Marriage of Hazrat Aisha (R.

A)

In a society where secularism and manmade law seem to regulate

ones public and personal life, we find ourselves constantly in
challenging situations when reasoning or manmade law seems to fall
contrary to the teachings of divine law (God made law).

Be it the question of polygamy, apostasy or the marriage of the

blessed wife of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Hazrat Aisha (R.A) we
tend to fall victim to humanist values, some feel embarrassed and
would rather not talk about such issues whilst others revert to an
apologetic attitude when they struggle to find reasoning and logic in
the guidance presented by divine law. This article aims to provide
clarification on the role of “divine Law” within the Islamic faith in
comparison to manmade law to help eradicate much of the
misunderstanding and confusion around the Prophets (pbuh) marriage
to Hazrat Aisha (R.A).

Divine Law

Divine law would be best defined as “law presented by God which is

independent of the will of man, who cannot change it” (Wikipedia) from
an Islamic perspective it may be defined as “comprehensive guidance
presented by God which regulates the private and public aspects of
one’s life including that of politics, economics, banking, business,
family, sexuality, hygiene and social issues”.

When trying to make sense of divine law and its need one would
undoubtedly accept that Allah the almighty is the best one to know all
that works well for the universe as he is the one who created it out of
nothing. So if he is the creator that in all fairness entitles him the right
to legislate, the holy Quran says “Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the
heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He rose over the Throne. He brings the night
as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars
subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the Creation and Commandment. Blessed is
Allah, the Lord of the worlds.” (Araaf:54)

“You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named, you and your
fathers,— for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command (or the judgement) is
for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him, that is the (true)
straight religion, but most men know not”. (Yusuf: 40).

It would have defeated the purpose of creation if man was created to

be only left in darkness as with regards to the purpose of his creation.
practically speaking If one is to purchase an item such as a machine
etc he also receives a guide, a manual from the manufacturer, which
contains an extensive description of the components and the

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operational functions of that machine. Likewise Allah (swt) who created
the whole universe including man has also provided divine guidance to
humanity on how to benefit from the creation around them whilst
keeping the injunctions of Allah in sight .

It was only true of humanity to submit to the will of their creator

through divine guidance revealed by him, if Allah (swt) is the creator of
natural law in which we see the sun, moon along with the entire
universe other than man in obedience to him and functioning in prime
order of his legislation, then why should man the best of his creations
be excused. The holy Quran states

“Do they seek other than the religion of Allah, while to Him submitted all creatures in the
heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly. And to Him shall they all be returned. (Al-
imran: 83).

When looking at the role of divine guidance we tend to see it helps in

providing solutions when reasoning reaches its final limit, we generally
see that in order to gather information man tends to apply his senses,
his eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch and Where his senses may
seem to fail him he applies reason or vice a versa but both have their
own limits, for example if you were to see a wall with your eyes you
would know it is white in colour but you would not be able to determine
the colour on the sole strength of reason, similarly you will not be able
to determine who built the wall on the sole strength of ones senses
and you would need to apply reason. However, divine law is
particularly useful where neither ones senses or reason are able to
provide an answer, for example in the above scenario if one was asked
as how this wall is now to be used to please Allah (swt) and not to
displease him neither would ones senses or reason be able to provide
an answer but rather one would need to seek divine guidance.

So in true sense humanity at all times is in need of divine guidance in

order for the universe to function in harmony .However, When
reasoning seems to contradict divine guidance we are encouraged to
give preference to divine guidance as it is not necessary that one’s
intellect is able to encompass the underlining wisdom of God behind
his commands. The second more astonishing element of this debate is
that due to the holy Quran being a complete and comprehensive
guide for the entire humanity until the end of time it did not come with
an expiry date and was not revealed to any geographical setting the
holy Quran says “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My
favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as a religion.”(Maaidah:3)

For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world and in the Hereafter. No change
can there be in the Words of Allah, this is indeed the supreme success. (Yens: 64).

