Does islam promote marriage to girls under 12?

Question

The prophet Mohhamond's last wife was only 6 when he noticed her sexually and 9 when he married her. I am not making this stuff up, read the koron.
Now I've heard all sorts of arguments that back then it was different, everyone did it. That Mohhamond was not a child molester he only married her because he wanted her to help him spread the word of islam to other people. Ok, lets say I accept these two argument but this was Mohhamond! Allah was talking directly to him! He has the direct word of God! Even back then Mohamond should have set a better standard and not chosen to sleep with a children even if everyone else was ignorantly doing it. He must have know that people in the future would read the koran, read the part where his wife is a child and then think its ok for them to be marrying 9 or 10 year olds. Bottom line, I don't care if Mohhamond is the prophet, for a 53 year old man to have sex with a 9 year old is sick. Stopping child rape is more important then freedom of religion.

Answer 1

Peace be with you,

Firdt of all none of this is in the Quran.

The only children he had was with his first wife.

In my opinion, the age of Ayesha (ra) has been grossly misreported in the narratives of the incident. Not only that, I think that the narratives reporting this event are not only highly unreliable but also that on the basis of other historical data, the event reported, is quite an unlikely happening. Let us look at the issue from an objective stand point. My reservations in accepting the narratives, on the basis of which, Ayesha's (ra) age at the time of her marriage with the Prophet (pbuh) is held to be nine years are:

Most of these narratives are reported only by Hisham ibn `urwah reporting on the authority of his father. An event as well known as the one being reported, should logically have been reported by more people than just one, two or three.

It is quite strange that no one from Medinah, where Hisham ibn `urwah lived the first seventy-one years of his life has narrated the event, even though in Medinah his pupils included people as well known as Malik ibn Anas. All the narratives of this event have been reported by narrators from Iraq, where Hisham is reported to have shifted after living in Medinah for seventy-one years.

Tehzeeb al-Tehzeeb, one of the most well known books on the life and reliability of the narrators of the traditions ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) reports that according to Yaqub ibn Shaibah: "narratives reported by Hisham are reliable except those that are reported through the people of Iraq". It further states that Malik ibn Anas objected on those narratives of Hisham, which were reported through people of Iraq (Vol. 11, pg. 48 - 51).

Meezaan al-Ai`tidaal, another book on the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) reports that when he was old, Hisham's memory suffered quite badly (Vol. 4, pg. 301 - 302).

According to the generally accepted tradition, Ayesha (ra) was born about eight years before Hijrah. However, according to another narrative in Bukhari (Kitaab al-Tafseer) Ayesha (ra) is reported to have said that at the time Surah Al-Qamar, the 54th chapter of the Qur'an , was revealed, "I was a young girl". The 54th Surah of the Qur'an was revealed nine years before Hijrah. According to this tradition, Ayesha (ra) had not only been born before the revelation of the referred Surah, but was actually a young girl (jariyah), not even only an infant (sibyah) at that time. Obviously, if this narrative is held to be true, it is in clear contradiction with the narratives reported by Hisham ibn `urwah. I see absolutely no reason that after the comments of the experts on the narratives of Hisham ibn `urwah, why should we not accept this narrative to be more accurate.

According to a number of narratives, Ayesha (ra) accompanied the Muslims in the battle of Badr and Uhud. Furthermore, it is also reported in books of hadith and history that no one under the age of 15 years was allowed to take part in the battle of Uhud. All the boys below 15 years of age were sent back. Ayesha's (ra) participation in the battle of Badr and Uhud clearly indicates that she was not nine or ten years old at that time. After all, women used to accompany men to the battlefields to help them, not to be a burden upon them.

According to almost all the historians Asma (ra), the elder sister of Ayesha (ra) was ten years older than Ayesha (ra). It is reported in Taqreeb al-Tehzeeb as well as Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah that Asma (ra) died in the 73rd year after hijrah[2] when she was 100 years old. Now, obviously if Asma (ra) was 100 years old in the 73rd year after hijrah, she should have been 27 or 28 years old at the time of hijrah. If Asma (ra) was 27 or 28 years old at the time of hijrah, Ayesha (ra) should have been 17 or 18 years old at that time. Thus, Ayesha (ra) - if she got married in 1 AH (after hijrah) or 2 AH - was between 18 to 20 years old at the time of her marriage.

