muhammad’s time, then, the allegations of treachery and sensuality cannot be maintained. His contemporaries did not find him morally defective in any way. On the contrary, some of the acts criticized by the modern Westerner show that Muhammad’s standards were higher than those of his time.
W. M. Watt, Muhammad : Prophet and Statesman, (Oxford University Press, 1961), p. 229
Aside from the fact that no one was displeased with him or his actions, he was a paramount example of moral character in his society and time. Therefore, to judge the Prophet’s morality based on the standards of our society and culture today is not only absurd but also unfair.
Marriage At Puberty Today
The Prophet’s contemporaries (both enemies and friends) clearly accepted the Prophet’s marriage to ‘Aishah(R) without any problem. We see the evidence for this by the lack of criticism against the marriage until modern times. However, a change in culture has caused a change in our times today.
Even today in the 21st century, the age of sexual consent is still quite low in many places. In Japan, people can legally have sex at age 13, and in Spain they can legally have sex at the age of 12 years old
In the U.S. during the last century, the age of consent was 10 years old. California was the first state to change the age of consent to 14, which it did in 1889. After California, other U.S. states joined in and raised the age of consent too
Islam And the Age of Puberty
Islam clearly teaches that adulthood starts when a person has attained puberty. From the collection of Bukhari
The boy attaining the age of puberty and the validity of their witness and the Statement of Allah
“And when the children among you attain the age of puberty, then let them also ask for permission (to enter).” (Qur’an, 24:59)
Al Mughira said, “I attained puberty at the age of twelve.” The attaining of puberty by women is with the start of menses, as is referred to by the Statement of Allah :
“Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them prescribed period if you have any doubts (about their periods) is three months…” [Qur’an, 65:4]
Thus, it is part of Islam to acknowledge the coming of puberty as the start of adulthood. It is the time when the person has already matured and is ready for the responsibilities of an adult. So on what basis do the missionaries criticize the marriage of ‘Aishah(R) since her marriage was consummated when she had reached puberty ?
We also read from the same source :
…Al-Hasan bin Salih said, “I saw a neighbour of mine who became a grandmother at the age of twenty-one.”(1)
(1) The note for this reference says : “This woman attained puberty at the age of nine and married to give birth to a daughter at ten ; the daughter had the same experience.“
Ibid.
Thus, it is clear that if the charge of “child molestation” were to be advanced against the Prophet(P), we would also have to include all the Semitic people who accepted marriage at puberty as the norm.
What About Rebekah’s Marriage To Isaac ?
Rabbi Tobiah Ben Eliezer (1050 – 1108 AD) also confirms that she was 3‑years-old when she was married to Isaac :
“Isaac was thirty-seven-years old at his binding… When Abraham returned from Mount Moriah, at that very moment Sarah died, and Isaac was then thirty-seven ; and at that very time Abraham was told of Rebekah’s birth ; thus we find that Rebecca was three years old when she married Isaac.“
Isaac waited three years until Rebecca was fit for marital relations, which would only make Rebecca three years old at the time of consummation. From this, it seems Jewish scholars derived an age of consummation which is then reflected in the Talmud :
In Sanhedrin 55 :
R. Joseph said : Come and hear ! A maiden aged three years and a day may be acquired in marriage by coition, and if her deceased husband’s brother cohabits with her, she becomes his.
Source : http://www.come-and-hear.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_55.html
This is reiterated again elsewhere in the Talmud :
R. Jeremiah of Difti said : We also learnt the following : A maiden aged three years and a day may be acquired in marriage by coition, and if her deceased husband’s brother cohabited with her, she becomes his.
Source : http://www.halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_69.html
A female less than 3 years old, her intercourse is not considered as intercourse, and her virginity returns (Hagahot Yevamot). Even if the years were intercalated (e.g she had intercourse at 37 months old in a leap year) her virginity returns (words of the Rav, based on Yerushalmi Ketuboth chapter 1).
Source : https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Even_HaEzer.20 (note that this text sanctions having intercourse with a child less than three years old)
(to be updated)
Conclusions
We have thus seen that :
- It was the norm of the Semitic society in 7th century Arabia to allow pubescent marriages.
- There was no reports of opposition to the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha(R), either from his friends or his enemies.