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So it’s not that because we are living in the 20th century under a multi
cultural, diverse society based on humanist values that the laws of
divine guidance need to be changed, ignored or re-interpreted due to
the constant pressure of having to provide logical answers , even the
prophet Muhammad (saw) did not reserve the right to tamper with the
principles of divine law, the holy Quran firstly states this kind of
tampering that went on within societies where those identified as
interpreters of divine law suddenly became law makers, “They took their
rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah and (they also took as their Lord)
Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they were commanded to worship none but One
God; there is no deity except him, exalted is He above whatever they associate with him."
(Tawbah: 31) and the prophet Muhammad is ordered thus, “And when
Our Clear Verses are recited unto them, those who hope not for their meeting with Us, say:
Bring us a Qur’an other than this, or change it."Say (O Muhammad): "It is not for me to
change it on my own accord; I only follow that which is revealed unto me. Verily, I fear the
torment of the Great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). If I were to disobey my Lord."
(Yunus: 15).

Reason

Reason is the mental faculty that is able to generate conclusions from assumptions (Wikipedia)

It is a well established fact that when reason is used as a unit to source

knowledge or make judgement it is bound to be imperfect, if the
human is imperfect his legislation will also be imperfect and this is why
we see reviews of laws and legislations .we also see that Manmade law
and reasoning can easily be biased due to a variety of influences
ranging from international right down to personal.

Divine law v Reason

However, it’s not that divine guidance and reasoning are incompatible
as much of divine guidance falls within the jurisdiction of reasoning,
logic, and human intellect as the holy Quran says

“They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: "In them is a
great sin and (some) benefit, for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit." And
they ask you what they ought to spend. Say: "That which is beyond your needs." Thus
Allah makes clear to you His Laws in order that you may give thought."

“Thus does Allah make clear to you his verses (laws) that you may
understand.”(Baqarah:219 and 242).

If divine guidance was beyond reason and human intellect then why
would the Quran command man to put his intellect to use? However in
the same breath the holy Quran has also explained that some may not
be in a position to intellectually understand certain aspects of divine
guidance due to the deformation of one’s natural instinct and intellect

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due to the influence of sin or disbelief, “So be patient for the decision of your
Lord and do not obey from among them a sinner or disbeliever.”(Insan:24) or
sometimes due to the influence of lust and unlawful desire “Then we put
you, [O Muhammad], on an ordained way concerning the matter [of religion]; so follow it
and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know.”(Jaathiya: 18). So in
both of the above scenarios were ones intellect has been distort, it
would not be possible to measure aspects of divine law and guidance
on the balance of such deformed intellect.

So it’s not that the divine law is beyond reasoning or human intellect
but rather a distort intellect which is failing to reason with the divine
ruling.

In conclusion when a Muslim is confronted with a scenario where

theologically speaking Aqal (reason) seems to contradict naql (divine
transmission) one is encouraged to give preference to naql and that is
what forms the basis of the important tenant of the Islamic faith known
as Imaan.

“This is the Book (the Qur’an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are
conscious of Allah, who believe in the unseen (which includes that which may seem to be
beyond reason) .” (Baqarah: 2 and 3).

Here we have a pristine example of this:

Hadhrat Aa'isha - narrates that after the Prophet of Allah was taken on
the historic night journey to Masjidul Aqsa (and then to the heavens),
he narrated it to the people the following morning. On that occasion
(by disbelieving it), some people who had previously professed Imaan
left the fold of Islaam. The people then rushed to Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra)saying,
"What have you now to say about your friend who claims that he was
taken on a night journey to Baytul Maqdas?" "Did he say that?" asked
Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra) "Yes, he did," they confirmed. Hadhrat Abu
Bakr(ra) ; then said, "If he said it, then he is speaking the truth." The people
exclaimed, "Do you believe that he could have gone to Baytul Maqdas
at night and then returned before dawn?" "Of course," Hadhrat Abu
Bakr (ra) said, "In fact, I believe him regarding matters that seem much
more unbelievable than that. I believe in the news from the heavens
that he brings day and night." It was because of this that Hadhrat Abu
Bakr(ra) received the title of Siddeeq.

