Aisha, Mohammed's Wife: Let's get this straight once and for all?

Question

I have read passionate post after passionate post from professed muslims proclaiming Aisha was Mohammed's 6 year old, 9 year old and 13 year old wife.

I have read contradicting posts that say she was handed over by her father in marriage and others that say she was a volunteer (at 6) desiring to be this old man's (some say he was 50, some say 40) gah! wife.

Some believers in Islam have said she didn't have sex with him until she was a WHOLE 9 YEARS OLD, though she married him at 6. Others say she had sex at 15. :::I'm going CROSS-EYED::::

All these contradictions and all from passionate Muslims who add the "PBU...stuff" after all their religious founder's names.

Why is it that you have all been told, passionatly by your spiritual leaders, all these different things? Why is it that you all can't seem to get the very beginning of your prophet's life figured out?

MARK: With all due respect, I'm sorry, but the fact that "she was Mohammed's best friend's daughter" means nothing to me. That only tells me that there are now TWO dirty old men taking advantage of a young child to serve their own self-seeking agenda(s).

I just can't get past this and particularly since no one here who professes Islam in their lives can even get the story straight.

DARK ANGEL: Thank you for a reasonable answer that doesn't leave my head spinning and my eyes crossed.

YoYodda: "Sahih Bukhari & the Sahih Muslim.
By Ayesha's own narration" Thanks for the reference and the straightforward points. I'll check it out.

Daliaddel: Thank you and I appreciate that you took so much time. I will review the links for information sake, particularly since you were kind enough to research as you did.

ROADKILL:
Don't worry! You won't get any defense for that scenario out of me either. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits." I haven't ever been a follower of Swaggert's teachings, ever, don't plan on it any time soon.

I am certainly not saying that Mohammed is the only person who has done this sort of thing.

MARISSA: Thank you for all your time, but I am afraid that you have assumed more from my inquiry than I ever inquired of.
Just because I have inquired about this one aspect of Aisha's life does not mean that I have never considered others.
Just because I am inquiring about the possibility of Mohammed having taken advantage of little girls doesn't mean that I condone the taking advantage of little girls by other men in other religions and or governments. I am afraid that your passion on this subject cause you to assume more of me than was actually fair.

Answer 1

The truth is that we just don't know exactly how old Aisha was when she married Mohammed(peace be upon him). This is something I try not to speculate on, and any answer anybody gives on this is just a guess. That's why we shouldn't try to guess, because we could very possibly be wrong. It doesn't say in the Quran how old Aisha was when they married, and the Quran, in my opinion, is the only book in Islam that is completely reliable. Since it doesn't say, I don't worry about it. Peace.

Answer 2

To begin with, I completely understand how confused you are and I see where you are coming from. To tell you the truth, my first reaction to this was:
* definitely our religious leaders are not leading us to believe something that is not true. Had this been their intention, they would have altered the fact that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married As-Sayeda Aisha when she was young (range mentioned 6 - 9) and there was a big age gap between them both; a fact that is very controvertial. Whether she was 6 or 9, she still was young. Whether he was 40 or 50, he still was old. So, no misleadin here.

* Personally, I was going to apologise because I am just depending on what I remember from school study that she was 9 when the marriage contract was written and 12 when acted as a wife.

So before I write this reply, I grabbed a book + did some reserach on the internet that led me to find that everyone who wrote w reply with a different age was right! History cannot tell exactly how old she was when the marriage contract was written and when she moved to the Prophet's house as his wife; but it is agreed that she was young and there was a big age gap.

I refer you to the links below that tackle the story of the Prophet's marriage to Aisha, its reasons and the age dilemma.

Thank you and sorry for the unintended confusion.