- Aisha herself never complained about her time of being married to Muhammad after her passing. In fact from the numerous hadiths that was reported by Aisha herself, the marriage of Aisha and Muhammad could have been more tranquil and happier, as any marriage should be.
- Even today, there are cultures who still allow pubescent marriage for their young women.
In spite of facing these well-known facts, the missionaries would still have the audacity to point a finger at the Prophet Muhammad(P) for immorality. Yet, it was he who had brought justice to the women of Arabia and raised them to a level they had not seen before in their society, something which ancient civilisations have never done to their women.
When Muhammad(P) first became the Prophet of Islam, the pagans of Arabia had inherited a disregard for women as had been passed down among their Jewish and Christian neighbours. So disgraceful was it considered among them to be blessed with a female child that they would go so far as to bury this baby alive in order to avoid the disgrace associated with female children.
“When news is brought to one of them of (the birth of) a female (child) his face darkens and he is filled with inward grief ! With shame does he hide from his people because of the bad news he has had ! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt or bury it in the dust ? Ah ! what an evil (choice) they decide on!“
Qur’an 16:58 – 59
Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad(P) put a swift and resounding end to this evil practice. God tells us that on the Day of Judgment, the female child will be questioned for what crime she was killed.
“When the female (infant) buried alive is questioned — for what crime she was killed.“
Qur’an 81:9
Not only did Muhammad(P) severely discouraged and condemned this act, he also used to teach them to respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as partners and sources of salvation for the men of their family.
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrated that :
The Prophet(P) said : ‘If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good by them, he will enter Paradise.‘
Narrated by Abu Dawood
Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated that :
The Prophet(P) said : ‘If anyone has a female child and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his male children over her, Allah will bring him into Paradise.‘
Narrated by Abu Dawood
The Prophet(P) is also cited in Saheeh Muslim as saying :
‘Whoever maintains two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this’; and he joined his fingers.
In other words, if one loves the Messenger of God and wishes to be with him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then they should do good by their daughters. This is certainly not the act of a “child molester”, as the missionaries would like us to believe.
Finally, we end this with a citation from the Holy Prophet(P), who said : “I have come to defend the two oppressed peoples : women and orphans.” 
Cite This As :
Appendix : A Married Nine-Year-Old In Thailand Gives Birth
Below is a news article from the New Straits Times, Malaysia, dated 10th March 2001about a nine-year old girl living in northern Thailand giving birth to a baby girl. The fact that a nine-year-old girl is mature enough to give birth proves the point above about girls reaching puberty earlier than men.
The original news report can be read here. Should the husband of this young girl be accused of “child molestation”, as insinuated by the Christian missionaries ?
Comments
13 responses to “The Young Marriage of Aisha : Of Prepubescent Girls and Moral Implications”
you said. Sanhedrin 76b clearly states that it is preferable that a woman be married when she has her first menses,
here ı quote for u the original complete text of 76b. but ı could not fınd what u say is mentioned clearly. can u plz highlight from whic sentence exactly did you extract that meaning. i will be thankful to your excelliency
This is what Rav Kahana is saying : Who is a pauper who, due to his poverty, becomes a conniving, wicked person ? This is one who delays the marriage of his daughter who is a grown woman. And Rav Kahana says in the name of Rabbi Akiva : Beware of one who advises you according to his own interests, as he is likely motivated by personal gain.
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says : One who marries his daughter to an old man, and one who takes a wife for his minor son, and one who returns a lost item to a gentile are all individuals who are the cause of sin. Marriage to an old man or a minor leaves the woman unsatisfied and is apt to lead to licentiousness. One who returns lost property to gentiles adds to the property that they stole from Jews. With regard to each of them the verse states : “Lest there should be among you a man or a woman…whose heart turns away this day from the Lord…saying : I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, that the quenched shall be added to the thirsty. The Lord will not be willing to pardon him” (Deuteronomy 29:17 – 19).
The Gemara raises an objection to one element of the ruling of Rav from a baraita : One who loves his wife as he loves himself, and who esteems her by giving her clothing and jewelry more than he esteems himself, and one who instructs his sons and daughters to follow an upright path, and who marries them to appropriate spouses adjacent to their reaching puberty, ensures that his home will be devoid of quarrel and sin. Concerning him the verse states : “And you shall know that your tent is in peace ; and you shall visit your habitation and shall miss nothing” (Job 5:24). The baraita indicates that it is a mitzva to marry one’s children to appropriate spouses while they are young, contrary to the statement of Rav that one who takes a wife for his minor son causes sin. The Gemara replies : Adjacent to their reaching puberty is different from marrying her to a minor, as there is no concern that his daughter will sin during the brief period until her husband reaches puberty.