Another narration states that on this occasion, some people who had
previously professed Imaan left the fold of Islaam, while-others
believed (without question). The incident was in essence a great test
for the people. Yet another narration states that after hearing
Rasulullaah account, they went to Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra) saying, "What

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have you now to say about your friend who says that he travelled a
distance of a month's journey last night and returned before dawn?"
"Did he say that?" asked Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra)... The rest of the
narration is the same as above. Bayhaqi, as quoted in the Tafseer of Ibn
Katheer (Vol.3 Pg.21).Muntakhab Kanzul Ummaal (Vo1.4 Pg.353).Ibn Abi Haatim, as
quoted in the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer (Vo1.3 Pg.7).

Original sources of divine law

The original sources that form the framework of divine law are four in
total. We have

the holy Quran(Hud: 1) “This is a book whose verses are perfected and then
presented in detail from the Most Wise and Most Aquainted”.

The Sunnah “Obey Allah and His Messenger”(Al-imran: 32)

Scholarly consensus known as ijma “And whoever contradicts and opposes the
Messenger (Muhammad SAW) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and
follows other than the believers way.” (Nisa: 115)

and Scholarly based analogy known as qiyas “And these similitudes We put
forward for mankind, but none will understand them except those who have knowledge”
(Ankaboot: 43).

Any verdict derived from any of the above four sources would be
considered an element of divine law.

Word of caution

Unfortunately we sometimes see those who seek logical explanations

to many subjects mentioned in divine law which seem to fall outside
the jurisdiction of reasoning that the intent of such people is not to
seek knowledge or learn but rather to fault find and create confusion.

In reference to such questioning the Holy Quran encourages one to

avoid debate and seek refuge in Allah (swt)”We hasten for them good things?
Rather they do not perceive”.(Muminoon: 56).

Final word

Before we go on to tackle the issue at hand I would like to conclude

that reasoning, and the use of intellect is encouraged within the
Islamic faith and the holy Quran makes mention of this in many verses.
Reasoning and intellect is a gift from Allah and many a times can help
explain much of divine law and legislation, but when reasoning is put

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parallel to divine law in order to validate or invalidate divine law and
becomes a legislation in it self we are treading on dangerous grounds.

In order to help eradicate misunderstandings around the whole issue of

the marriage of the prophet (pbuh) to Hazrat Aisha (ra) we would firstly
need to take a look at the root cause for these misunderstandings and
then establish the facts. The usual argument presented is that The
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married Aisha (ra) at a very young age,
allegedly at the age of six , so how can a man in his fifties marry such
a young girl - especially a man who is supposed to be a living example
of piety – Its from this conclusion that rationalists and those who
harbour enmity and seek to criticise the Islamic faith have then based
their list of accusations and Allah forbid have even gone as far as
stirring up charges of sexual misconduct against the noble
prophet(pbuh). Regrettably, for those of us trying to spread the truth of
Islam in the West, we often have to agree with the Orientalist W.
Montgomery Watt when he wrote:

Of all the world's great men none has been so much maligned
as Muhammad. (W.MontgomeryWatt,Muhammad at Medina,Oxford University
Press,1956).

Whilst we have those who sheepishly or due to lack of Knowledge

choose to avoid discussion of this falsely labeled “embarrassing” issue,
we also have some who argue that only a legal ruling found in the
Qur'ân is Islamically valid, of course for them brushing aside this
aspect of the Prophet's (pbuh) life is rather easy. They simply deny
that it had occurred and attack the sources which report it. As I have
briefly indicated earlier it is absolutely pointless from an Islamic
perspective to say that the age of Aisha (ra) is “not found in the
Quran” since the textual sources of Islam also include the Sunnah
(words, actions and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) .Then
we also have those who due to probably not being able to make sense
of the issue against todays moral (Aqal) standards who have somehow
managed to push the age of Hazrat Aishah's (ra) out to as far as
"fourteen or fifteen years old" at the time of her marriage to the
Prophet (pbuh), but it seems a bit far fetched to revert to historical
facts and statistics to determine the age when you have authentic
hadith narrated by no less than Bukhari and Muslim the most authentic
compilations of hadith that clearly define the age of Hazrat Aisha(ra) at
the time of her marriage to the prophet (pbuh).

