Aisha’s Marriage and
her Historic Role
One question concerning Aisha al-Siddiqah relates to her age at the time of marriage. Authentic narrations in the books of Hadith state that her marriage to the Prophet of Islam took place in Makkah, when she was six years old. Later, her formal departure to the Prophet’s household took place in Madinah, when she was nine years old. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5133)
In modern times, much has been written on this subject. Orientalists have raised questions about the noble character of the Prophet of Islam on this basis. It is argued that marriage to a young girl is contrary to refined moral conduct, and that such an act casts doubt on a person’s claim to prophethood.
This question existed in earlier times as well, though not with the same intensity as today. In the past, it was generally raised on juristic grounds rather than moral grounds: is it permissible for an older man to marry a young minor girl? Classical scholars tried to answer this in the traditional manner. For example, Ibn Hazm records Ibn Shubrumah’s view in these words: “He claimed that the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha when she was six years old was among his special privileges.” (Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar, Vol. 9, p. 190)
This explanation is not logical, because the special privileges of a prophet belong to him in his capacity as a prophet of God, not in any other capacity. Moreover, no such marriage is established from the life of any other prophet.
In modern times, scholars have tried to defend this matter in different ways. For example, Mawlana Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi, while discussing this subject in his book, writes: “When Aisha was married, she was six years old. The real purpose of this early marriage was to strengthen the relationship between Prophethood and Caliphate. First, the warm climate of Arabia naturally gave women an unusual capacity for physical development. Second, it is generally observed that just as distinguished individuals possess an extraordinary capacity for mental and intellectual development, they may also possess a special capacity for physical growth. In English, this is called precociousness.” (Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi, Sirat Aisha, Dar al-Musannifin, Azamgarh, p. 24)
In Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi’s book, the word is written as “pre-conscious.” The English spelling, however, is not given. In my view, the English word probably intended by the author was not “pre-conscious” but “precocious.” In English, precocious means premature or unusually early development:
Precocious: “Ripe before the proper or natural time; premature; developed or matured earlier than usual.” (Webster)
“Of a child: having developed particular abilities and ways of behaving at a much younger age than usual; sexually precocious.” (Oxford)
However, neither Hadith nor history establishes that Aisha al-Siddiqah’s case was one of precocious development. The entire explanation, therefore, rests on assumption. In any case, this answer is irrelevant to the real issue. The real issue is that authentic narrations state, with numerical specificity, that the marriage contract took place at the age of six and the formal departure to the Prophet’s household at the age of nine, while the Messenger of God was then over fifty years old. The real question concerns this established difference in age, not physical maturity.
Similarly, some people argue that among the Arabs, before marriage, it was customary to settle the matter of a relationship in advance. This was similar to what is called fixing a match or engagement in our society. The Quran mentions only nikah, not engagement or betrothal. Therefore, when the narrations say that Aisha’s nikah took place at the age of six and her formal departure at the age of nine, the word nikah, according to the custom of Arab society, means the settlement of the marriage proposal, or engagement, while the formal departure refers to the actual marriage. (Ghulam Ahmad Parwez, Letters to Tahirah, “The Age of Aisha,” pp. 1-2)
This explanation, too, is not correct. When the word nikah appears in Hadith, it must be understood in its recognized meaning of marriage contract. To take the word nikah in any other sense, evidence must be found within the text of the Hadith itself, and no such evidence exists. Moreover, this explanation does not remove the real objection. Whether the age of marriage is taken as six or nine, in either case it remains a marriage at a young age. What, then, is gained by this explanation?
Similarly, some people put forward another argument. They say that Aisha al-Siddiqah criticized certain narrations of the Companions and said: “I do not say that these people lie, but ears sometimes make mistakes in hearing.” Several such criticisms are found in Bukhari and Muslim. This shows that a narrator may sometimes be highly reliable, yet the narration he reports may contain an error.
Sometimes this happens because the narrator has heard only part of a statement. Sometimes he misunderstands the meaning, and sometimes he forgets. Regarding the Mother of the Believers, they say that the narrator made a mistake in hearing: the phrase spoken was tis‘a ‘ashar—nineteen—but the narrator heard only tis‘a—nine. In this way, the story arose that Aisha was nine years old, for ears sometimes make mistakes in hearing. (Habib al-Rahman Siddiqui Kandhlawi, ‘Umar e Aisha, Karachi, October 1994, pp. 8-9)
This analogy, too, is not correct. The principle referred to above could apply to a narration of Aisha al-Siddiqah only if both the narrator and the person questioning the report had personally heard the original statement. One listener may say of another listener that he made a mistake in hearing, and that, according to what I heard, the actual statement was different. But a person who was not present and did not hear the statement himself has no right to reject a narration on the basis of such an analogy. This kind of reasoning is wholly unsound. If such an extended analogy is accepted as a valid principle, people may produce all kinds of conjectures that could distort the entire form of religion.
The proper starting point of discussion in this matter is not why a young girl was married to a much older man. Rather, the proper starting point is to understand why Aisha al-Siddiqah became such an exceptional figure in history. The question of her marriage must be understood in the light of her exceptional historical role, not the other way around.
It is an established fact that, in the whole of Muslim history, Aisha al-Siddiqah holds a unique and distinguished position in terms of her role. She understood the spirit of Islam with a depth perhaps unmatched by any other man or woman. She explained the delicate aspects of religion with a confidence that no one else displayed in the same way. Nor do we find anyone, either in the age of the Companions or in later generations, who explained the underlying principles and deeper insights of religion with the same clarity and insight. The answer to the central issue lies in the answer to this very question.
