Question to Muslims concerning Muhammad?

Question

Every time I ask a Muslim why Muhammad married a 6/9 year old their usual response is that it was a common practice at that specific time. Well if it was can you name 5 other people who were at the age of 50 and married a 6/9 year old. Only FIVE.

Remember these FIVE have to be between the time of 570-632 in ARABIA.

I hope I am proven wrong.

Answer 1

read the true-life based story

princess by jean sasson

what i recall was that a 60 year old man married a 10 or 11 year old i think

Answer 2

Lady Ayesh was already engaged to another man who as somewhat in his 40s at that time. he is son of Mutim bin jubair. Because Abu Bakr RA embraced Islam they broke the engagement.

http://www.islamonline.com/news/newsfull...

However, this answer refernce gives different answer to you question. Still they too confirm that she was engaged.

Answer 3

It didn't happen. That's in the hadiths, but so is the girls right age.

We're talking about Ayesha bint Abu Bakr. Her elder sister was Asmaa.

Asmaa bint Abu Bakr died in 73 AH (After Hijra) She was 100 years old and 10 years older than Ayesha.

Anyway, 100 minus 73 makes Asmaa 27 years old at the time of Hijra, Prohet's migration. That, in turn makes Ayesha 17 at the time. Ayesha was married to Muhammad two to three years later in Medinah.

Even more, there was no official calendar until years later, when Umar bin Al Khattab became Khalifah, so there's more room for error.

Ayesha was 19 at LEAST when she was married.

According to Al Qur'an, men are forbidden from marriage to anyone without their consent, which a child cannot give.

I realize that, but the information was relevant to the premise, seemed useful at the time. Pardon me.

Answer 4

Dear friend.... NOW YOU HAVE TO PROVE THAT WAS NOT A COMMON THING AT THAT  AGE......   WE HAVE PROOF AND WE BELIEVED IT.

NOW YOU SUCCESSFULLY PROVEN THAT YOUR NAME IS NOT THAT........    YOU CANNOT READ MY NAME .???

Our beloved Prophet (PBUH) done so .... only because he was ordered by Allah...  

we Muslims need only that explanation for this....

When we read the Bible, we learn about some Prophets marrying many wives, even hundreds of wives in some cases. Let us look at some of the verses from the Old Testament:

In Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can marry.

In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines.

In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines.

And knowing that the Bible's Old Testament allowed before for men to have s*x with girls who were at the age of 3, then it wouldn't surprise me that those Prophets who had 700 wives for instance, had many very young "teenage" girls before as their wives.

It wouldn't surprise me if they too had wives that were younger than Mary when she got pregnant, and younger than Aisha when she got married.

Since there are so many wives that those Prophets married (hundreds of wives), then how would anyone know that they didn't marry young women as our beloved Prophet peace be upon him did with his marriage to Aisha peace be upon her?

Answer 5

the story of aysha was brought against ali. ali was a young child when prophecy started and he became a muslim as a child. so it was a claim for his imamat. so supporters of muawiyyah cooked this story aysha was very young child she started life with prophet.

actually she was not.

she was young adult  

Answer 6

I do not believe she was that young. There is solid proof that she was at least 15.

Here's a start of a rather long article. Link is below if you want to read the rest!

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.

However, such an explanation would be gullible only for those who are naive enough to believe it. But unfortunately, I was not satisfied with the answer.

The Prophet was an exemplary man. All his actions were most virtuous so that we, Muslims, can emulate them. However, most people in our Islamic Center of Toledo, including me, would not think of betrothing our seven years daughter to a fifty-two year-old man. If a parent agrees to such a wedding, most people, if not all, would look down upon the father and the old husband.

In 1923, registrars of marriage in Egypt were instructed not to register and issue official certificates of marriage for brides less than sixteen and grooms less than eighteen years of age. Eight years later, the Law of the Organization and Procedure of Sheriah courts of 1931 consolidated the above provision by not hearing the marriage disputes involving brides less than sixteen and grooms less than eighteen years old. (Women in Muslim Family Law, John Esposito, 1982). It shows that even in the Muslim majority country of Egypt the child marriages are unacceptable.