Age of Hazrat Aisha(ra) at the time of marriage

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When examining the authentic Hadith (naql) related to this issue it is
clear that the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did marry Aisha at the age
of 6, but they also show that the consummation of the marriage was
not complete until she was 9 years old. So lets take a sample of
narrations both from Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim to help
determine the exact age;

Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234:

Narrated Aisha (ra):

The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six (years). We went

to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then
I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my
mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with
some of my girlfriends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing
what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made
me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when
my breathing became alright, she took some water and rubbed my
face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the
house I saw some ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's
Blessing and good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they
prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle (pbuh)
came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him,
and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 236:

Narrated Hisham's father:

Khadija died three years before the Prophet (pbuh) departed

to Medina. He stayed there for two years or so and then he married
Aisha (ra) when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consumed
that marriage when she was nine years old.

Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3310:

Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Apostle (may

peace be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and I was
admitted to his house when I was nine years old.

Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3311:

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 Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may
peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and
he was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, her dolls
were with her; when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen
years old.

when looking at the Ahadith we see that from the four hadith narrated
by Sahih al-Bukhari, in which two are narrated from Hazrat Aisha(ra)
(7:64 and7:65), 1 from Abu Hishaam (ra) (5:236) and 1 via Ursa (ra)
(7:88) and from the three hadith in Sahih Muslim which are narrated
by Hazrat Aisha (ra) herself, both books agree that the marriage
betrothal (zawaj) contract took place when Hazrat Aisha (ra) was "6
years old'', but was not consummated (meaning: fulfilled ) until she
was "9 years old".

We now reach our first conclusion that the age Of Hazrat Aisha (RA) at
the time of marriage to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was not six but
rather nine years of age. Why theirwas a delay of three years before
the marriage was consummated will be examined shortly.

Marriage at a young age

I guess a true believers approach would be to accept the textual

sources in way of Ahadith as an element of divine guidance (naql)
informing us of the age of Hazrat Aisha (ra) and let reason(aql) rest
with Allah(swt) as he is the All knowing and wise (surah noor:18)
But because we can sometimes very easily be westoxicated in the true
sense of the debate and tend to get swallowed up by the ugly monster
of moral relativism we will aim to use reason and intellect as
supportive measures to help one understand the true outcome of this
debate.

Here we need to once again reiterate that according to most

monotheistic faiths, right and wrong are ordained by Almighty God. As
such, morality does not change over time based on our whims, desires
or cultural sensitivities. In cultures where there is no Divine guidance
or ruling on an issue, what is right and what is wrong is determined by
cultural norms. In such cases, a person would only be considered
"immoral" if they violated the accepted norms of their society. As we
will demonstrate, the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) marriage to Hazrat
Aisha (ra), viewed both in the light of Absolute Morality and the cultural
norms of his time, was not an immoral act, but was an act containing
valuable lessons for generations to come.

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In the light of divine guidance the Quranic text (naql) makes it clear
that Islam associates marriage to physical & mental maturity and
adulthood as can be deducted from the following verses:

Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if

then you find sound judgment in them, release their property
to them; but consume it not wastefully, nor in haste against
their growing up. If the guardian is well off, Let him claim no
remuneration, but if he is poor, let him have for himself what
is just and reasonable. When ye release their property to
them, take witnesses in their presence: But all sufficient is God
in taking account. (Qur’an 4:6)

..and how could ye take it when ye have gone in unto each

other,
and they have Taken from you a solemn covenant. (Qur’an 4:21)
O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against
their will, Nor should ye treat them with harshness. (Qu’ran
4:19)

The above verses clearly indicate that marriage is a COVENANT!

(agreement) between man and woman at the age of maturity and
where they can make good judgments, and that only through the
consent of the spouse can the marriage be lawful. So as far as Islam is
concerned forced marriages is a no go area!

