The Prophets 7 Year Old Wife

[Cheeky_Princess]

Ok forgive me if i got the age wrong... cuz truth is i don't know much about it..
Anyways a couple of people i know there the non religious types started talking about peodphiles and one said well" technically Muhammad is one since he married a 7 year old"
and they was just laughing and one goes "would he have consummated the marriage?" know i no how they are the kind to cause offense to people and not realize it.... to be honest i just turned around and started to speak to sum1 else trying to ignore what was being said cuz like i didnt no how to defend it and i felt really bad cuz i don't know much about the whole thing.... thing is he even said he don't know much but thats what his heard so i understand why one in todays society would assume such a thing and especially with the media not on our side either it doesn't help...

So i've got a serious of questions and i only think its right if i get answers so in the future i could defend the Prophet....

So....

Why did the prophet have a 7 year old wide? ( or was she older and the age has just been changed)
Was she mature? as in...had she started her periods and stuff?
Was the marriage consummated? ( dumb question i mean ofcourse it must have but just its all a bit weird maybe cuz of todays society)
Was it cuz of tradition? it was something done back in those days hence it wasnt so bad?
any other information about this wife please would help?
Your views on the whole thing?

thank you

PS: i'm sorry if i offend anyone but i'm just trying to find answers....

[incredible]

Aisha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Cheeky_Princess]

Hmm thanks for that

So "suggests that Muhammad hoped to strengthen his ties with Abu Bakr;[1] the strengthening of ties commonly served as a basis for marriage in Arabian culture.[2]"

That was the reason?

[Zero]

There is debate whether the prophet married her a 7 or 15 years old according to some hadith. I don't know much, but this should enlighten yoo.

Real age of Hazrat Aisha ISLAM - the only DEEN

[Guji-Ji]

Whatever her age you have to understand society was very different to how it is today. Plus there's nothing that says she was forced into it or anything. Plus if it was such a terrible thing why is that none of his enemies then used it against him?

We're looking at it from a 21st century perspective so it obviously sounds a bit eww to us but remember the Prophet's first wife was 40 and he was 25, something that would be looked down today and she was the one who proposed, another thing that hardly happens.

There's a hadith that goes Aisha asked the Prophet how his love for her was. He goes 'Like a knot tied in a rope'... Beautiful.

[Cheeky_Princess]

There is debate whether the prophet married her a 7 or 15 years old according to some hadith. I don't know much, but this should enlighten yoo.

Real age of Hazrat Aisha ISLAM - the only DEEN

Thats intresting thanks for that

Hazrat Mohammad must have not married a young girl who had still not reached the age of maturity.As 14-15 years are considered the age of maturity then the holy Prophet must have also married a mature girl making her atleast 15 years of age on at her marriage

^^^ comment posted by someone my take on the whole thing to... Cuz of the maturity thing....

[Rab C Nesbit]

I'm sure most narrations of the story say that Aisha was 6 years old and was playing with her toys, when the Prophet spoke to Abu Bakr about it...
and then consumated the marriage when she was 9...

A lot of girls I know had reached puberty by the age of 9/10, so I can pass that off.
But, he asked about her when she was 6... and most of the stories mention her "playing with her toys". That suggests that she was still a child, doesn't it? I mean, if anyone was unsure if at that age she was mature or not, then that should imply that obviously she was still a little kid.

I was always told that the reason the Prophet had so many wives was because he took care of them when there wasn't any one else to care for them. (I'm talking about the majority, I mean no one really needed to take care of Khadija...)
...and Aisha still had her father.

One of the things about Islam that makes me feel uneasy.

[Cheeky_Princess]

Whatever her age you have to understand society was very different to how it is today. Plus there's nothing that says she was forced into it or anything. Plus if it was such a terrible thing why is that none of his enemies then used it against him?

We're looking at it from a 21st century perspective so it obviously sounds a bit eww to us but remember the Prophet's first wife was 40 and he was 25, something that would be looked down today and she was the one who proposed, another thing that hardly happens.