Answer 3

You're trying to judge something that happened years ago by your simple knowledge.
The modern world looks down upon child brides (still happening in India, though) and underage sex because, it's the norm to do so. But, things were different back in the old days. Now, unless you're a nun, it's not "normal" to reveal ONLY your face and hands. But, wasn't that what the Virgin Mary dressed all day and night? Nobody questions that 'cos it was the norm in those days.
Likewise, a marriage such as what happened those days was the NORM in that period. It's not fair to go about questioning that. It was a very common occurance during even the Virgin Mary's time. The fact that she was young and he was so old didn't mean anything to them. Now, it's different, I know. But this is TODAY'S law.

Answer 4

There are no contradictions, it is just that people answer from their back ground-without checking, or from sites that is especially designed to attack Islam, "Spiritual leaders!!!didn't tell us all these different things."

please keep in mind that girls in Africa & in some countries in Asia grow up earlier than other girls in other areas.
i.e.: In that old time girls were having their "pms" at 9 year old (approxmitly).
Girls at that time were getting married very young, (it is not as you say, a child) it was the society traditions back then.
FYI, she loved him so much. She was very well cultured and educated woman "AISHA".

Fianlly, Do not you see girls in Europe & America have sex in that same small age?!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, "PBU....stuff" said on Prophets: Moses, Massiah, & all other esteemed prophets GOD had sent them to humanity, not only to Prophet Muhammed "PBUH"

Answer 5

The facts- When Mohammad married Ayesha he was 51 years old and she was 6 years old. When he went into her he was 54 years and she was 9 years.

These facts are given in the Sahih Bukhari & the Sahih Muslim.
By Ayesha's own narration the prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old.

I hope this is clear enough.

Answer 6

A'isha bint Abu Bakr, one of the wives of Muhammed, is traditionally believed to have been married young. The age of Aisha at marriage is an unsettled issue, and the subject of increasing attention in recent years. There are several hadiths (said to have been narrated by Aisha herself) which state she was six or seven years old when betrothed and nine years old when married or when the marriage was consummated, but other traditional material (hadith, sira, etc.) suggests that Aisha may have been anywhere from twelve to twenty years old when she married.

Answer 7

She was 9 years old when she was married to prophet Muhammed, she lived with him for 9 years and became widow at the age of 18

Answer 8

well it doesnt matter if he did or didnt, they didnt think of them as a child as they do now, they thought of them the right to marry at a certain age just as our society does. Back then it wasnt wrong. Who knows, any other profit could have done the same, its just how she felt, but we dont know how she felt so just leave it as it is the Muslims know the answer christians so just stop acting like your gonna find the answer to something you dont study. if you have been studing the Qur'an, not a little blog on the computer, then you know the answer. Stop saying Mohammad si a bad man, because hes one of Gods Messangers and Prrofits. I belive you wouldnt like it if a Muslim that was NEVER a christian trying to prove youthat Jesus it no God or Gods blood son. So stop thinking you can try to change the Qur'an. If you been listening to the news and other stuff, they have not found one grammer mistake in the Qur'an, they've been trying for already decades, they already found many mistakes in the bible so just drop it. By the way if you try to find a mistake in the Qur'an good luck with that, but if your looking for one in the Bible youdont need luck theres already mistakes.

Answer 9

Yes, yes, and Jimmy Swaggerts cousin Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin Myra Gate Brown Legally in the Sates in about 1958 without her parents permission needed because it was perfectly legal and considered normal at the time. That was not more than fifty years ago.
All of the reports say Aisha went to Mohammad's house at 9 or 12 or whatever. They do not say he tore her clothes of and raped her right then and there. Legally the marriage was consummated the moment she left her parents house and went to his, and he became responsible for her well being. Royal families in Europe's middle ages arranged marriages even younger than age six, often opening negotiations as soon as they knew what sex the child was, at birth. So what exactly is your point? that you and the Pope hate Muslims? I think that is all it is.

Answer 10

She was not 9 years old when she got married she was 13 and look she was Mohammed best friend daughter . There were many girls at that time in most of the world who got married at that age .