Consent

Let us firstly take a look at the issue of consent , we see that in the
formentioned ahadith Hazrat Aisha (ra) herself goes onto state that the
Prophet of Allah (pbuh) '...admitted (me) to his house when I was
nine years old’ (Sahih Muslim: Book 008, No.3310) and in another
hadith we sight the narrator identifying Hazrat Aisha (ra) as the
consummator of the marriage and (Aisha) consummated (completed)
her marriage when she was 9 years old. (Saheeh al-Bukhari, Volume 7,
Book 62, No.64)

Both these hadith indicate that the Prophets initial verbal contract at
her age of six was then followed by a gap of three years to allow
Hazrat Aisha (ra) to physically and psychologically develop and mature
to be able to give her own consent. even though Hazrat Aisha (ra) was
taken to be one of the most learned women of the time of the Prophet
(pbuh) and in the years after his death not one narration directly from
her or any one of her students sights Hazrat Aisha (ra) as having any
kind of remorse over her marriage, rather when Hazrat Aisha (ra)

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would ever talk about her distinguishing merits in comparison to the
other wifes of the Prophet (pbuh) she would state:
“i have the privilege of being the only virgin to have entered
the wedlock of the Prophet (pbuh), prior to my marriage to the
Prophet (pbuh) the angel Gabriel (Jibraeel) presented an image
of my self to the Prophet (pbuh) and proclaimed that it is the
order of Allah (swt) that you should marry this woman……”
(majmauz zawaid vol 9:241).

The ahadith also give reference to the fact that parental consent was
also present…..

“Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my mother

handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine
years of age”.
(Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234)

The handing over of the mother is clearly her consent.

Hazrat Aisha (ra) said: “Until we arrived at Madinah, so I dwelt

among the family of Abu Bakr...So Abu Bakr told him (the
Prophet): ‘What prevents you from consummating with your
wife?’ So he consummated with me’.”
( Ibn Hajar “Fathul Bari”and Al Tabaraani)

When The Prophet asked Abu Bakr the father for Aisha's hand in
marriage. Abu Bakr replied "But I am your brother." it wasn’t that Abu
Bakr was perturbed or shocked at the Prophets initial request of
marriage to his daughter at a young age but rather struggled to make
sense of the request in light of the wrong notion prevalent at the time
that to marry the daughter of a man whom one declared to be one’s
brother was non viable.
The Prophet (may peace be upon him), with the help of his personal
example, showed to the people the great difference between the
brother in faith and the brother in relation to the blood.
The Prophet replied, "You are my brother in Allah's religion and His
Book, but she (Aisha) is lawful for me to marry." (Sahih al-Bukhari,
Volume 7, Book 62, Number 18)
The Prophet (pbuh) here explained that the marriage which is
forbidden in Islam is with the daughter of the brother in blood and not
with the daughter of the brother in faith or somebody who may be
considered a brother due to a strong brotherly type relationship.
Once this issue was settled Hazrat Abubakr (ra) had no objection to the
marriage and we can see that he himself encouraged the
consummation of the marriage.

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Maturity

The second condition that the Islamic faith identifies for purpose of
marriage is Maturity and the “process of sexually maturing is
termed as puberty”(wikipedia).

So from an Islamic point of reference puberty is what would identify

one to be able to marry. This can be understood from the Qur'anic
exegesis of the phrase

"they reach the (age of) marriage" (Qur’an 4:6)

In regards to this, four of the well-known classical commentators have

the following to say :

Tafsir al-Tabari: Clearly states that "And when He said 'they reach
the (age of) marriage then He means they reached puberty (al-hulum).
Tafsir al-Qurtubi: In regards to the statement "until they reach the
(age of) marriage", Imam al-Qurtubi says, "meaning puberty (al-
hulum). And said the Most High, 'When children reach puberty' (al-Nur
59),meaning puberty (al-balugh) and state of marriage (wa hal al-
nikah)."
Tafsir Ibn Kathir: In explaining, "until they reach the (age of)
marriage", he states that "Mujahid said meaning puberty (al-hulum)".
Tafsir al-Jalalayn: Contains the explanation that: "'And Challenge'
test 'the orphans' before they reach puberty in their religion and their
conduct 'until they reach the (age of) marriage', meaning they
reach puberty or the age of fifteen years old according to the Shafi'is".

