Bismillahir rahmanir rahim

The West have in a long time accused our Holy and Beloved Prophet (saws) of "beeing a pedophile". Theyre so-called "proof" was that he married Aisha (ra) when she was just 7-9 year old. That is wrong. Aisha (ra) were 20 year old! We will defend the Prophets (saws) honour by proving you this fact.

Proof:

Corretalating historical events and dates prove Aishas (ra) age at the time of her betrothal and marriage to the Prophet (saaws)...

In Islam we have week hadiths and strong hadiths. (Hadith = saying/story of Prophet Muhammas [SAAWS])

In order for a hadith to be practiced it has to be reviewed and assessed with the statements and verses (Surah/Ayah) from the Quran and the examples of the Prophets (Peace be upon Them).

The Hadith in essence is a 'Book of sayings' narrating examples of the Prophet (saaws). because the hadith is written by man it is flawed. While the Quran is not for it is the word of the Almighty.

The truth or strength of a hadith is based on how many other reports exist primary and/or secondary sources which can attest to its authencity.

The Grand Misconception of Aishas (ra) Age.

Historical events and dates (which correlate with texts) declare Aishas (ra) age. There are many reliable primary sources that declare that she would have been 15 at the time of her betrothal or nikah and 19-20 years at the time of her marriage.

The famous classical historian of Islam, Ibn Jarir Tabari wrote in his history:

"In the time before Islam, Abu Bakr married two women. The first was Fatila daughter of Abdul Uzza, from whom Abdullah and Asma were born. Then he married Umm Ruman, from whom Abdur Rahman and Aisha were born, these four were born before Islam." (Beeing born "before Islam" means beeing born before The Call).

The complier of the famous Hadith collection Mishkat al-Masabih, Imam Wali-ud-Din Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Khatib who died 700 years ago, has also written brief biographical notes on the narrators of Hadith reports. He writes under Asma, the older daughter of Abu Bakr:

"She was the sister of Aisha (ra) Siddiqa, wife of the Holy Prophet (saaws), and was ten years older than her in 73 A.H... Asma died at the age of one hundred years." (73 A.H = Year 73 After Hijra)

This would make Asma 28 years of age in 1 A.H (1. A.H is called "The year f the Hijra"). Thus making Aisha (ra) 18 years old in 1 A.H.

*Hijra = Emigration of Muhammad (saws) and His followers (sahabah) to the city of Medina. On the Gregorian calender (August, September etc.) this happened in the year 622.

Evidently this would make Aisha (ra) 19 years old at the time of her marriage and and 14 or 15 years old at the timer of her betrothal or nikah. It would place her year of birth at four or five years before the Call.

Note that the birth of Aisha (ra) being before The Call is consistent with the opening words of a statement by Aisha (ra) herself which is recorded four times in Bukhari. Those words are as follows:

"Ever since i can remember (or understand things) my parents were following the religion of Islam."

Only if she was born before they accepted Islam would it make sence for her to say that she can only remember them being Muslims, as she was too young to remember things before their conversion. This is consistent with her being born before The Call, and being perhaps four or five years old at the time of the Call, which was also almost the time when her parents accepted Islam.

The previous statement mentioned by Aisha (ra) in Bukhari, about her earliest memory of her parents being that they were followers of Islam, begins with the following words in its version in Bukharis Kitab-ul-Kafalat. We quote this from the english translation of Bukhari by M. Muhsin Khan:

"Since i reached the age when i could remember things, I have seen my parents worshipping according to the right faith of Islam. Not a single day passed but Allahs Apostle (saaws) visited us both in the morning and in the evening. When the Muslims were persecuted, Abu Bakr set out for Ethiopia as an emigrant."

Commenting on this, Maulana Muhammad Ali writes:

"This report sheds some light on the question of the age of Aisha (ra)... The mention of the persecution of Muslims along with the emigration to Ethiopia clearly shows that this refers to the 5th or the 6th year of the Call. At that time Aisha (ra) was of an age to discern things, and so her birth could not have been later than the first year of the Call."

Furthermore Tabari has also reported that at the time Abu Bakr (ra) planned on migration to Habashah (8 years before Hijra) he went to Mutam with whose son Aisha (ra) was engaged to,

and asked him to take Aisha (ra) in his home as his sons wife. Mutam refused, because Abu Bakr (ra) had embraced Islam, and subsequently his son left Aisha (ra).

Now, if Aisha (ra) was only seven years old at the time of her marriage, she could not have been born at the time Abu bakr (ra) decided on migrating to Habashah. On the basis of this report one can state that Aisha (ra) had not only been 8 years before Hijra. but was also a young woman quite prepared for marriage according to the events.

Furthermore there is a report in Sahih Bukhari as follows :

"On the day (of the battle) of Uhud when (some) people retreated and left the Prophet (saws), I saw Aisha (ra) daughter of Abu Bakr and Umm Sulaim, with their robes tucked up so that the bangles around their ankles were visible hurrying with their water skins. Then they would pour the water in the mouths of the people, and return to fill the water skins again and came back again to pour water in the mouths of the people."

According to a number of narratives, Aisha (ra) accompanied the Muslims in the battle of Badr and Uhud furthermore, it is also stated in books of hadith and history that no one under 15 years was allowed to take part in the battle of Uhud. All those below 15 years of age were sent back as they were not allowed to participate at that young age.

Aishas (ra) participation in the battle of Badr and Uhud clearly indicates that she was NOT nine or ten years old at that time. After all only the women used to accompany men in the battlefields to help them.

The narrative stating Aisha (ra) by Hisham Ibn Urwah as nine years old when married cannot be held true when it is contradicted by many other sources and historical reports. Moreover there is absolutely no reason to accept the narrative of Hisham ibn Urwah as true when other scholars, including Malik ibn Anas view his narratives, while in Iraq, as completely unreliable.

The origins of the report of the narratives of this event (the age of Aisha [ra] are from the people of Iraq, where Hisham is reported to have shifted (to Iraq) after living in Medina for most of his

life. Tehzibul-Tehzib one of the most well known books on the life an reliability of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet (saaws), reports that according to Yaqub ibn Shaibah:

"He (Hisham) is reliable, his narratives are acceptable, except what he narrated after moving over to Iraq. (Tehzibu-l-Tehzib, ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Islami, 15th century. vol. 11, p50.)

It further states that Malik ibn Anas objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people in Iraq:

"I have been told that Malik objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people of Iraq" (Tehzibu-l-Tehzib, ibn Hajar Al-Asqlani, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Islami, vol. 11, p50)

Mizanul-aitidal, another book on the life sketches of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet (saws) reports:

"When he was old, Hishams memory suffered quite badly" (Mizanul-aitidal, al-Zahbi, AlMaktabatul-athriyyah, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, Vol. 4, p. 301.)

Ultimately based on these references, Hishams memory was failing and his narratives while in Iraq were unreliable. Thus his narrative of Aishas (ra) marriage and age are completely unreliable. Also they make no sense in correlation with historical events and times which prove Aishas (ra) age as 15 when betrothed and 19-20 when married.

There is much more evidence supporting Aishas age as 19-20 when married to the Prophet (saws). Overall the Quran rejects the marriage of immature girls and boys. Prior to the consumnation of a marriage, Islam not only requires puberty, but physical and mental maturity followed by consent as well.

This proves that Aisha (ra) was 19-20 years old when she married the Prophet (saws).

Allahu akbar!