Marriage of Aisha (may God be pleased with her)
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Aisha said;
إذا بلغت الجارية تسع سنين ف هي امرأة
“When a girl [
jaariyah]
reaches [
balaghat] 9 years old [tis'a sineen]
, then she is [fa hiyya] a woman [imra'ah] ”
(Recorded in Sunan al “Tirmidhi”, Kitab al Nikah [Book on Marriage] 1027).
Imam Al-Nawawi said:
Aisha said;
(تَزَوَّجَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ-صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ- لِسِتِّ سِنِينَ، وَبَنَى بِي وَأَنَا بِنْتُ تِسْعِ سِنِينَ
وقال مالك والشَّافعيُّ وأبو حنيفة: حدُّ ذلك أن تطيق الجماع
قال الدَّاوديُّ: وكانت عائشة قد شبَّت شباباً حسناً- رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا‘
Aishah said: “The Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) married me when I was six years old and was with me (i.e. began to live together) when I was 9 years old.”
Malik (Ibn Anas), Imam Abu Hanifa and Ash-Shafi’ie (ALL respected scholars of Islam) have said: A Restriction Limit [arabic: hadd] (should be placed between marriage partners until maturity) that is able for (tuTeeq = able to handle) Sexual intercourse. (al jamaa')
“Al-Dawudi said: “And Aishah’s body had been matured. [i.e. reached ‘good Youthfulness’ (Shabaaban husna)] – may Allah be pleased with her“
(“Sharh al-Nawawi” 9/207 [Explanation of Sahih Muslim]).
LiveScience.com says:
There is a range, and this has been part of the problem of establishing the “normal” age of puberty.
Girls might enter full-blown puberty anytime between ages 9 and 15. (LiveScience.com,
The Truth Behind Early Puberty | LiveScience)
Young women will differ in Balaaghah (physical maturity) depending on a range of factors, especially
depending on
Where they Live and their Biological makeup;
The average temperature of the country or province is considered the chief factor here, not only with regard to menstruation but as regards the whole of sexual development at puberty.
Reference: (Herman H. Ploss, Max Bartels and Paul Bartels;
Women: An Historical, Gynecological, and Anthropological Compendium,Volume I, Lord & Bransby, 1988, p.563;
Woman. An historical, gynaecological and anthropological compendium. Volume 3 only by PLOSS, Herman Heinrich, BARTELS, Max & BARTELS, Paul Find or Buy Book Now!)
Marriage to a Man who is 54?
What we see is that the age of the man is largely irrelevant to the question,
so long as he is still reasonably within the age of marriage. Prophet Muhammad had only around 12 white hairs when he passed away at the age of 63, and his description [see
Shama'il Al Tirmidhi (Shamâ´il al-Muhammadiyyah (Description of Prophet Muhammad) by Abû ‘Isâ at-Tirmidhî)] proves he was not physically frail like some people may think.
Any marriage by a people is based on the cultural norms of the time.
The marriage should be based on social norms. The Prophet Muhammad married according to the social norms of his society (marriage of younger women to older men was the norms), and we marry according to the social norms that we live in. Social norms are not a problem, so long as they do not contradict firmly set ethics, and it has been proven above that this marriage did not cause any harm to Aisha whatsoever, but caused a great deal of good.
Every other marriage should be judged individually based on its own circumstances.
Conclusion
The word ‘
Paedophilia’ is a subjective term. Some countries legalise marriage at the age of 16, others legalise it earlier and and others later. So in one country you’re a paedophile and in another you’re not? Who decides?
There needs to be
One firm ethical rule; If there will be harm in a marriage and intimate relations, such a person should
not have intimate relations.
If there will be no harm – then it is perfectly suitable for such a young adult to get married of their choice.
If you question
how one can figure this out?, it is clear from seeing signs of their physical growth, aswell as seeing how this young adult is mentally and emotionally. If they are suited for it – then it is their right to go ahead with such a marriage relationship.
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