So, I believed, without solid evidence other than my reverence to my Prophet, that the stories of the marriage of seven-year-old Ayesha to 50-year-old Prophet are only myths. However, my long pursuit in search of the truth on this matter proved my intuition correct. My Prophet was a gentleman. And he did not marry an innocent seven or nine year old girl. The age of Ayesha has been erroneously reported in the hadith literature. Furthermore, I think that the narratives reporting this event are highly unreliable. Some of the hadith (traditions of the Prophet) regarding Ayesha’s age at the time of her wedding with prophet are problematic. I present the following evidences against the acceptance of the fictitious story by Hisham ibn ‘Urwah and to clear the name of my Prophet as an irresponsible old man preying on an innocent little girl.

EVIDENCE #1: Reliability of Source

Most of the narratives printed in the books of hadith are reported only by Hisham ibn `Urwah, who was reporting on the authority of his father. First of all, more people than just one, two or three should logically have reported. It is strange that no one from Medina, where Hisham ibn `Urwah lived the first 71 years of his life narrated the event, despite the fact that his Medinan pupils included the well-respected Malik ibn Anas. The origins of the report of the narratives of this event are people from Iraq, where Hisham is reported to have shifted after living in Medina for most of his life.

Tehzibu’l-Tehzib, one of the most well known books on the life and reliability of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet, reports that according to Yaqub ibn Shaibah: “He [Hisham] is highly reliable, his narratives are acceptable, except what he narrated after moving over to Iraq” (Tehzi’bu’l-tehzi’b, Ibn Hajar Al-`asqala’ni, Dar Ihya al-turath al-Islami, 15th century. Vol 11, p. 50).

t further states that Malik ibn Anas objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people in Iraq: “I have been told that Malik objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people of Iraq” (Tehzi’b u’l-tehzi’b, Ibn Hajar Al-`asqala’ni, Dar Ihya al-turath al-Islami, Vol.11, p. 50).

Mizanu’l-ai`tidal, another book on the life sketches of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet reports: “When he was old, Hisham’s memory suffered quite badly” (Mizanu’l-ai`tidal, Al-Zahbi, Al-Maktabatu’l-athriyyah, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, Vol. 4, p. 301).

CONCLUSION: Based on these references, Hisham’s memory was failing and his narratives while in Iraq were unreliable. So, his narrative of Ayesha’s marriage and age are unreliable.

CHRONOLOGY: It is vital also to keep in mind some of the pertinent dates in the history of Islam: pre-610 CE: Jahiliya (pre-Islamic age) before revelation

610 CE: First revelation

610 CE: AbuBakr accepts Islam

613 CE: Prophet Muhammad begins preaching publicly.

615 CE: Emigration to Abyssinia

616 CE: Umar bin al Khattab accepts Islam

620 CE: Generally accepted betrothal of Ayesha to the Prophet

622 CE: Hijrah (emigation to Yathrib, later renamed Medina)

623/624 CE: Generally accepted year of Ayesha living with the Prophet

EVIDENCE #2: The Betrothal

According to Tabari (also according to Hisham ibn ‘Urwah, Ibn Hunbal and Ibn Sad), Ayesha was betrothed at seven years of age and began to cohabit with the Prophet at the age of nine years.

However, in another work, Al-Tabari says: “All four of his [Abu Bakr’s] children were born of his two wives during the pre-Islamic period” (Tarikhu’l-umam wa’l-mamlu’k, Al-Tabari (died 922), Vol. 4, p. 50, Arabic, Dara’l-fikr, Beirut, 1979).

If Ayesha was betrothed in 620 CE (at the age of seven) and started to live with the Prophet in 624 CE (at the age of nine), that would indicate that she was born in 613 CE and was nine when she began living with the Prophet. Therefore, based on one account of Al-Tabari, the numbers show that Ayesha must have born in 613 CE, three years after the beginning of revelation (610 CE). Tabari also states that Ayesha was born in the pre-Islamic era (in Jahiliya). If she was born before 610 CE, she would have been at least 14 years old when she began living with the Prophet. Essentially, Tabari contradicts himself.

CONCLUSION: Al-Tabari is unreliable in the matter of determining Ayesha’s age.

Edit: Fair enough Adnan! I do not see how most can just take it as a fact and are ok with it. saying it was 'normal', it happend in Europe too. The Prophet is supposed to set an example. Marrying a child is not a good example to me!