The Sages taught : One who loves his neighbors, and one who brings his relatives close, and one who marries the daughter of his sister, an example of a woman that he knows and likes before taking her as his wife, and one who lends a sela to a poor man at his time of need, when he has no alternative source of funds, with regard to each of them the verse states : “Break your bread for the hungry, and the poor that are cast out bring to your house ; when you see the naked, you shall clothe him, and hide not yourself from your own flesh…then shall you call, and the Lord will answer ; you shall cry, and He will say : Here I am” (Isaiah 58:7 – 9).
§ The Sages taught with regard to the verse : “And if a man takes a woman and her mother, it is lewdness ; they shall be burned with fire both him and them, and there shall be no lewdness among you” (Leviticus 20:14). What is the meaning of “both him and them”? It means him and one of them, as one woman is his wife. He is liable for engaging in intercourse with the other woman ; this is the statement of Rabbi Yishmael. Rabbi Akiva says : It means him and the two of them.
The Gemara asks : What is the difference between them ? Clearly Rabbi Akiva does not hold that his wife is punished when he engages in intercourse with her relative. Abaye says : The difference between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yishmael is with regard to the interpretation of the meaning of the verse.
Rabbi Yishmael holds that the term “both him and them [et’hen]” means him and one of them, as in the Greek language one calls the number one heina. The prohibition in the verse is with regard to one who engages in intercourse with the mother of his wife. And the prohibition of engaging in intercourse with the mother of his mother-in-law is derived through an interpretation of the verses and is not written explicitly in the Torah. Rabbi Akiva holds that the term “both him and them” means him and both of them ; the prohibition in the verse is with regard to one who engages in intercourse with his mother-in-law, and the prohibition for engaging in intercourse with the mother of his mother-in-law is also written here explicitly.
Rava says : Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Akiva agree that the prohibition with regard to the mother of his mother-in-law is derived through interpretation, and the difference between them is with regard to one who engages in intercourse with his mother-in-law after the death of his wife. Rabbi Yishmael holds that one who engages in intercourse with his mother-in-law after the death of his wife is executed by burning. The verse indicates : Both him and one of them, meaning that he is liable to be executed by burning even if only one of the pair of his wife and mother-in-law is alive, i.e., when his wife is deceased and he engages in intercourse with his mother-in-law. And Rabbi Akiva maintains that in that case, one violates a mere prohibition and is not liable to be executed.
mishna And these are the transgressors who are killed by decapitation in the implementation of the court-imposed death penalty : The murderer ; and the residents of an idolatrous city, all of whom engaged in idol worship.
The mishna elaborates : In the case of a murderer who struck another with a stone or with iron, or held him in the water or in the fire, and the victim could not extricate himself from there and he died,the murderer is liable to be executed.
If one pushed another into the water or into the fire and that person could have extricated himself from there but failed to do so, and he died, the one who pushed him is exempt from punishment by a court, as he caused the death but did not actually kill the victim. For the same reason, if one set a dog against another and the dog killed him, or if one set a snake against another and the snake killed him, the one who set the dog or the snake is exempt from punishment. If he imbedded the snake’s fangs into another and caused the snake to bite him and kill him, Rabbi Yehuda deems him liable to be executed, as he is a murderer, and the Rabbis exempt him, as they maintain that he indirectly caused the individual’s death.
gemara The verses state with regard to a murderer : “And if he struck him with a stone in hand, by which a man may die…or if he struck him with an instrument of wood in hand, by which a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer ; the murderer shall be put to death” (Numbers 35:17 – 18). The term “in hand” indicates that one is liable for murder only if he utilized a stone or a wooden instrument that was of at least a certain measure. Shmuel says : For what reason was the term “in hand” not stated with regard to the iron instrument, as it is written : “But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died” (Numbers 35:16)? The reason is that an iron instrument of any size kills.
