Why did prophet(saw) & sahabas maried girls who were very young to even undesrstand what is marriage?

Question

Why did prophet(saw) & sahabas maried girls who were very young to even undesrstand what is marriage?

Answer 1

I have one of my relatives who is only 11 , if you saw her you'll think that she is 16 , she  has that feminine attitude and most probably she is having crushes on boys , so don't think that all young girls know nothing about what marriage is .

Answer 2

For your kind information, Muhammad (saw) married all widows or divorced women, excluding one, Hadrat Aisha(r.a.) who was unmarried. Rest marrying women who were married, means, she wasn't young or unable to understand marriage. Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)'s first wife was elder than him.

Sahaba, even they married to many widows or divorced women. And those young women didnt have any problem with it, rather they were glad.~!

Answer 3

Some people have desires for young girls, and young boys.

There's plenty of excuses that can be given to justify this, but we all know it's not normal.

Answer 4

As far as I know Aisha was the only young child he married.  Even then men had sexual desires for young girls.  Of course most will say that God commanded him to marry her when He caused him to have a dream about her.  In my opinion that's a bunch of garbage.  If I have a dream and it involves something vile am I supposed to say it's okay cuz God caused that dream.  I don't think so.  God doesn't sanction the relationships of an adult and a child.  There is not now, nor has there ever been a 6 year old child who understands marriage completely and no 9 year old who is able to consent to a sexual relationship.  Muhammed began grooming her to be his victim just like men today do.  They gain the trust of the child and then begin their manipulation.  I know many who read my answer will say I'm bashing or insulting Islam and Muhammed, but I'm not, I'm simply stating facts.  If someone sees this as an insult then they are too close minded to see the truth.

Answer 5

Then the age consent for marriage was 6 years old.

Answer 6

Apparently Orange thinks womanhood begins at nine.

Ayesha was nine when she consummated her marriage with Muhammad.

Those who say it is a tradition I wonder if Muslims are allowed to follow tradition rather than the law of Allah?

Answer 7

OH dear lord, this question never stops amazing me. Why do people get shocked at by these kind of things?  Ok, let's not talk about religion for once. Let's just say there is no God, no religion, let's just talk about evolution. According to biology a woman's period indicates that the woman is ready to bear children, ready to mate, fornicate whatever you want to call it, because she has reached the point where she is no longer a child. Now if there was no civilization, if we go back to cavemen times that 9 year old you are talking about would be already raising offspring. Now, nowadays just in America we here rape cases in the news, old disgusting men raping little kids, even little boy for that matter. Now tell me those girls that are being raped by these men, they are not in the age to marry nor do they know what marriage is. For Gods sake they are being raped their honor has being killed. Parent are not consenting it are they? So why is it so polemic that 2,000 years ago someone could marry a young woman that by life's law was an adult and ready to begin family life?  Oh yeah and the Lord's "right to the first night" was more honorable in European countries??????

Answer 8

This question is asked by many non-Muslims and is used to hurt Muslims who do not understand this, Following are the few proofs which can correct the historical error

He married Aisha in contract initially and then she lived with him three years later. There are varying reports about her age when she married him some sources say 6,9,12,15 and the Shia say 18. According to Sheikh Hamza Yusuf all the narrations about her age at the time of marriage are singular narrations therefore there isn't one that stands out and we can affirm that narration.

In any case when she married him, she was fully formed woman, in other words capable of child birth. This was perfectly normal in that time, as it was the practice of the Arabs at that time to marry women at 12, when they had reached puberty and they did not live together until three years after that.

In most of the books, scholars generally say the age was twelve and then she went to live with him when she was fifteen, after the emigration to Medina.

This was a normal marriage in this time because another woman Khawla said why don't you marry Aisha, this confirms it as a practice of the people.

Don’t forget that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a dream where the angel Jibril was carrying a person and he asked who is was, the angel said it is your wife, the cloth was uncovered and it was Aisha, this happened three times. She was married to him before the Hijra to Medina and did not live with him until after which was some three years.

The Prophet was an exemplary man. All his actions were most virtuous so that we, Muslims, can emulate them. However, most people in Islamic world, would not think of betrothing their 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.

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 (the 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.

Biggest proof that Ayesha was more than 16 years of age when she married Muhammad is that she was in Uhad battle field helping wounded soldiers. Muhammad never allowed younger that 16 yrs to come in the battlefield.