There's a hadith that goes Aisha asked the Prophet how his love for her was. He goes 'Like a knot tied in a rope'... Beautiful.

yeah i see where your coming from it is cuz of the whole society thing that it makes us a bit eww and stuff

hmm that is a nice hadith

[Zero]

Its funny how in Non-Arab societies at the time...Europe was going through the dark ages...and women weren't even treated as humans...not even as a 2nd class citizen. Accusations of witchcraft to virtually any woman was thrown around casually and I hear that in france there was a famous debate whether to consider the woman as a proper human being or something?! This was in the 1700's I think?

And yet they choose to criticise the arab ways, whos society prospered a lot for their time!

[Cheeky_Princess]

I'm sure most narrations of the story say that Aisha was 6 years old and was playing with her toys, when the Prophet spoke to Abu Bakr about it...

I was always told that the reason the Prophet had so many wives was because he took care of them when there wasn't any one else to care for them. (I'm talking about the majority, I mean no one really needed to take care of Khadija...)
...and Aisha still had her father.

One of the things about Islam that makes me feel uneasy.

i just read about that toys thing on wiki and it said something about the toys and how after marriage Prophet joined in as well.. but the marriage wasnt consumated till actually after....
Its understanbe where the uneasyness is coming from thou...

[Cheeky_Princess]

Its funny how in Non-Arab societies at the time...Europe was going through the dark ages...and women weren't even treated as humans...not even as a 2nd class citizen. Accusations of witchcraft to virtually any woman was thrown around casually and I hear that in france there was a famous debate whether to consider the woman as a proper human being or something?! This was in the 1700's I think?

And yet they choose to criticise the arab ways, whos society prospered a lot for their time!

hah thats a very true point....

thats the thing west is stronger so they can pick and choose what to criticize...

[Zero]

The feeling of uneasyness comes from the inability to understand and/or know the real reason (and history) behind it I guess.

Which is why seeking knowledge is a obligation on every muslim.

[Guji-Ji]

I'm sure most narrations of the story say that Aisha was 6 years old and was playing with her toys, when the Prophet spoke to Abu Bakr about it...
and then consumated the marriage when she was 9...

A lot of girls I know had reached puberty by the age of 9/10, so I can pass that off.
But, he asked about her when she was 6... and most of the stories mention her "playing with her toys". That suggests that she was still a child, doesn't it? I mean, if anyone was unsure if at that age she was mature or not, then that should imply that obviously she was still a little kid.

I was always told that the reason the Prophet had so many wives was because he took care of them when there wasn't any one else to care for them. (I'm talking about the majority, I mean no one really needed to take care of Khadija...)
...and Aisha still had her father.

One of the things about Islam that makes me feel uneasy.

There were different reasons for each of his wives. Don't know much about them all but for example he married Safiya RA, I think it was because Allah told him too after she divorced Zaid RA(i think). Another reason I remember for marrying Aisha RA was the fact that the women of Medina at the time couldn't come to the Prophet pbuh himself as they were shy to ask him certain things so it was easier to go to Aisha.

The Prophet pbuh died in Aisha's arms... I mean of all the people he had in his life it was Aisha RA who had that last moment with him.... says something.

[Maya]

i just read about that toys thing on wiki and it said something about the toys and how after marriage Prophet joined in as well.. but the marriage wasnt consumated till actually after....
Its understanbe where the uneasyness is coming from thou...

Hmm, I don't think Wikipedia is an authentic source for islamic knowledge so be mindful of that. It's probably worthwhile speaking to an alim/alima on this. If you don't know anyone then perhaps you could post the question on askimam.org?

[Rab C Nesbit]

I'd understand if she had no family, or if her father didn't have the means to support her and raise her up...
I'd understand if she was 9, when Muhammed spoke to Abu Bakr about her...
I'd understand if it was something that he *had* to do, as in, if it was ordered by God.

Yes, I know that back in those days they did have child marriages.
They also had very wealthy men marry child brides.

But Muhammed was neither a child (for it to be a child marriage), nor from a wealthy family.
So, I can't see the purpose of the marriage.

...now here's where I'm not speaking from facts, and I'm basing my opinions on hearsay.
I've been told by a few people, when they've told me this story, that Abu Bakr actually didn't want to give up Aisha.
Had he been the one to go to Muhammed, and offer his daughter (as most fathers did at that time, and probably still do) to Muhammed, I'd also understand that.
But, he didn't.

It's very hard for me to get my head around it.