This is also taught in a baraita. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says : It is revealed and known before He Who spoke and the world came into being that an iron instrument of any size kills. Therefore, the Torah did not provide a measure for it. The Gemara comments : And this statement applies only when the murderer stabbed him with the iron instrument. But in a case where the murderer struck another with an iron instrument, he is liable only if the instrument was at least a certain measure capable of causing death.
§ The mishna teaches : Or held him in the water and that other person died, the murderer is liable. The Gemara comments : The first clause of the mishna teaches us a novel element, and the latter clause of the mishna teaches us a novel element. The first clause teaches us a novel element : Even though it was not he who pushed the individual into the water, since he held the victim and the victim could not extricate himself from there and he died, the one who held him in the water is liable to be executed. The latter clause teaches us a novel element : Even though he pushed the individual into the water, since the victim could have extricated himself from there but failed to do so and he died, the one who pushed him is exempt from punishment.
The Gemara asks : From where do we derive that one who held another in the water is liable to be executed ? Shmuel says : It is derived from a verse, as the verse states : “Or in enmity he struck him with his hand and he died, the assailant shall be put to death ; he is a murderer” (Numbers 35:21). The phrase “or in enmity” serves to include one who confines another in a place where he cannot survive.
There was a certain man who confined the animal of another in a place in the sun and it died from exposure to the sun. Ravina deemed the man liable to recompense the owner as though his action caused the death of the animal. Rav Aḥa bar Rav deemed him exempt from recompensing the owner, as it was not his action that caused the death of the animal.
The Gemara elaborates : Ravina deemed him liable to recompense the owner, and he derived it by means of an a fortiori inference : Just as with regard to a murderer, where the Torah did not render the legal status of one who kills unwittingly, who is exiled, like that of one who kills intentionally, who is executed, and did not render the status of one who kills due to circumstances beyond his control, who is exempt from punishment, like that of one who kills with intent, who is liable, nevertheless the Torah rendered one who confines another in a place where he cannot survive liable to be executed, even though he did not perform an action ;
Assalamuallaikum!!!! Can anybody tell me what was the concept of Slave women in Prophet’s (pbuh)time.…??? i aware that Islam abolished slavery but then i wonder what slave women had to do…??? if it means just like Servants or Maids why are they referred as women whom they can marry or Consumate for that matter… Correct me if i am wrong…!!! Somebody help me out with this..?
To Aboobacker,..
Salaam Brother and thanks a ton for sharing this PDF — Age of Aysha.…
RE : aian jaafar
Just thought I would like to add that the thai girl was married and so the child was not born outside marriage.
065.004 وَاللائِي يَئِسْنَ مِنَ الْمَحِيضِ مِنْ نِسَائِكُمْ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ فَعِدَّتُهُنَّ ثَلاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ وَاللائِي لَمْ يَحِضْنَ وَأُولاتُ الأحْمَالِ أَجَلُهُنَّ أَنْ يَضَعْنَ حَمْلَهُنَّ وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًا065.004 Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens : and for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy.Al-Qur’an, 065.004 (At-Talaq [Divorce])
Text Copied from DivineIslam’s Qur’an Viewer software v2.910
065.004 ????????? ???????? ???? ?????????? ???? ??????????? ???? ??????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ????????? ???? ???????? ????????? ?????????? ??????????? ???? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ???? ???? ???????? ???????
065.004 Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same): for those who carry (life within their wombs), their period is until they deliver their burdens : and for those who fear Allah, He will make their path easy.
Al-Qur’an, 065.004 (At-Talaq [Divorce])
— — — — — —
Authenticity of Quran has been tested by a large number of Westerners and it stands confirmed that it is Divine Message.
Muslims should really not care whether contemporary western society has objections towards anything or not, because they have lost their Divine Message. It is indeed laughable that Bible is published in various editions and versions. Even whatever they have, they dont care to read or follow.
Quran does not specify age of marriage for women in terms of years. However, 65:4 mentions that Iddat for a female who has not had her mensturation periods yet is the same as for women who have their menstrual cycle. Thus, if Allah Almighty does not have any objection over minor marriage, then nobody should have any objection.
I have read the arguments by Abdur Rahman Siddiqi Kandhalwi. His argument carries weight. However, even if we accept the Hadith in Sahih Bukhari, then we have endorsement of Quran to this effect. If Allah Almighty allows something, we should not be apologetic about that.
Allah Knows Best