I don’t believe baseless hadiths, for example the age of Hazrat Ayasia when got married. It’s totally baseless thing. How can I believe this baseless thing that our great prophet came to this world to promote child marriage or he was a child molester? It’s not possible

Please see that people started collecting hadiths, almost 80 to 100 yrs after the death of  our great Prophet. So it’s possible that some people have quoted wrongly. At that primitive time there was no such written things (like birth certificate etc ) available.

great misconception prevails as to the age at which `A’ishah was taken in marriage by the  

Prophet. Ibn Sa`d has stated in the Tabaqat that when Abu Bakr (father of `A’ishah) was approached on behalf of the Prophet, he replied that the girl had already been betrothed to  Jubair and that he would have to settle the matter first with him. This shows that `A’ishah  must have been approaching maturity at the time.

Again, the Isaba, speaking of the Prophet’s daughter Fatimah, says that she was born five  years before the Call and was about five years older than `A’ishah. This shows that `A’ishah must have been about ten years at the time of her betrothal to the Prophet, and not six years as she is generally supposed to be.

This is further borne out by the fact that `A’ishah herself is reported to have stated that when the fifty-fourth chapter [i.e., surah] of the Qur’an entitled “The Moon” [Al-Qamar] was revealed, she was a girl playing about and remembered certain verses then revealed. Now the fifty-fourth chapter was undoubtedly revealed before the sixth year of the Call. All these considerations point to but one conclusion, viz., that `A'ishah could not have been less than ten years of age at the time of her nikah, which was virtually only a betrothal.

And there is one report in the Tabaqat that `A’ishah was nine years of age at the time of nikah. Again it is a fact admitted on all hands that the nikah of `A’ishah took place in the  tenth year of the Call in the month of Shawwal. This is while there is also preponderance of evidence as to the consummation of her marriage taking place in the second year of Hijrah in the same month, which shows that full five years had elapsed between the nikah and the consummation. Hence, there is not the least doubt that `A’isha was at least nine or ten years of age at the time of betrothal, and fourteen or fifteen years at the time of marriage.If we dig deeper, we find that the great Islamic historian Ibn Jarir At-Tabari in his History iterated: In the time before Islam, Abu Bakr married two women. The first was Fatila daughter of `Abdul `Uzza, from whom `Abdullah and `Asmaa’ were born. Then he married Umm Ruman, from whom `Abdur-Rahman and `A’ishah were born. These four were born before Islam.Looking at `A'ishah's impressions of her early life, we can indeed see that she was born before the Call: Since I reached the age when I could remember things, I have seen my parents worshiping according to the right faith of Islam. Not a single day passed but Allah’s Messenger visited us both in the morning and in the evening. When the Muslims were persecuted, Abu Bakr set out for Ethiopia as an emigrant. When he reached a place called Bark Al-Ghimad, he met Ibn Ad-Daghna, the chief of the Qara tribe, who asked Abu Bakr, “Where are you going?” Abu Bakr  said, “My people have turned me out of the country and I would like to tour the world and worship my Lord.” Ibn Ad-Daghna said, “A man like you will not go out, nor will he be turned out, as you help the poor earn their living, keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the disabled (or the dependents), provide guests with food and shelter, and help people during their troubles. I am your protector. So, go back and worship your Lord at your home.”  Ibn Ad-Daghna went along with Abu Bakr and took him to the chiefs of Quraysh saying to them,  Ã¢Â€ÂœA man like Abu Bakr will not go out, nor will he be turned out. Do you turn out a man who helps the poor earn their living, keeps good relations with kith and kin, helps the disabled, provides guests with food and shelter and helps the people during their troubles?”  (Al-Bukhari 3: 37 #494)

570 CE: Prophet Muhammad born  595 CE: Married Khadijah, his first wife

610 CE: Received the revelation that led to his Call to Islam

613 CE: Started preaching publicly 615 CE: His daughter Fatimah born

622 CE: Left Makkah for Madinah 623 CE: `A’ishah entered the household of Prophet Muhammad 625 CE: Battle of Uhud

The famous classical commentator on the Qur’an, Ibn Kathir, wrote in Al-Bidayya wan-Nihaya: “Asmaa’ died in 73 AH at the age of one hundred years. She was ten years older than her sister `A'ishah.”

