Some of the Muslim shaikhs have actually left the Holy Quraan and Hadeeth at their backs therefore our Ummah and our religion both are suffering. The Holy Quraan and Hadeeth both have given the age limit for marriage of both girls and boys. This limit is not 18 years of the un-Islamic rule. In Hadeeth only the saying: " Take his consent and her consent" is enough to give an understanding of the age of marriage in both sexes.
Someone may think that a small girl can give her consent. For this I am writing a true story that happened in my relatives.
My cousin, when she was very small (may be 7 years old, I am not sure about her age at that time) got engaged to her cousin (the son of her father's brother). It was only her engagement, she was married in her twenties. When she got engaged, her aunt (father's sister) said: "I wish that she was engaged to my son". My cousin who was standing there and listening to her aunt said abruptly: " Aunt, don't worry, I will also marry your son".
This is the consent of a small girl. Islam doesn't want this type of consent. So the age of a girl and boy for giving their consent must be such that they understand the meaning of marriage and consent for marriage. That will be the age of maturity.
Again see the following verse, here is its translation:
Surah Al-Nisaa verse 6 (translation):
(4:6) Test the orphans until they
reach the age of marriage,9 and then if you find them mature of mind hand over to them their property,
10 and do not eat it up by either spending extravagantly or in haste, fearing that they would grow up (and claim it). If the guardian of the orphan is rich let him abstain entirely (from his ward's property); and if he is poor, let him partake of it in a fair measure.
11 When you hand over their property to them let there be witnesses on their behalf. Allah is sufficient to take account (of your deeds).
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Here in this verse you can see that Allah ordered to watch and test orphans until they become
mentally
so much mature that they can handle their affairs,
that is given the name of the age of marriage. It is then that their wealth and property is to be handed over to them in the presence of witnesses.
As I am emphasizing again and again that the verses of the Holy Quran are vast in meanings. Here in this verse a direct command comes about the inheritance of orphans but the verse also has pointed out the age of marriage.
If a shaikh or scholar keeps this verse and hadeeth in mind and also fears Allah believing that he is going to stand in front of Allah for his accounting when the Hell-Fire will be raging shouting, "hal mim-mazeed (are there some more)?" then he will be very careful about his words. May Allah guide us and them all.