Aisa r.a., her true age during her marriage to the Prophet pbuh...

[Amica]

Assalamu Alaikum to all--
One thing I cannot seem to wrap around my mind is the Aisha's ra marriage to Prophet pbuh.
Some hadiths state she was six, others say she was 9. Supposedly, according to the hadiths, the marriage was consumated when she was 9 years old.
These hadiths have caused a lot of hardships for Muslims in so many ways. For one, many young girls are given in marriage very young to this day. And Muslim communities who practice child marriages justify their actions based on the hadiths of Aisha's r.a. age.
Non-Muslims of course, who seek to discredit Prophet Muhammad pbuh, have come out to blutantly call him a 'pedophile.'
So, what is really the truth here?
From the same hadith collections, we find that Prophet was married to a woman who was 20 years his senior for over 10 years. And only to her. Her name was Khadijah r.a. Khadijah r.a. was the one who bore all his children.
Then, he married other women who were widows. The only one who was not a widow was Aisha r.a.
Also, we find that Prophet Muhammad pbuh was a man who would spend a lot of his time praying and he was not very much concerned with wordly goods. According to the hadiths, the Prophet pbuh was not in habit of hording coins or such. He simply did not wish to. If he saw that his neighbors were hungry, he fasted. He was looked upon badly by non-Muslims in his time for treating his daughters well. They could not understand why he would be so kind to female children. Prophet Muhammad pbuh did not marry off his own daughters as child brides either.

So, would a man such as our Prophet consumate a marriage with a child (9 years old)? After having so many other wives? After fighting to free women of all the evils they endured in pagan Arabian community? Would he lust after a child, yet be praying for hours every night? If he was so sex obssessed, as some claim, then how come no other wife bore him children besides Khadijah r.a.?

I found some information that challenges the view of 'child bride' Aisha r.a. age. And, I have come to believe that she was older person when she married our Prophet pbuh.

What do you think?

 

[Sufi]

Prophet Muhammad marriage to Aisha

[youtube]FM4IuDVFL3s[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM4IuDVFL3s

 

[Starsoul]

Only Allah knows best. Although the said age of Hazrat Ayesha (RA) is not an issue to muslims as Yusuf in the above video has said , our belief upon the truth of the Prophecy and its undeniable verification stands without any disputes or arguments about its validity. If Hazrat Ayesha was an adult at 9, we accept it as the truth, But many other hadees are taken into account to further explore the context of the said hadith to record her actual age, which point to the fact that she was around 15-19 when she got married to the Prophet and couldn't have been lesser than that. Case in point is the instance where her age is mentioned, could've been her age In Reference to having her embraced Islam rather than the biological age. I have posted in a thread about the same details, you can check it there.

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/2179292-post66.html

The Hadees regarding the calculation of her actual age, based on the fact that people used to quote their age in those times according to some important event of history and used to refer that as a landmark BEFORE or AFTER which they would remember their own age, or they would refer their age as " several years before that event, or several years after That particular event.

In the time of the Prophet (saww) when Islam spread, people who had embraced Islam used to cite their age AFTER they had embraced Islam( and its understood that people were well aware of each other's real ages ,they just used a reference to inform of their age as a Muslim) hence they would be seen saying, I'm 9 years of age (in Islam) and I'm 6 yrs of age (In ISlam), hence the frame of reference they were using ( which was well understood and recognized as a major event at that time) was used based on the understanding that people knew that said event to have happened at a particular time and was common practice.)

 

[Bismillah]

I'm not sure and the only thing I care about is that Hazrat Aisha loved the Prophet dearly and vice versa and was one of the most important leaders and scholars in Muslim history. Here is an article that presents the view that she was 19 when married.

The Prophet married Aisha 1 year after Hijrah! This is a known fact!

According to Sahih Bukhari, Aisha is reported to have said that at the time
Surah Al-Qamar, the 54th Chapter of the Quran, was revealed, "I was a
young girl"

The 54th surah of The Quran was revealed nine years before Hijrah. So
Aisha was a young girl (jariyah), and not an infant (sibyah) at that time

THE PROPHET MARRIED AISHA ONE YEAR AFTER HIJRAH! SO
NOW WE KNOW SHE WAS A YOUNG GIRL, 9 YEARS BEFORE
HIJRAH

SO EVEN IF FOR EXAMPLE SHE WAS 7 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE
SAID "I WAS A YOUNG GIRL", THEN SHE MARRIED THE PROPHET
10 YEARS AFTER THAT!
WHICH MEANS SHE WAS OVER 17 YEARS OLD WHEN THE
PROPHET MARRIED HER

It is a known fact that the Asma, (the elder sister of Aisha) was 10 years
older than Aisha. It is reported that Asma died 73 years after Hijrah when
she was 100 years old!
Now, Obviously if Asma was 100 years old 73 years after Hijrah, then Asma
should have been 27 or 28 years old at the time of Hijrah!
If Asma was 27 or 28 years old at Hijrah, then Aisha would be 17 or 18
years old at Hijrah!
REMEMBER PROPHET MUHAMMAD MARRIED AISHA 1 YEAR
AFTER HIJRAH!
SO THAT MEANS AISHA WAS 18 OR 19 YEARS OLD WHEN SHE
GOT MARRIED

Tabari in his treatise on Islamic history, while mentioning Abu Bakr (father
of Aisha) reports that Abu Bakr had four children and all four were born
during pre Islamic period!

If Aisha was born before in the Pre Islamic period, then she would be more
than 13 years old during Hijrah!
REMEMBER PROPHET MARRIED HER 1 YEAR AFTER HIJRAH,
WHICH MEANS SHE WOULD BE MORE THAT 14 YEARS OLD
DURING THE TIME OF MARRIAGE!