Tabari in his treatise on Islamic history, while mentioning Abu Bakr (ra) reports that Abu Bakr had four children and all four were born during the Jahiliyyah - the pre Islamic period. Obviously, if Ayesha (ra) was born in the period of jahiliyyah, she could not have been less than 14 years in 1 AH - the time she most likely got married.

According to Ibn Hisham, the historian, Ayesha (ra) accepted Islam quite some time before Umar ibn Khattab (ra). This shows that Ayesha (ra) accepted Islam during the first year of Islam. While, if the narrative of Ayesha's (ra) marriage at seven years of age is held to be true, Ayesha (ra) should not even have been born during the first year of Islam.

Tabari has also reported that at the time Abu Bakr (ra) planned on migrating to Habshah (8 years before Hijrah), he went to Mut`am - with whose son Ayesha (ra) was engaged at that time - and asked him to take Ayesha (ra) in his house as his son's wife. Mut`am refused, because Abu Bakr had embraced Islam. Subsequently, his son divorced Ayesha (ra). Now, if Ayesha (ra) was only seven years old at the time of her marriage, she could not have been born at the time Abu Bakr decided on migrating to Habshah. On the basis of this report it seems only reasonable to assume that Ayesha (ra) had not only been born 8 years before hijrah, but was also a young lady, quite prepared for marriage.

According to a narrative reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, after the death of Khadijah (ra), when Khaulah (ra) came to the Prophet (pbuh) advising him to marry again, the Prophet (pbuh) asked her regarding the choices she had in her mind. Khaulah said: "You can marry a virgin (bikr) or a woman who has already been married (thayyib)". When the Prophet (pbuh) asked about who the virgin was, Khaulah proposed Ayesha's (ra) name. All those who know the Arabic language, are aware that the word "bikr" in the Arabic language is not used for an immature nine-year old girl. The correct word for a young playful girl, as stated earlier is "Jariyah". "Bikr" on the other hand, is used for an unmarried lady, and obviously a nine year old is not a "lady".

According to Ibn Hajar, Fatimah (ra) was five years older than Ayesha (ra). Fatimah (ra) is reported to have been born when the Prophet (pbuh) was 35 years old. Thus, even if this information is taken to be correct, Ayesha (ra) could by no means be less than 14 years old at the time of hijrah, and 15 or 16 years old at the time of her marriage.

Answer 2

ok excuse me ur soo sick to even thinkt ]like that !
its theese days world where evry man is sleeppin and duin all kids o shyt to gilrs.

mohammed pbuh married a 9 year old because he wanted to keep her protected form the bad men around her, so no one would look at the poor child in a bad way. that does not mean he treated her like a wife!
he married these women to save their dignity and honour.
tyou looney bin go check up on a real islamic site, ask a imam and then ask ur sick dum question here orite!
get ur fa ts right! dont u dare ever say anything against the prophet pbuh.

perhaps other bad things happened during then , ofcourse they must have. but the prophet did not do so - he only married her to save any of that stuff happenin to her. why would allah choose propht mohhammed then? he chose him because when prophet mohammed was young, angel gabriel came and purified his heart, (even though it already was pure) so how can u think or say that he thinks wrong?
and god knows what quran u read- or uve misinterreted it. or its written by a non muslim or a muslim man who is a wahabi! next time be fully washed if u wanna read the quran also. u cant read it asthough its a novel asthah firullah..

Answer 3

I'm sure u don't know what are you talking about. i did not read this in holy quran, then all people were marring young ladies because they where not only 9 yrs whey where truly ladies (you don't know the nature of Arab land), then prophet Mohammad pbuh was taking every thing from Allah (god) how you are saying that he pbuh was raping her that mean god make mistake?!! are you sure you have brain!! sham on you to post such question

Answer 4

You know you are talking about something that happened centuries ago, when most women didn't live past 30. You can't equate the past with the present, we live in a different world. I don't think anyone in a civilized country is suggesting a 53yr old marry a 9yr old.

Frankly, my curiosity begs me to ask, why did you post this in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered forum?

Answer 5

All right...first of all, take this religious STATEMENT to the proper category. Your view of a perceived child rape is not appropriate for this category.
As for the rest of you, back to English class. Again. And, this time, PAY ATTENTION !!! Did you ever hear of spell check?

Answer 6

i've got not got a Koran in my abode to dispute your declare. Or to justify it to boot. a lot of human beings lower back then had unusual habit in all religions. I surprisingly lots do not care what they think in on intercourse. I do care while they sell killing all non believers. restoration that section and there might desire to be a super gamble for Peace in this worldwide.