Was Aisha رضى الله عنها a child Bride?

By: Shahid Bin Waheed شاهد بن وحيد

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمدلله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على اشرف الانبياء وسيدالمرسلين نبينا محمد صل ا لله عليه وعلى آله واصحابه وازواجه اجمعين - امابعد

All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, Sustainer of the Universe, and blessing and salutation to be the most distinguish of the Messengers and foremost among the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allaah be on him and on his wives, children and Companions.

In the recent history we have something new, which has never existed until 17^th century in the arsenal of anti-Islaam forces. That is the absurd allegations such as Muhammad married to a child or Muhammad was a pedophile or Muhammad was a child molester etcetera. Since the apparent ignorance on Islaam among Muslims is all time high, therefore Muslims have resorted by adopting many absurd approaches, for example:

Some have chosen to attack and reject Ahadeeth احاديث

Some have resorted to attack back in a vicious manner

Some have desperately tried to argue that Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها was older than nine [years old], perhaps 12 to 15 years old.

Beside that, there are many other versions are rhetoric including comparing the profile of a pedophile to the Prophet of Islaam صلی الله عليه وسلم to discredit the accuser[s]. In his/her (?) article titled: Was Ayesha A Six-Year-Old Bride? Some pseudo-Muslim named T.O. Shanavas has chosen to use non-Islaamic sources beside Islaamic ones rather citing Islaamic rules. What surprised me the most that the author T.O. Shanavas is a M.D. Therefore, being a medical doctor this writer could have supported his/her arguments with scientific facts as well beside others. The opening paragraph of article in question is as follows:

“A Christian friend asked me once, “Will you marry your seven year old daughter to a fifty year old man?” I kept my silence. He continued, “If you would not, how can you approve the marriage of an innocent seven year old, Ayesha, with your Prophet?” I told him, “I don’t have an answer to your question at this time.” My friend smiled and left me with a thorn in the heart of my faith. Most Muslims answer that such marriages were accepted in those days. Otherwise, people would have objected to Prophet’s marriage with Ayesha.”

As we clearly see that the alleged age of Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها has now changed to seven years by T.O. Shanavas. Nevertheless, I think I have correct answer, but before we get to that, we must clear up few absurdities.

As a matter of fact, child marriage is not allowed in Islaam, though it is permissible in Judaism with much lesser age than six years. Therefore, we must examine and augment ourselves with Islaamic Shariah شريعه Rules about attaining puberty, which are as follows:

Islaamic Rule About Attaining Puberty!

When a girl gets her menses started or though menses has not started, but she becomes pregnant or though she has not been pregnant, but she commits sexual intercourse in dream and had a seminal discharge as well as taste of sexual intercourse... then in all these three state of affairs she attains puberty.

'Suam' and all other orders of *Shariah* (Code of Islaam) will be applied on her. In case, she has not yet experienced any one of the three things mentioned above but has now become fifteen years old, then also she becomes young (or attains puberty) and she will come under the laws, which are applied, on a young girl.

**Rule: In Shariah, to become young means to attain puberty. No woman (girl) can be young before *NINE* even if she starts bleeding before (before nine) she cannot be taken as young. The blood, which comes before nine, is not menses but 'Istehada'-- and orders of Shariah are different for Istehada.

Now let us compare it with so-called Western standard, which is very vague, circular and absurd, as we read the following definition according to American Heritage Dictionary for adolescent, adult and child.

ad·o·les·cent (²d”l-µs“…nt) adj. 1. Of, relating to, or undergoing adolescence. See Synonyms at young. --ad·o·les·cent n. A young person who has undergone puberty but who has not reached full maturity; a teenager. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin adol¶sc¶ns, adol¶scent-, present participle of adol¶scere, to grow up : ad-, ad- + al¶scere, to grow, inchoative of alere, to nourish; see al-2 below.]

a·dult (…-d¾lt“, ²d“¾lt) n. 1. One who has attained maturity or legal age. 2. Biology. A fully grown, mature organism. --a·dult adj. 1. Fully developed and mature. 2. Intended for or befitting adults: adult education. 3. Containing or dealing in explicitly sexual material; pornographic: adult movies; adult bookstores. [From Latin adultus, past participle of adol¶scere, to grow up. See ADOLESCENT.] --a·dult“hood” n. --a·dult“ness n.

child (ch؛ld) n., pl. chil·dren (ch¹l“dr…n). Abbr. ch. 1. A person between birth and puberty. 2.a. An unborn infant; a fetus. b. An infant; a baby. 3. One who is childish or immature. 4. A son or daughter; an offspring. 5. Often children. Members of a tribe; descendants: children of Abraham. 6.a. An individual regarded as strongly affected by another or by a specified time, place, or circumstance: a child of nature; a child of the Sixties. b. A product or result of something specified: “Times Square is a child of the 20th century” (Richard F. Shepard). --idiom. with child. Pregnant. [Middle English, from Old English cild.] --child“less adj. --child“less·ness n.

Let us sum up all three definitions:

Adolescent: A young person who has undergone puberty but who has not reached full maturity;

Adult: One who has attained maturity or legal age

Child: A person between birth and puberty.

Now let us look at the definition of the word “puberty” from the same source, which is as follows:

pu·ber·ty (py›“b…r-t¶) n. 1. The stage of adolescence in which an individual becomes physiologically capable of sexual reproduction. 2. The approach to maturity: “Mankind will not reach puberty for another hundred thousand years” (René Dubos). [Middle English puberte, from Old French, from Latin p؟bert³s, from p؟b¶s, p؟ber-, adult.] --pu“ber·tal or pu“ber·al (-b…r-…l) adj.