SUMMARY:

It was neither an Arab tradition to give away girls in marriage at an age as young as seven or nine years, nor did the Prophet marry Ayesha at such a young age. The people of Arabia did not object to this marriage because it never happened in the manner it has been narrated. Obviously, the narrative of the marriage of nine-year-old Ayesha by Hisham ibn `Urwah cannot be held true when it is contradicted by many other reported narratives. Moreover, there is absolutely no reason to accept the narrative of Hisham ibn `Urwah as true when other scholars, including Malik ibn Anas, view his narrative while in Iraq, as unreliable. The quotations from Tabari, Bukhari and Muslim show they contradict each other regarding Ayesha’s age. Furthermore, many of these scholars contradict themselves in their own records. Thus, the narrative of Ayesha’s age at the time of the marriage is not reliable due to the clear contradictions seen in the works of classical scholars of Islam.

Therefore, there is absolutely no reason to believe that the information on Ayesha’s age is accepted as true when there are adequate grounds to reject it as myth. Moreover, the Quran rejects the marriage of immature girls and boys as well as entrusting them with responsibilities.and if u need more proof i can send it thru email as i cannot put that long research in yahoo's answer

Answer 9

It was a custom of the society they lived in; women were seen more as property than people, and buying them young was one means of ensuring that nobody else got first dibs.

Answer 10

They were indeed able to understand what marriage is.

Marrying young girls was common tradition in some 100 years back.

Why should we judge people based on existing traditions which is driven by most hedonistic values of western society.

Answer 11

The fact that Muhammad (P.B.U.H) married young Ayesha (R.A) is one that never fails to amaze people! And it is widely misunderstood. Good thing u mentioned it. So *stars*!

U see, Muhammad (P.B.U.H) married Ayesha (R.A) at a very early age. The rest of His wives were all widows or divorced ladies. His companions didn't marry girls as young as Ayesha (R.A), nor did He (P.B.U.H) encourage them to marry girls who were not adults. There are good reasons for that.

But before that, one thing should be clear. In those days, boys and girls didn't go to schools. There was no formal education. The companions would learn just what He (P.B.U.H) taught them. For the boys, it was necessary to know some trade or skill, so that they would be able to earn money. The girls just had to know how to do thier housework. Rich girls didn't usually know much about housework, either. They had slaves in those days. So when the boys and girls would become adults, the main thing for them was to get married and live their own lives, instead of getting girlfriends or boyfriends, 'cause they wern't kept busy with schoolwork and studies. Not only girls, but also the boys. They usually married in their late teens. Like at the age of 16 or 17. So, there was no discrimination of s*x about getting married early.

As for Ayesha (R.A)--- her case was unique. Allah ordered Muhammad (P.B.U.H) to marry her at an age when her intelligent mind was at it's peak. She was more intelligent and witty than His male companions or His other wives, or anybody else. In His life, she heard hadiths from Him and memorized them, so that the number of hadiths memorized and narrated by her exceeds that by any other companion. Her sahih hadiths are thousands in number. She was young, so she lived a long life even after Muhammad (P.B.U.H), and went on narrating His hadiths and educating the companions and the next generation, men and women alike. She knew Him and His teachings like nobody else did, so she interpreted the Quran for them, solved their problems and went on in this way for years after His death. This was essential for the preservation of the hadiths.

Other than that, Ayesha (R.A) was a lady. It was necessary to have an intelligent teacher for them, who could communicate with the women, sympathize with them and convey their problems and needs to Muhammad (P.B.U.H). He (P.B.U.H) Himself couldn't be really free with the Muslim women, being a man, after all. Muslim ladies loved Ayesha (R.A) more than any other woman, and came to her in their troubles and happiness.

That is just why Muhammad (P.B.U.H) had to marry 12 wives, instead of the usual number. Before His Prophethood, He (P.B.U.H) was content with just 1 lady, far above Him in age. However, later on, as a Prophet, it became a requirement to marry many women, and educate them to make them role models for Muslim ladies, and solve all their problems and satisfy their inquiries. That is why, Allah says in the Quran: "O PROPHET'S WIVES, U R NOT LIKE ANY OTHER WOMAN''

Furthermore, Allah ordered His wives: "AND MEMORIZE WHATEVER IS RECITED IN YOUR HOUSES FROM ALLAH'S AYAHS AND WISDOM". All His wives were the hafizas of Quran, so that they could teach the Muslim ladies. But Ayesha was the most knowledgeable of them all.

Hope that helps!

EDIT: In the hot Arabian countries like Saudi Arabia,many girls reach puberty at the age of 9. So did Ayesha (R.A).

EDIT: @Eccentric----pls. I sent u an e-mail requesting for more info. on what u offered. I haven't received a reply. Guess u missed it.