As I see it, there are two objections to the marriage.

1. He was a paedophile.

Well, no, he wasn't.
The diagnostic criteria for pedophilia according to American Psychiatric Association:

And Aisha wasnt prepubescent.

2. Well, maybe he wasn't a paedophile per se, but Aisha was young and could've been harmed by the whole thing.

History shows us that she loved the Prophet salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and turned out to be a great scholar of islam. Nothing indicates that she was harmed in any way by the marriage, to the contrary...

Psychologists even mean that when the age difference in a marriage is fairly big, it is most likely something positive:

Please forgive me but this whole conversation is giving me the creeps. Here we are, grown men in the 21st century, making excuses for morally disgusting and dangerous behavior in any culture.

Barbarism marked most of ancient history, from human sacrifice that was acceptable in many pagan cultures, to barbaric colonolism to spread faith through religious wars. But being humans we have evolved and should treasure that ability that we have in ourselves. It's what separates us from animals if we allow ourselves the room for change and self discovery.

No, I am not a practicing Muslim, but I was born Muslim and profess to no other faith. I enjoy Islams simple approach to monotheistic faith but have a hard time swallowing some of the things that the prophet said and did. I was once told that Muslims in the east are 800 years behind the modern west and from the way this thread is heading, I'm beginning to believe it.

All of your definitions of pedophile fit the prophet, unfortunately, and no sidestepping and fancy talk is going to excuse what he did. If he wasn't a pedophile and was just looking to spread Islam by marriage, he would have married Aisha and refused sexual relations with a prepubescent. Nine year olds do not have any need for sex. I read one hadith that spoke of the prophet "setting down Aisha's dolls" when she sat on his lap.

Do you realize that in African countries and other third world countries where Islam is practiced, prepubescent brides become pregnant and during delivery develop fistula's (openings) which never heal. For the rest of their lives they drop urine and feces as they walk because the operation needed to correct their deformity is not available to them. They smell so bad that families often ban them to a backyard outhouse and their new husbands divorce them to live in solitude to live out the rest of their lives. These prepubescents are not sexually mature enough to deliver babies, thus they are not sexually mature enough to have sex with old men who should know better.

So please don't excuse something that we all know is wrong. If you look into your hearts I think you will all agree with me. Especially if you have children of your own.

salaams. theres a lengthy answer to this discussion at www.load-islam.com in the rebuttals section. hope that helps. wassalam.

salaams again. this discussion is really upsetting. how can we degrade the Prophet like that? please, brothers and sisters be fair.wassalam.

And Abu, may I also ask you a hypothetical question?

If someone gets away with something because no outward manifestations are apparently present, does that make it all right?

I'm sure there are many rape victims that go on to lead normal, happy lives.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are many rape victims that commit suicide.

Does it really depend on the outcome of the victim to judge the crime?

bin direnken,
The above is agains nothing more than unsubstantiated claims against the Prophet saws which I just refuted. If you want to label it as 'morally disgusting' you will have to provide definitive criteria by which you can do such a thing. This is nothing but an evasion from responding to my points.

Perhaps you should read up on the logical fallacy known as a RED HERRING.

Thank you for the clarification. Do you realize that failure to accept the Prophet as a Messenger of God nullifies your Islam?

Another red-herring. Currently the so-called 'modern' west is embracing homosexuality, a practice that was only socially acceptable thousands of years ago to the ancient greeks. Who really is backward?

It seems that either you did not read my post carefully or you had no comprehension whatsoever of what you read. The definition of a paedophile is one who seeks sexual gratification with prepubescent children. I already provided this definition is my previous posts. And the simple fact is that Aisha attained puberty. That was the whole purpose of delaying the consummation of the marriage until Madinah.

I already told you that she was not prepubescent. She was past puberty. And the Prophet married her for the same reason he married Umar b. Khattab's daughter. Abu Bakr and Umar rda were two of his closest companions who took leadership after him.

If you wish to discuss hadith you will have to cite them properly.

This is another red-herring. Even if the above were true (and you've provided no reliable statistics to indicate that) it still would not prove anything about the Prophet's marriage because the Prophet married Aisha after she reached puberty. She had her menses before she moved in with the Prophet saws.

If you want to prove that something is wrong your going to have to do a much better job than posting red-herrings and making unsubstantiated claims.

Regards

bin direnken

I've already shown you that the definition of a paedephoile is someone sexually attracted to children that are prepubescent, which Aisha wasn't.

