Infact, here's what modern day authors say:
Aa'isha was a young woman if she has had her menses. And this is true, that's why he (peace be upon him) consumated the marriage with her at the age of 9 - when she was a woman.
Some modern female authors say:
Puberty is defined as the age or period at which a person is
first capable of sexual reproduction, in other eras of history, a rite or celebration of this landmark event was a part of the culture. (
Rites of Passage: Puberty, by Sue Curewitz Arthen)
"Getting your period" marks a rite of passage for young girls entering womanhood. (From the
Women's Resource Center)
Another contemporary reference relating marriage age to puberty is an article on Central Africa, which says:
. . . women marry soon after
puberty4.
There are many other references which should prove to any intelligent person what anthropologists and historians already know:
in centuries past, people were considered ready for marriage when they reached puberty.
It should be mentioned that from an Islamic point of view, many problems in society today can be traced back to the abandonment of early marriage. Due to the way that Almighty God has created man and woman, i.e., with strong sexual desires, people should marry young. In the past, this was even more true since life expectancy was very low (i.e. you were considered "old" if you made it to 40!) Not only does marriage provide a legal outlet for people with strong sexual desires, but it usually produces more children. One of the main purposes of marriage is to produce children -
"be fruitful and multiply" as the Bible says (Genesis 8:17). This was especially important in the past, when people did not live as long as they do now and the infant morality rate was much higher.
Additionally, an article entitled
Puberty in Girls by an Australian government Public Health organization, says:
The first sign of puberty is usually a surge of growth: you become taller; your breasts develop; hair begins to grow in the pubic area and under the arms. This may start from 10 years to 14 years - even earlier for some and later for others.
An article
Physical Changes in Girls During Puberty has this to say:
During puberty, a girl's body changes, inside and out, into the body of a woman. The changes don't come all at once, and they don't happen at the same time for everybody. Most girls start showing physical changes around age 11, but everyone has her own internal schedule for development. It's normal for changes to start as early as 8 or 9 years of age, or not until 13 or 14. Even if nothing looks or feels different yet, the changes may have already begun inside your body.
Many will readily agree with the information above, but still might harbour reservations about whether a marriage to an older man could be happy for such a young girl. Putting aside the modern Western notions of "happiness" for a moment, the marriage of cAi
shah and the Prophet(P) was a mutually happy and loving one as in expressed in numerous
hadîth and seerah books. That happy marriages occur between people with a fairly large difference in ages is known among psychologists:
When the differences (in ages) is great, e.g. exceeds fifteen to twenty years,
the results may be happier. The marriage of an elderly (senescent) not, of course,
an old (senile) man to a quite young girl, is often very successful and harmonious. The bride is immediately introduced and accustomed to moderate sexual intercourse.
7
In his comments on the ahadith in
Sahîh Muslim which mention cAi
shah's young marriage to the Prophet(P), cAbdul-
Hamîd
Siddiqî shows three other reasons for this marriage:
cAi
shah's marriage to the Prophet Mu
hammad(P) at an early age allowed her to be an eyewitness to the personal details of his life and carry them on to the succeeding generations. By being both spiritually and physically near to the Prophet(P), the marriage prepared 'Ai
shah to be an example to all Muslims, especially women, for all times. She developed into a spiritual teacher and scholar, since she was remarkably intelligent and wise. Her qualities help support the Prophet's work and further the cause of Islam. cAi
shah, the Mother of the Believers, was not only a model for wives and mothers, but she was also a commentator on the Qur'ân, an authority on
hadîth and knowledgeable in Islamic Law. She narrated at least 2,210 a
hâdîth that give Muslims valuable insights into the Final Prophet's daily life and behaviour, thus preserving the
Sunnah of Mu
hammad(P).
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Polemics/aishah.html
If that's amazing, know that the law only changed within the US last century!
Age of consent in the USA just last century was
7 in some states like DelawareAmerican reformers were shocked to discover that the laws of most states set the age of consent at the age of ten or twelve, and in one state, Delaware, the age of consent was only
seven. Women reformers and advocates of social purity initiated a campaign in 1885 to petition legislators to raise the legal age of consent to at least sixteen
http://www.binghamton.edu/womhist/teacher/aoc.htm
And if someone thinks that a 9yr old can't have a child, let's see:
Even though Allahu ta’ala had declared to prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him): "I shall give you whatever you want," he never wanted worldly fortune. Never did he eat bread made of sifted wheat flour. He always ate bread made of unsifted barley flour. He never ate enough food to be full. He ate bread without anything, or with dates, fruit, vinegar, soup, or bread dipped into olive oil. His family spent times at home without cooking any food or baking any bread for two or three months. During this time they would only eat dates. It was also witnessed that he would eat nothing for two or three days. When he died, it was found out that his iron armored jacket had been pawned to a Jew for 30 (thirty) kilos of wheat. This is all reported by the wife of prophet and mother of all the believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
His bed was made of leather and full of date filler. Once, he was given a bed that was full of wool, he did not accept it and said: "O! Aisha! I swear by Allah that if I wanted, Allahu ta’ala would make gold and silver piles available for me in every place." He Sometimes slept on a mat, on wood, in a bed, on felt woven from wool, or out on the dry soil.
This was the life of prophet who himself choose a simple life. He (Peace be upon him) did not have any worldly attraction rather every actions show the humility and humbleness as being the servant of Allah SWT.
People who object the early marriage of Aisha r.a either had a very different aspect of looking towards woman or they had a v. weird picture of the life of the final messenger of God.
The prophet first marriage was with Khadijah r.a and it was before his prophet hood when his age was 25 years old and Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) age was forty 40. The man who married the woman who was 15 years elder than him, then how can we expect such man to marry aisha r.a for whim and desire, moreover, after getting the prophecy from Allah SWT?( God forfid) this is indeed a great slander and misconception and may Allah save us from holding such evil thought.
I suggest the non-muslims to read the life of prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam or read Quran, the speech of Allah to understand the real purpose of our life and knowing Allah SWT, the Lord of the worlds.
These links are also relevant:
http://www.islamicboard.com/753837-post7.html
http://www.islamicboard.com/587743-post146.html
Peace.