It has been cited from prominent Islamic texts such as Sahih Bukhari that a wife of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Aisha bint Abu Bakr, was six years old when Muhammad (SAW) married her and that the marriage was consummated three years later when she was nine years old.
This information has become one of the most employed weapons against Islam and Muslims. This is largely due to the fact that a lot of Muslims themselves are not grounded in Islamic history.
There is no attempt to discredit the Sahih Bukhari compilation here however, the Qur'an remains the only book without blemish.
A number of Islamic scholars have posited through the decades, centuries and millennia that this account of the age of Aisha at the time of marriage is not accurate.
Renowned Islamic scholar of Hadith, Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī, used data on Aisha's elder sister, Asma bint Abu Bakr. Information on Asma's age at the time of her death was used to affirm that Aisha was over thirteen years old at the time of her marriage to Muhammad (SAW). Hence, the consumation would not have taken place earlier than when Aisha was sixteen years old.
Using reports on the birth year of Fatimah (Muhammad's daughter) as a reference point, other scholars of Islamic text have also estimated that Aisha was over ten years old at the time of marriage and over fifteen at the time of its consumation.
Here are my own theories.
Theory A
Islamic scholars, Ibn Kathīr and Ibn Asakir, documented that Asma'a bint Abu Bakr was ten years older than Aisha.
Asma'a was born 27 years before the Hijra (27 B. H.).
Muhammad (SAW) married Aisha in the first year after the Hijra (1 A. H.).
This means Asma'a was 28 years old at the time of Aisha's marriage.
If Asma'a was 10 years older than Aisha then, Aisha was 18 years old at the time of marriage.
Theory B
Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī, documented that Asma'a was at least 13 years older than Aisha.
If you say Asma'a was 13 years older than Aisha then, it means Aisha was 15 years old at the time of marriage and the marriage was consummated when she was 18.
Islamophobes have argued, 'this is just Muslims trying to rewrite their history out of fear of 'modern' critics'.
This is funny and false.
According to the most accurate accounts, Ibn Asakir passed away on 24th January, 1176 (845 years ago).
Sheikh Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī li was born on 5th October, 1274 and passed away on 3rd February, 1348. He passed away 673 years ago.
Ibn Kathir passed away, according to some accounts, on 18th February, 1373 (648 years ago)
The countries of these critics were not even formed at that time.
Some die hard critics might still argue, 'it is a crime to marry below eighteen years of age'.
Killing this argument is one of the easiest things to do, especially when we observe how western nations have treated this topic through the decades, centuries and millennia.
Age Of Consent In The West
France
France allows girls consent to sex at fifteen.
America
The Federal law of America fixes the minimum age of consent at twelve. More than half of American states allow marriage at sixteen. Of the 50 states that make up the United States of America, age of consent is sixteen in 31 states, seventeen in 6 states and eighteen in 13 states.
United Kingdom
Sixteen year olds are legally allowed to get married in the United Kingdom.
In March 1976, the National Council for Civil Liberties called for an equal age of consent of fourteen, or ten, in Britain.
In November 2013, Faculty of Public Health president, Professor John Ashton, called for the age of consent to be lowered to fifteen.
It is also worthy to note that in 1275, the first age of consent was set in England, it was twelve.
History records that 33-year-old King John of England married twelve year old Isabella of Angoulême.
Miranda Sawyer, British journalist specialised in music and youth culture, supported reducing the age of consent to twelve in the UK. She also attacked the criminalisation of sexual activity under the age of sixteen as "laughably unrealistic".
What do the critics have to say on this?
Are the leaders of these countries criminals and 'paedophiles' as well?
Some critics might still push on, 'even if Aisha was in her teens, how do we know she was comfortable getting married at that age?'
Another easy challenge. It has never been a general preference of girls to attain eighteen years of age before desiring sex. Not in Aisha's time nor in 'modern' times.
In November 2000, an internet poll of 42,000 girls aged twelve to sixteen was conducted in the UK. 87% said the age of consent should be lowered from sixteen.
The rest, they say, is history.
Muhammad (SAW) never married a female below the teenage years. Whoever, wants to hold on to the 'paedophiles' tag well; they say it is a free world. But, endeavour to admit the hypocrisy and ignorance of islamophobes on this issue.
Conclusively, that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) married a six year old is a misconception.