Also, she didn't have a problem with the marriage, to the contrary, she loved her husband, so it's pathetic that you try to talk in her name and try to make it seem as if you know better than her how she feelt.

And it isn't strange that she was happy with the marriage since it is well known among psychologists that a marriage where the age difference is big is often harmonious.

as salam alikum, Peace

in the name of God, Most merciful, Most kind.

Now, im not a scholar, nor do i know everything there is to know about islam.

But i do know that the prophet peace be upon him, was not a paedophile. He possessed no qualities of a paedophile. Majority of his marriages were to older women. His intentions were pure, his actions were pure, and he was pure!
I think that we have to remember, this was decreed by Allah subhanawatha allah.

People say history is like a different planet, well yes it is. It wasn't uncomman for girls' to be married after puberty. After all, this was the most beloved of all creation, the blessed prophet, the merciful prophet, the seal of the prophets.

Instead of thinking of this a 'morally disgusting', think back to the time the prophet peace be upon him, was alive. He came with miracles, blessing, teachings.He was kind, gentle and generous. He form this empire, built on faith. It was an honour for ANY girl to be married to him. This was the last of all the prophets!!!

a lack of love and understanding for the prophet peace be upon him, leads to ignorance. We must try not to go there. This marriage had no negative result, Only good came from it. Allah wanted this to happen, and it did!



allah knows best

wa alikum as salaam

I hope ppl arent saying that sayidna muhammad is a paedophile.

Allah ma3akum

salaam.
SUM1 was, but i think bro.Ansar put him right. i hate it when people slander the Prophets Alayhimus-Salaam. it makes me shiver. these were a set of people who were sent for the Guidance of mankind. i dont understand how any1 can stand to slander them. wassalam.

well, that sum1 ought to get his/her facts right.
Sayidna muhammad was not a........He was a truely loving person. He would never have done such a....horrid thing to any child.


If u give the Prophet of Allah a bad name...u are giving the rest of the Muslims a bad name and that INCLUDES me....so, I suggest....u watch ur mouth!!!!

Peace!

Istighfarillah brother don't be brainwashed,

I am sure the prophet wasn't a sex freak, I think he was more experienced than anyone of you and I and I can tell you he isn't depressed about it and the prophet probably had his wisdom of marrying the 9 year old girl and a 9 year old girl wouldnt be given to the man if he wasn't well trusted by her father.

Life now is depressing for a virgin yet years ago it was a normal thing to be a virgin but today you look around and you see the temptations and perceptions are different now from decades ago.

Why is sex the first thing that pops in a man's mind before even sex there is sexual stimulation of the mind with through the sweet talking, romance and company of the married couple together is satisfying enough. Who knows when the prophet first had sex with Aishah (RA) and don't make assumptions, you don't gotta marry someone first night and get her laid that shows how horny a dog you are and it shows that you probably weren't virgin in the first place. Come on, you wait or your life until you get married say 22 or 25 years and you can't wait the first night without nailing your wife, oh maybe your answer is like I gotta breathe again man, breathe what. I don't think a 9 year old wants sex anyway and they say she consummated marriage a 9 but she really married at 13 or 14 don't question the prophet he is wiser than you so and even after Aishah grew and she related the hadiths and she never complained of the prophet taking her at 9 or 13.

Greetings,

I'm going to leave the discussion of Aisha to others, because I've no interest in attacking the Prophet (pbuh) on this basis and upsetting people. I've made my point and I still find this situation disturbing; I've said all I want to say on the matter.

Ansar, you mentioned Islamic law as saying that after a girl has had her menses she is considered to be a young woman. Is that law current? I know different countries have different laws, but what I'm getting at is this: could a Muslim man have sex with a nine-year old girl today and use that law to justify himself?

Peace

Oh I'm sorry for not citing my sources. As a physicians assistant I speak from a scientific standpoint almost daily, and sometimes I forget that others do not have this kind of foundation to build upon.

When I spoke of fistulas, you may verify these early childbirth dangers on the following webpage:

www.endfistula.org

And as for puberty occurring with a young girls first menses, there are many complex factors that go into influencing sexual maturity. It cannot be solely defined by physical means, such as at the onset of menses, rather, it should be seen as the combination of physical and psychological changes, that together signify the emergence into adulthood.

There is also condition called central precocious puberty and can affect young girls as young as four. These girls develop genital hair, budding breasts, active sweat glands and active menstrual cycles. In no way should they be considered sexually mature at this young age. In my professional opinion, the same can be said for menstruating nine year olds. If you want to verify this, please google the condition. There are a plethora of active links to help you in your search.