According to Ibn Hisham, Aisha accepted Islam quite some time before
Umar ibn Khattab. Umar ibn Khattab accepted Islam roughly 7 years before
Hijrah!
Obviously, she would have been a young girl when she accpeted Islam!
If you add 7 years to a young girl! You can think for yourselves!
REMEMBER PROPHET MARRIED HER 1 YEAR AFTER HIJRAH!

According to Ibn Hajar, Fathima (daughter of Prophet) was 5 years older
than Aisha!
Fathima was born more than 5 years before Muhammad was a Prophet!
That means Fathima was born more than 19 years before Hijrah!
PROPHET MARRIED AISHA ONE YEAR AFTER HIJRAH!
SO THIS AGAIN PROVES AISHA WAS OVER 15 YEARS OLD WHEN
THE PROPHET MARRIED HER

Did Prophet Muhammad really marry a 9 year old? This is a lie spread about Our Beloved Prophet!

The entire article with all its details can be found above.

 

[Amica]

Thank you for your replies and the video. The video clarifies a lot, definately. The main idea, then, is that we have changed socially in terms of what our views are about when the adulthood begins. If so, is it fair to say that the majority of the Muslims have surpassed those ancient practices as well? I think so. I don't think that many Muslim men marry children, and in fact majority view such as something detestable today without passing judgement about the islamic societies of the past.

 

[fatima_bintu_islam]

The main idea, then, is that we have changed socially in terms of what our views are about when the adulthood begins. If so, is it fair to say that the majority of the Muslims have surpassed those ancient practices as well? I think so. I don't think that many Muslim men marry children, and in fact majority view such as something detestable today without passing judgement about the islamic societies of the past.

I couldnt have explained it better, Im happy that you came to this conclusion with the help of ALlah since almost everyone else ,instead of understanding as you did, try to prove by twisted and unscientific ways to prove that she wasnt 9 , wallahul Musta'ane.

 

[aþalwulf88]

Interesting. This puts a new perspective on something that's often widely said to malign Islam.

However, it's not totally implausible she was married at the age of 9. There were different values in the 7th century than there are now. We should keep in mind that in many cultures it's valid to arrange a marriage with a girl when she's young. I think the practice might still be in effect in some places in rural India. Even up to the end of the 19th century in America, the age of consent could be as low as 10.

 

[Gharib]

the majority of muslims accept what has been narrated in the Sahih Hadith books where Aisha radiallahu anha was married at the age of 6 with the Prophet salallahu alayhi we salam and their marriage was consumated when she was 9. she was 18 when the Prophet died.

in islam when one hits puberty they are considered adults, unlike the baseless laws of being considered an adult at 18 for some countries and 21 for others. females usually hit puberty before males of the same age. and you must also take into account that certain things which were permitted for the Messenger of Allah were not and are not permitted for the rest of his nation, for example he was married to more than 4 women, while no one else may marry more than 4.

Allah knows best.

 

[muslim-]

I agree with most of what Hamza Yousef said. And the age is 9.

It was a different paradigm, and usually intellectuals understand this. Its the common man usually that doesn't. This is why Hamza Yousef pointed out that this was normal in many different cultures and religions at the time, in China, India, the Middle East, and even in some Christian traditions, Mary was 12 when she had Jesus.

I think until very recently a 14 year old could get married in Alabama with her parents permission. Many who were able to see their great-grandmothers realize their times were very, very different. The nature of people was so different in many ways. I know someone who's grandfather (or great-grandfather) was 15 when he married his 12 grandmother (or great-grandmother. It was normal in their culture at that time, but the grandkids now only marry after 25.

The change came gradually and naturally with the development and great change of the society. Usually those raised in countries with deep traditions, and have met very old people, understand the differences. Unlike some who like to judge the world, and all people that lived between 1 AD to 1000 AD, based on the norms in his small town the last ten years.

In other words, they try to view other paradigms through the lens of their own paradigm. This is not objective at all, and things don't work that way, as this means they are in the prison of their own paradigm and are unable to see beyond it.

So those who try to accuse the prophet peace be upon him aren't only shortsighted, but they aren't really that objective either. They are usually pre-decided usually in their attacks, and just look for reasons to attack due to pre-held beliefs.

Also, another factor is that sometimes certain sects (certainly not Sunni, even if some try to claim the label) like to use that, to doubt hadeeths authenticity, and doubting Saheeh Al Bukhari. Again, its not an objective approach, and scholars have refuted much of what is said, and pointed out what they think to be the real reasons behind such claims, reminding of the background of the writers who write them.

 

[Manahel.Fatima]

informative thread. I believe that Prophet never do any thing that is against ALLAH order or any thing that break the nature laws. He always do some thing that leave a lesson to every Muslim ummah. Problem is now a days in this 21st century no men is like Prophet and no girl is like Ayesha r.a

 

[Faxecura]

I think until very recently a 14 year old could get married in Alabama with her parents permission. Many who were able to see their great-grandmothers realize their times were very, very different. The nature of people was so different in many ways.

In the United States, by the 1880s, most states set the age of consent at 10-12, and in one state, Delaware, the age of consent was only 7. A New York Times article states that it was still aged 7 in Delaware in 1895:

PURITY CONGRESS MEETS - A Great Gathering for Moral Work in the City of Baltimore. AIMS AND OBJECTS OF THE MOVEMENT Determined to Prevent State Regulation of Vice and to Rescue Fallen Men and Fallen Women. - Article - NYTimes.com