How do Muslims feel about their Prophet, Mohammad, having married Aisha as a seemingly underage girl?

According to calculations based on Hadith, Muhammad was 54 years and Aisha was 9 years old when Muhammad consummated their marriage.

By Linda Nicola, Devout Christian who has explored many different religions.

''This is not true.  Only Islamophobes  seeking to discredit Islam, Islamophiles who think Muhammad is entitled to do whatever he damn pleases, sects seeking to discredit Aisha for her leadership and partisanship after Muhammad's death, and peophiles who hope its true, are the ones who still actually support this long discredited claim.''

When one looks at the historical facts and logical analysis, it becomes clear that it is impossible for Aisha to have been married before 18:

Background:

1. Married Kadijah at age 25.  He was married to only her until she died when he was 50.  They were married for nearly 20 years.

2.He remained unmarried from ages 50-52

3.Between ages 53-60, he married his other wives.  He seldom spent time with them due to his many travels and the wars.

4.He married these women, despite the ban on more than four wives for the following reasons:


to preserve the teachings for the next generation.

To cement tribal alliances and seal treaties.

 To care for and protect the widowed and and orphaned women by brining them into his family.

To demonstrate the just and compassionate treatment of women.  He did not have mistresses nor cast out any women.

. To be a role model to Muslims:  Most of his wives were old and previously married.  Many were from other nations. Two were the widows of former enemies.  He did not rape and discard or kill these women as was the custom of the time.  These women brought all their people into Islam.

5.  In total, Muhammad married 12 wives.  When he died, he had nine wives.

 

6.  Their names are :  

Wives of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid 

2. Sawada bint Zam'a

3. A'isha Siddiqa bint Abu Bakr 

4.Hafsa bint 'Umar

5. Zaynab bint Khuzayma

 6.Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya

7. Zaynab bint Jahsh 

8.Juwayriya bint al-Harith

9. Umm Habiba Ramla bint Abi Sufyan 

10. Safiyya bint Huyayy

11. Maymuna bint al-Harith 

12. Maria al-Qibtiyya

 Aisha was  considered the greatest woman in Islam.  She came from a family that was noted for their learning and education.  She, herself, was very well educated and was a teacher, cleric,  and military leader during her lifetime.  She was engaged to another before Muhammad, but the engagement was broken when the fiance refused to convert to Islam.

Was Aisha nine years old when married?  No. 

Doesn’t the Quran say she was?  No.

 But don’t the Hadiths say she was?  Some do, but they all are second-hand quote from one very old senile man and are considered weak Hadiths.  And even they contradict each other greatly.

The Hadiths are the recollections of Muhammad’s Companions.  Some are strong and well documented and supported.  

Others are weak because they are not supported, not witnessed by others, contradict others that are supported.  The Hadiths that talk about Aisha being a child when married, all fall in this category

Here’s how we know Aisha was much older when married:

Aisha was always referred to as bikr, which literally means “an adult unmarried woman who is a virgin.”  She was never referred to as a jariyah, which is a “young girl.”

“And make not over your property (property of the orphan), which Allah had made a (means of) support for you, to the weak of understanding, and maintain them out of it, clothe them and give them good education. And test them until they reach the age of marriage. Then if you find them maturity of intellect, make over them their property...” (Quran, 4:5-6).

No seven year old, nor nine year old is mature enough to handle her own finances and property, yet Aisha was given hers at marriage.

More information on this area is here:  Was Ayesha A Six-Year-Old Bride?

Aisha’s exact birthday is unknown, but she was born *before* 610 CE when Islam was revealed.

Aisha is recorded as accepting Islam shortly after it was revealed.  She could not have done so as an infant or toddler.  The youngest she could have accepted Islam would be 7 y/o, but that’s a guess.

She was married in 622 CE  12 years after she accepted Islam.  (7 + 12 =19 years).

Further, Aisha fought in the Battles of Badr and Uhud (624/5 respectively).  No one *under* 15 fought in those battles, let alone be a leader of them.

Also, Asma, Aisha’s eldest sister (by ten years) died at age 100, 72 years after Aisha’s marriage.

Process of elimination and mathematics, Aisha could not have been married before she was 14 and the consummation before she was almost 20.

“The Quran states a woman's consent is essential, and the Sunnah confirms that both Aisha's betrothal and consummation occurred with Aisha's enthusiastic agreement. In fact, some even imply she went against the initial wishes of her Dad!”

By mathematical reasoning:

622 + 72 = 694 -100= 594 year of Asma’s birth.   

622-594= 28 yr of Asma at Aisha’s wedding

Asma is recorded as ten years older than Aisha.  Therefore:

28-10= 18 Aisha’s age at wedding.