Furthermore, there is nothing in Quran that would support the claim. It's all from the hadith. I do believe a lot of the hadith (sahih or not) is not only insulting to Mohammad, but also to Allah.

Answer 7

It is not a historically supported allegations. Lady Ayesha already had a proposal before him. She was 16 when she married the prophet.

Answer 8

To answer this question that Muhammad married aysha at the age of 9 or not, we have to see Quran that whether God permits any body to marry a girl at young age or not?

There is a complete chapter in Quran in the name of woman. In Arabic “Nisa” is used for adult woman, where as “TIFAL” and “Radeea”  is used for a small kid. Even God didn’t use the word “Shaabba” which is used for young lady. God used “NISA” which clearly denotes woman. See below verses:

4:3. If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice.

In the above verses God tells us to marry woman of their own choice. Here again God used the word woman and not baby. So it is a clear indication that God has fixed the age to puberty.

See another verse from same chapter:

4:4. And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, Take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.

Here again God used the word woman and not a kid.

Let’s see one more verse from same chapter:

4.6. Make trial of orphans until they reach the age of marriage; if then ye 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 Allah in taking account.

Again here God clearly mention the age of marriage and that is puberty.

There is one more place where God clearly tells us the age of marriage and that is the chapter of divorce

65:1. O Prophet! When ye do divorce women, divorce them at their prescribed periods, and count (accurately), their prescribed periods: And fear Allah your Lord: and turn them not out of their houses, nor shall they (themselves) leave, except in case they are guilty of some open lewdness, those are limits set by Allah. and any who transgresses the limits of Allah, does verily wrong his (own) soul: thou knowest not if perchance Allah will bring about thereafter some new situation.

Here u can see God is telling us the rule of divorce and its clearly mentioned woman and not a kid. This whole chapter of about rules of divorce and u can’t find even a single verse which tells us about kids divorce. The whole chapter is about woman.

One more verses from Chapter 33. The Clans, The Coalition, The Combined Forces

33:49. O ye who believe! When ye marry believing women, and then divorce them before ye have touched them, no period of 'Iddat have ye to count in respect of them: so give them a present. And set them free in a handsome manner.

Here again God has used the word woman and not a girl. He told us the rule of marriage, divorce and period of iddat.

Here one question arises why God didn’t mention the age of marriage in numerical form the main reason is the entire regions of the earth got different level of puberty. In Cold countries girls enter late into puberty age while in hot weather countries girls enter quite early it may vary from 16 ~18. Now it’s the duty of the local law maker that they should fix the age of marriage according to their own needs.  But God clearly fixed the age of marriage to puberty. And all above verses clearly advised us to get married when reached to puberty age.

Now I come to your question: Please tell me how come Prophet of God who came to this earth ignored God’s rules of marriage and married to a kid? That is not possible that a messenger himself violets the rule and asked others to follow God’ saying. All the misconception is due to some false and fabricated hadith. And some historical error due to false saying of an old man Hisham ibn `Urwah (“sun flower tolerance is the key” has already elaborate in her answer) In fact God’s messenger can’t ignore the message of God.

Some people justify marrying their young daughters by saying that Prophet married Aisha when she was only nine years old. To these people we ask a simple question: Will the Prophet also be your role model in treating your wives with kindness, justice and love? Will he be role model while giving property to your sisters daughters etc? Why cannot the Prophet also be your role model in marrying older women, divorcees and widows?

Answer 9

well. i cant give you 5 names. bcz nobody cared enough to record ages of wives back then. i know that my grandma was 20 when she married my grandpa who was 50 and she only agreed cuz she was "old" and he was rich. that was logic to them back then!

what i can tell you is:

1)the prophet married his 1st wife when he was in his 20s and she was in her 40s and it wasn't a weird thing.

2)there are proofs that Aisha was 19 not 9 when the prophet married her.

3)if the prophet was marrying random women for joy, why would he not marry 9 beautiful young virgins? all his wife except the 1st one (who he was only with her till she passed away) and Aisha were not virgins, their husbands died in either a battle or something.