I am sure that now readers would have not difficulty connecting to English word “adolescent” with the word “puberty.” Notice, there is no fix age limit that can be imposed [on a person’s age] when he/she can be an adolescent and/or of the age of puberty capable of sexual reproduction. Even science cannot prove this; the age of puberty may vary among people, especially girls. But it is not uncommon to girls to attain puberty at the age of nine and may very well have bleeding process started prior to the age of nine, which according to Islaamic Shariah شريعه is called Istehada, before the age of nine.

Marriage is a divine institution and the purpose of marriage is procreation, thus, a child cannot procreate. A child herself is procreation, needless to point out that Islaam has the best and most high principles for the marriage institution, which no other religion can match. Therefore, it is inconceivable that Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها could have been a child in literal sense and Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم might have married a child while the enemies of Islaam then, which includes Jews, Christians and Pagan Quraish, would have remained silent. That would have been the end of Isaam and perhaps much more.

Now I believe that the age of Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها was nine years when the marriage was consummated, I cannot accept gobbledegook often advanced by some Muslims. I have two simple questions to ashamed and/or ignorant Muslims and non-Muslims alike, which are:

1. What proof you have that Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها was not pubertal at the age of nine and did not come under the Islaamic Shariah شريعه Rules about attaining puberty and/or to the least, even didn’t meet the dictionary definition cited above?

2. Under what law and/or rule you deny a pubertal person the right to marry, when her Creator has made her perfectly and physiologically capable of sexual reproduction.

Now as we have addressed the issue of alleged child bride, let us move on to the age of our beloved Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and again, my question to any opponent would be that: What is wrong with that? There is nothing wrong in the age difference of either spouse. I never read and/or heard that enemies of Islaam praising Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم for marrying Khadijah رضی الله عنه, who was fifteen years older than him. Historically, men often marry a young girl and in many cases younger than their daughters. It happens in the West everyday. Actress Ana Nicole Smith married a 94 years old billionaire when she was hardly in her 20s. I am by no means making an excuse for alleged child-bride issue; I am merely showing the hypocrisy of accusers.

Reality check!

There is no substitute of common sense and there is no rehabilitation of stupidity. Having said that let me point out to all those who are reading this, just take the acid test. For that all you have to do ask your mother, sister, daughter, wife (or perhaps you may already know it) that when their mother/daughter/wife/sister or else they know had her first menses (monthly period); I mean at what age? It is pretty common in the world including USA that a girl reaches the age of puberty at the age of nine or ten, not to mention in many cased have given birth to children. That would constitute that the girl is physiologically capable of sexual reproduction. Therefore, who are we to declare that girl a “child” and deny her the joys of life that she can enjoy by getting married and why a 50 years old man cannot take care of his young wife. Beside that why some people have very selective amnesia, which makes them conveniently forget that the marriage took place over 1400 years ago, therefore, there is an obvious difference between the norms of now and the norms of then, not to mention obvious culture differences.

Now let us get back to the quote I have cited above by T.O. Shanavas ►“Will you marry your seven year old daughter to a fifty year old man?”◄

Let me set the record straight before I answer this question as a Muslim and as a father myself. That the age of Aisha عائشه رضی الله عنها was nine years old, which means that she met all the criteria of Islaamic law about attaining puberty and her marriage to Prophet of Islaam was perfectly legal and normal as her being a young adult and according to the norms of that era and culture. Had that not been true the enemies of Islaam such as Pagan Arabs, Jews and Christians would not have remained mute.

Answer!

Yes, I would marry my nine years old daughter provided she is pubertal, and provided she accepts the 50/55 years old truly Muslim man as her husband if he asks for marriage according to Islaamic principles and/or etiquettes and provided the law of land does not rules otherwise. Because according to Islaamic Shariah شريعه marriage cannot take place without a girl’s consent, it will not be valid according to Islaamic Shariah شريعه. Having said that I can say that parents around the world have this knowledge that many girls often do reach to puberty at the age of nine, which constitutes that according to our Creator, girls are adults and ready to reproduce.

By the way, I refuse to entertain the idiotic age law of the West, let alone applying it on anyone, which declares a boy or girl to be adult at the age of 18 to 21 (it is different in different part of West, why?). As a general rule they consider under eighteen to be a child. How ironic it is that the same absurd law defines that one is a child and too young to buy and drink alcohol, but old enough to join armed forces and die in combat for his and/or her country (mainly in the West). Therefore, my question would be according to the definition [of] “child” how your children have been begetting and/or procreating under the age of eighteen (18) that you have almost half of your population born out of wedlock in USA alone? Can you prove this scientifically that (a) a child can reproduce or procreate (b) that children in that large number can reproduce? This man-made absurd law has nothing to do with in layperson’s terms “nature.”

Bottom line is that anti-Islaam forces have been preying on the apparent ignorance of some Muslims and/or public in general by using absurd disinformation as pretext, knowing for fact that Muslims are too ignorant to refute them. Admittedly speaking often, these attacks works and some Muslims found them unable to answer. Thus, rather admitting their ignorance and/or asking someone with knowledge or opening and reading the right book[s]; Muslims [our Internet pseudo-scholar] cook up their own stories and/or utters absolute Kufr كفر as their easy way out. The absurd allegation and/or slander against the Prophet of Islaam Muhammad صلی الله عليه وسلم being a pedophile is absurd and self-defeating for many reasons, such as:

· His first wife was 15 years older than him

· All his wives were old, divorced and/or widows except the last one (only)

· Even his enemies vouched for his perfect character and gave him titles like Sadiq صادق (honest/truthful) and Amin امين (honest custodian and/or care taker) beside many others.

· He was repeatedly offered the wealth and most beautiful noble virgins into marriage, if he stops preaching his message, which he rejected.

· Muslims should not be on defense except demanding from the attackers and/or questioners, the evidence that, if pedophilia and/or child marriage is prevalent in Islaam?