HOWEVER ITS NOT ONLY Islam that holds this view that if you are at
the stage of puberty, you are considered mature and able to consent
to marriage. An interesting article on the age at which people married
in Biblical times is Ancient Israelite Marriage Customs, by Jim West,
ThD - a Baptist minister. This article states that:

“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”; This is just one
reference to the fact that the onset of puberty was considered the age
at which young people could marry. That people in Biblical times
married at an early age is widely endorsed.

While discussing the meaning of the word 'almah, which is the Hebrew
word for "young woman" or "adolescent female", Gerald Segal says:
“It should be noted, however, that in biblical times females

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married at an early age” (Gerald Sigal, The Jew and the Christian
Missionary, Ktav Publishing House,1981, page 28.)

According to the Journal of Psychology and human sexuality

may 2005. ''Age of consent through out history usually
coincided with the age of puberty with the absolute minimum
at 7 YEARS OLD.

So what identifies puberty, the Islamic rules of attaining puberty are as

follows :

Girls: 1)appearance of hair around the pubic area 2)sexual arousal

discharge due to wet dreams 3)menses 4)15 years of age

Boys: 1) appearance of hair around the pubic area 2)seminal

discharge 3) 15 years of age

If any ONE of the 3 for boys or 4 for girls appears he/she has reached
the age of accountability and is no longer a child Islamically in the legal
sense. One should note that 15 years of age is not the threshold for
identifying an individual to be mature or at the age of puberty but
rather a final measure to identify an individual as legally responsible
for his actions if any of the other signs of puberty have not yet
developed. So it would be pointless to say that Islam sets the age of
puberty at 15 alone, but rather Islam has laid down no age limit for
puberty for it varies with countries and races due to the climate,
hereditary, physical and social conditions.
Those who live in cold regions attain puberty at a much later age as
compared with those living in hot regions where both male and female
attain it at a quite early age. "The average temperature of the country
or province," say the well-known authors of the book Woman, "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, page 563.)
Further study reveals although puberty usually starts between ages 8
to 13 in girls, it may start earlier or later. Everyone's body changes at a
different time. Whether you have breasts at age 10 or have not started
your period by age 14, do not worry. Everyone goes through puberty
eventually.

(http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/cnoteShowLfts.asp?
fname=07103&title=PUBERTY+IN+GIRLS+&cid=HTHLTH)

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The American Heritage dictionary states the following Puberty: 1. The
stage of adolescence in which an individual becomes physiologically
capable of sexual reproduction.
Adolescent: 1. Of, relating to, or undergoing adolescence. A young
person who has undergone puberty but who has not reached full
maturity; a teenager.

When we now connect the word “adolescent” with the word “puberty.”
We notice there is no fixed age limit such as in our debate 9 years of
age that can be imposed [on a person’s age] when he/she can be an
adolescent and/or of the age of puberty or when a person is capable of
sexual reproduction. Even science cannot prove this.

So on what basis can one say that Hazrat Aisha (ra) was a
prepubescent child ?

Hazrat Aisha (ra) a young lady

The following prove the fact that Hazrat Aisha(ra) had her menses and
went through puberty and was a developed young lady at 9 years of
age.

Aisha (ra) reported: Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) ''...admitted (me) to his

house
when I was nine years old(Sahih Muslim: Book 008, No.3310).

“The Prophet used to tell us during our period to wear a skirt before
(physically) approaching us". Bukhari (Book 6, Hadith 296), Muslim
(Kitab Al Hayd, Hadith 2)

The messenger of Allah (SAW) said to me: Get me the mat fromthe
mosque''. I said: ''I am menstruating''. Upon this he remarked: ''Your
menstruation is not in your hands.” (Sahih Muslim:Hadith No.15973
Sahi Al-Bukhari Volume 1, Book 6, No. 299)

We can also see Hazrat Aisha (ra) being ill and going through menses
before marriage which indicated that she was going through puberty.