The fact is that the highest attainment in Islam is maarifah, or realization of God. The Prophet received this realization in its complete form directly from God through Gabriel. The question, then, is how this highest level of realization could be transmitted after the Prophet. It was for this purpose that Aisha al-Siddiqah was chosen. Practically speaking, there was only one way for this to happen: Aisha had to be given the opportunity to be in the Prophet’s company from an early age. Such a high level of realization required close companionship. And the opportunity for such sustained association with a person could be available only to his wife, and to no one else.
The study of psychology shows that a child in the early years is highly inquisitive and eager to learn about the world around him or her. Moreover, in early childhood, the mind is very sharp and quickly grasps new things. Studies also show that memory is especially strong in the early years. What a person learns in early life is rarely forgotten. The idea of beginning a child’s schooling at an early age is based on this very principle.
Aisha al-Siddiqah was an exceptionally intelligent woman with a highly receptive mind. Therefore, it was God’s will that she should be placed in the Prophet’s continuous company from an early age. The only practical form of such close and continuous companionship was for her to become his wife and life companion. It was under this special divine plan that Aisha al-Siddiqah entered the marital household of the Prophet of Islam at a young age.
Outwardly, this marriage was unusual and contrary to common practice. For this reason, it was quite possible that the Prophet of Islam might not have accepted it, or might not even have considered the proposal. Perhaps because of this sensitivity, an angel came to him and gave him prior indication of this extraordinary relationship, so that he would have no hesitation in the matter.
In some respects, this was similar to what had happened earlier in the case of Mary. Mary could naturally have felt great hesitation at the prospect of giving birth to a child without a father. Therefore, God sent an angel to her in advance. The angel appeared before her in human form and informed her of the matter. This is mentioned clearly in the Quran. (19:17)
The angel’s prior indication concerning this marriage is established through authentic narrations. Aisha relates that the Messenger of God said to her: “You were shown to me in a dream. An angel brought you to me wrapped in a piece of silk and said: ‘This is your wife.’ I uncovered your face and saw that it was you. I said: ‘If this is from God, He will bring it to pass.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5125)
Aisha al-Siddiqah lived with the Prophet of Islam for eleven years. Since she was much younger than him, she lived for nearly fifty years after his death. During this half-century, she continued to serve as a means of disseminating prophetic knowledge. The accounts of her life show that Aisha al-Siddiqah brought to light profound aspects of the wisdom underlying religious teachings that do not appear to have reached the Muslim community through any other Companion.
Moreover, through her close association with the Prophet, she gained extraordinary certainty regarding the soundness of her understanding of religion. This is why she spoke on delicate religious matters with a decisiveness and confidence that no one else, before or after her, could display in the same manner.
It often happens that, out of reverence and devotion, people form opinions that do not correspond to the actual facts. Once such views become widespread, ordinary people usually do not have the courage to challenge them. At such times, extraordinary insight is required. Only a person endowed with exceptional insight can dare to speak with certainty. Aisha al-Siddiqah acquired this insight through her continuous companionship with the Prophet of Islam, and it enabled her to speak and act with complete confidence.
For example, after the death of the Prophet, it began to be said during the period of the Tabi‘un that the Prophet of Islam had seen God with his own eyes. When Aisha al-Siddiqah heard this, she became deeply disturbed and said: Man haddathaka anna Muhammadan sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ra’a rabbahu faqad kadhab—“Whoever tells you that Muhammad saw his Lord has made a false statement.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4855)
Similarly, after the Prophet’s death, the practice of repeatedly completing the Quran became widespread. Instead of emphasizing reflection upon the Quran, people began to attach importance to completing it again and again through verbal recitation. Great rewards were associated with such completions. When this was mentioned to Aisha al-Siddiqah, and she was told that certain people completed the Quran several times in a single day, she did not approve of it. Rather, she said: Ula’ika qara’u wa lam yaqra’u—“They have recited, yet they have not truly recited.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 24609)
Because she was the wife of the Messenger of God, people could trust her judgment in such delicate matters. Had someone else made similar statements, people might have found it difficult to accept them.
There is a narration in which Yusuf ibn Mahak says: “I was with Aisha, the Mother of the Believers, when an Iraqi man came to her and asked: ‘Which type of shroud is best?’ Aisha replied: ‘Woe to you! What harm does it do you?’ He then said: ‘O Mother of the Believers, show me your copy of the Quran.’ She asked: ‘Why?’ He replied: ‘So that I may compile a Quran according to it, for people are reciting it in different arrangements.’ Aisha said: ‘What harm does it do you which part you read first? Read it as you have been reading it.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4993)
The confidence and clarity with which Aisha al-Siddiqah represented the spirit of Islam in this conversation are highly significant. She was able to speak with such certainty only because, through her close companionship with the Prophet of Islam, she had fully grasped the spirit of Islam. She knew, without the slightest doubt, what Islam required in such matters.
Further examples of Aisha al-Siddiqah’s insight and understanding will be found in other chapters of this book. These examples show that the question of her age at marriage is only a secondary issue. The decisive point is that the educational and formative purpose served by this marriage could not have been achieved through any alternative arrangement. (Aurat Memar e Insaniyat)