4)google pics of where the prophet used to live. and you will see he wasn't a man looking for glamor.

in the end, i encourage you to ask, you should ask, it would be stupid to believe in something just bcz someone asked you to believe in it. if you want anymore details about any of the points i mentioned, ill be happy to tell you more.

Answer 10

i don't know why do you follow ignorance, this marriage issue worries you to the extent you can't sleep!

what you need to know is that the Arabs environment at that time was  characterized by this distinctive part, the age of puberty average was too low, i advise you to live in such a desert area for the rest of your life, get married there and have kids then let me know when will your kids reach the puberty age,,

Edit:

your relatives live with air conditioners and won't bother try living under the sun and lie down on the sands, i don't know five names but i know it was something common at that time,,

lol you want 5 names, are you following a certain standard of judgment?

Answer 11

Who told you Ayesha (RA) was 6/9 ?  It is a most repeated Question by non-muslims based on a weak Hadith (unauthenticated) created by Shiia political cults. She was 16 or 19 at the time of marriage!

Sunni scholars do not accept this story ( of age ) since it does not fulfills the Islamic criteria of authenticity in respect of Sahih Hadiths.

The recorded history of Islamic Hijrat ( migration from Mecca to Median; from where Islamic Calander starts) reports various famous events which took place during the famous Hijrat. Here we find that the family of Abubakar - the 1st caliph, migrated after the settlement of Abubakar in Medina. His daughter Asma was 28 and a married woman. She was 10 yeas elder than her sister Ayesh !

Accordingly the age of Ayesh at the time of migration was 18 years. Ayesha was married after one year of her migration therefore she was 19 when came into the house of Muhammad.!

Shiia Muslims take it easy and believe in 6/9 as a tribal custom!  But they don't use their mind as to what was the need of narrating the age of Ayesh?  Why Ali Ben Abdul munaf did not narrated his age when he migrated?

The story of 6/9 is false - handy work of the enemy of Muhammad!

Answer 12

A good question,

But this question has a logical fallacy,

Can you give me a person's individual history so rich as Muhammad(pbuh)??

It was a common practice even in my own country less than 30 years back!!!

even a critique of Islam of present,had a grandmother that was married at 12 years old,

my own grandmother was married somewhere b/w 10 to 12,

A Pakistani tv host mother's age and his age difference is only 11 years old!!

that means she was married at 10!!

I can go on & on,

a simple challenge to you,

Every enemy of Islam abused Muhammad(pbuh) at everything he did during his time,

Can you give me a single authentic narration where any one,i literally mean ANY ONE pointed out to this marriage??

Edit:

U could not answer my challenge and instead committed the fallacy of red hearing,

Sorry bro,

just learn and then come back,

I never meant to say that Muhammad's(pbuh) marriage is the limit,

people marry at different ages,

Answer 13

You are asking for precise details like it was the 21st century. There were no accurate census records or records of marriage or age of people at that time. But there usually is evidence of general trends in society when you go back in history. This has to do with recorded history.

From the evidence I have seen, I believe Aisha was in the age bracket of 17- 19 at the time of marriage or consummation. As somebody above has also pointed out, the narrators of the Hadith themselves contradict themselves regarding this issue. We also know that some Hadiths are weak or fabricated. Under these circumstances I have serious doubts about she being 6/9. So the question really becomes one of large age difference rather than marrying a minor.

That people used to marry young women was a common practice is something that I first read on a website that was made to malign Islam. In the process of bashing Islam that guy also admitted that it was common practice at that time to marry girls at a young age.

I'm sure there were far more than 5 people who had a large age difference between them and their wives. What to talk of 1400 years ago, this thing happens even today in many societies. Even today there are far more than 5 cases of the husband being much older than the wife.

And there is also the fact that none of his enemies ever criticized him for his marriage. This shows that it was considered normal. Otherwise they would have definitely attacked him for this because they criticized everything he did.

I have not read all of hadith and every bit of history between 570 and 632AD. Maybe there IS evidence of 5 married persons along with their ages and the ages of their wives and I will check it when I get time. But personally I don't think anyone would have maintained a record of such things because these things were considered unimportant at the time. It is common in modern societies to maintain accurate records of people's births and marriages and deaths but it was not so 1400 years ago. In fact if you go even further back in history, details of events and things become even more sketchy.