Narrated Aisha (ra): The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six
(years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-
Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. (Sahih Bukhari
Volume 5, Book 58, No.234)

Hazrat Aisha (ra) describing herself and her acquaintances goes onto
say: "When the girl reaches nine years of age she is a woman" (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi's Kitab al-Nikah).

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 Finally if the Holy Quran itself has ordained the age of marriage as
the age of puberty and maturity, do we really think that the Prophet
(pbuh) would ignore this injunction, and for a second if he was to
ignore this injunction would Allah not have reprimanded this action
yet we find that whilst verses of the Holy Quran were being revealed
morning and evening there is not a single verse addressing this issue.
So we may now conclude that Hazrat Aisha (ra) was not a
prepubescent child but rather she had reached puberty and was a
young lady.

Dolls in the house, swings in the garden

Unfortunately, in light of the above we still have those who wish to

make a meal out of nothing, in order to try and prove their point they
go onto state that the proof that Hazrat Aisha(ra) was a child is that
she was playing with dolls and on the swings.

Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Apostle (may
peace be upon him) married her when she was seven years old, and he
was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls
were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen
years old. (Sahih Muslim, Book 008, Number 3311)

Aisha reported that she used to PLAY WITH DOLLS in the presence of
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and when her playmates
came to her they left (the house) because they felt shy of Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him), whereas Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) sent them to her. (Sahih Muslim, Book
031, Number 5981)

“………Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with

some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing
what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made
me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my
breathing became alright, she took some water and rubbed my face
and head with it” (Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234).

However we fail to recognize the connection between dolls, swings and

puberty. So if Aunt Sally is passionate about dolls or is having a swing
in the garden at the age of 40 would that mean she has not yet
reached the age of puberty? Of course not.
We now further present relevant quotes as evidence of this fact:

"Dolls were not strictly limited to children alone. Examples of female

adults carrying or possessing dolls are also noted during the medieval
period. Children also must have played with whatever was at hand.”

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(Voices from the Past", Jay Teague, 2005 July, Houston Teachers
Institute)

"Child marriage may not have been the norm in America in the 19th
century, but it clearly wasn't too rare, because it's featured in some of
the most popular historical novels based on real experiences ...
mountain patterns where it was the accepted custom for a girl to get
married when she should still be skipping around, climbing trees,
catching lightning bugs, pumping high in a homemade swing, and
playing elves and fairies in a cool glen." (Anecdotal evidence for child
marriage in America", Jane Galt, 2007)

So be it dolls or be it swings there is no argument than can be

presented to say that this was a sign that Hazrat Aisha (ra) was too
young for marriage.

The case of A paedophile

Now we go onto address the disgusting accusations that Allah forbid

the Prophet (pbuh) was a paedophile.

Lets first take a look at the characteristics that define a paedophile

"Low self esteem. Many pedophiles, although by no means all, do not

have a great sense of capacity for adopting a sexual demeanor
towards adults or those of their own age or older. They feel unhappy
and fearful at the prospect of sexual behaviour with adults and hence
turn to children due to the fact that they are unable to have the
strength of personality to seek adults for sexual demeanor. When
considering treatment therefore it is important to establish and
develop a higher sense of self-esteem in such individuals. Lack of
impulse control. Many pedophiles find it extremely difficult to deal with
the impulsive nature which inclines them towards sexual behaviour to
children. They simply cannot control their need for engaging children
in sexual practices. They might be said to suffer from an obsessive-
compulsive condition. Here again treatment would involve developing
better impulse control and of course redirecting the sexual
inclinations."
http://www.polfed.org/magazine/08_2001/80_2001_paedophile.htm

Low Self Esteem : the following two testimonies will help prove the fact
that the Prophet(pbuh) was surely not subject to low self esteem ;

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The following extract has been taken from the book "The 100 - a
Ranking of the Most Influential Person in History" by Michael H. Hart, a
Christian American, an astronomer, a mathematician, a chess master,
and a scientist. After extensive research, he rated prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) as number one and to be considered as the most influential
single figure in human history.

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most

influential person may surprise some readers and may be
questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who
was supremely successful on both the religious and secular
levels. It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on
Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus
Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. Furthermore, Muhammad
(unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as religious leader. In fact, as
the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as
the most influential political leader of all time. It is this
unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence,
which I feel, entitles Muhammad to be considered the most
influential single figure in human history."

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh)

says in (Young India):

"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed
sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than
convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in
those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the
utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for
his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his
intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his
own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before
them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd
volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not
more for me to read of the great life."

Lack of Sexual demeanor towards adults;

Let’s not forget that Hazrat Aisha (ra) was not the first but the third
wife of the Prophet (pbuh).The Prophet (pbuh)firstly married Hazrat
khadijah (ra) when at the time the Prophet (pbuh) was twenty five
years of age and Hazrat Khadijah (ra) was forty years of age, the
prophet(pbuh) was married to Hazrat Khadijah (ra) for twenty five

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 years and was blessed with a total of six children.(seerat e Mustafa
vol 3:287 Mol,Idris Khandalavi)

In prime youth the Prophet (pbuh) is willing to accept the proposal of

Marriage to a forty year old woman and then bearing six children
from her doesn’t fall much to the false accusation of “lack of Sexual
demeanor towards adults”.

Lack of impulse control

Sahih Al-Bukhari

Volume 1, Book 6, Number 299:

Narrated 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Aswad:

(on the authority of his father) Aisha (ra) said: "Whenever Allah's
Apostle (pbuh) wanted to fondle anyone of us during her periods
(menses), he used to order her to put on an Izar and start fondling
her." Aisha (ra) added, "None of you could control his sexual desires
as the Prophet could."

Sahih Muslim

Book 006, Number 2439:

Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Messenger

(may peace be upon him) used to kiss (his wives) while fasting and
embraced (them) while fasting; but he had the greatest mastery over
his desire among you.

I guess that clears the issue of lack of impulse and furthermore If

there was a lack of impulse or sense of incitement towards young
children for sexual purposes then why did the Prophet (pbuh) not
consummate the marriage with Hazrat Aisha (ra) when she was six
but rather waited till she was nine, and why marry a forty year old
woman when he was at the prime of his youth.

Why Hazrat Aisha(ra)

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1 - He saw a dream about marrying her. It is proven in al-
Bukhaari from the hadeeth of Hazrat Aisha (may Allaah be pleased
with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said to her: "You were shown to me twice in a dream. I saw that
you were wrapped in a piece of silk, and it was said, ‘This is your
wife.' I uncovered her and saw that it was you. I said, If this is
from Allaah then it will come to pass.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no.
3682).

As to whether this is a prophetic vision as it appears to be, or a

regular dream that may be subject to interpretation, there was a
difference of opinion among the scholars, as mentioned by al-
Haafiz in Fath al-Baari, 9/181.

2 - The characteristics of intelligence and smartness that the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had noticed in Hazrat
Aisha (ra) even as a small child, so he wanted to marry her so that
she would be more able than others to transmit reports of what he
did and said. In fact, as stated above, she was a reference point for
the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) with regard to their
affairs and rulings.

3 - The love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon

him) for her father Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), and
the persecution that AbuBakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) had
suffered for the sake of the call of truth, which he bore with patience.
He was the strongest of people in faith and the most sincere in
certain faith, after the Prophets.

4- It was purely for socio-political reasons. The Prophet's main

concern was the future of Islam. He was interested in strengthening
the Muslims by all bonds. This also explains the reason why he
married the daughter of Hazrat Umar (ra), his Second Successor. It
was by his marriage to Juwayriyyah (ra) that he gained the support
for Islam of the whole clan of Bani Al-Mustaliq and their allied tribes.
It was through his marriage to Safiyyah(ra) that he neutralized a
great section of the hostile Jews of Arabia. By accepting Mariya(ra),
the Copt from Egypt, as his wife, he formed a political alliance with a
king of great magnitude. So his marriage to `Hazrat Aisha (ra)could

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never be of anything save cementing his relation with Hazrat
Abu Bakr (ra),Aisha's (ra) father.

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