Critics of Islam frequently elaborate on ‘Aaʾisha’s age at the time of her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ, ‘How can a Prophet of God marry a child!?’ Muslim scholars respond by staunchly defending the books of Hadith¹ these narrations are found in and claim it was perfectly normal for such marriage in that period, as it was for the next 1000 years, as well as other arguments to support the marriage.

There is, however, an argument that she was not a child, but a teen when she got married. Many scholars of the past have held this position. In this post I will highlight the arguments posed by such scholars. May Allah shower his blessings upon our Prophet ﷺ, his blessed wives and esteemed children, particularly upon our mother, ‘Aaʾisha.

Timeline of the Prophetic Mission
There is general agreement amongst the scholars and historians about the following events:
570: Birth of the Prophet ﷺ
610: Prophethood begins in Mecca
619: Death of Abu Talib and Khadija
622: Marriage to ‘Aaʾisha
623: Migration to Medina
624: Marriage consummated
632-3: Death of the Prophet ﷺ in Medina

Background

When the mother of the Believers, Khadija al-Kubra, passed away in the 9th-10th year of Prophethood (4-5 before Hijri (BH)), the Prophet’s ﷺ cousin Khawlah bint Hakim encouraged him to marry a motherly lady as he had a young family and was a Prophet ﷺ (he would be busy calling people to Islam). She suggested two women: Sawda bint Zam’ah, a motherly widow, and ‘Aaʾisha bint Abu Bakr, a youthful virgin. She offered him an option between two ends, but made certain both are ready and capable to take on the mother role.

The Prophet ﷺ preferred to marry ‘Aaʾisha.² So Khawla approached her father, Abu Bakr, who confirmed ‘Aaʾisha is already engaged, but the future of the relationship is undecided as the groom and his family are not Muslim. Khawla suspected the marriage will go ahead at some point, so approached Sawda instead. Sawda happily consented, and the marriage was complete. Sawda was a widow and devout Muslim, she took over caring for the children and tending to household duties.

Some time later Abu Bakr learned from the other family that they had broken the engagement because they were afraid their son would be compelled to become a Muslim. This did not upset Abu Bakr, as, now his daughter could marry the Prophet ﷺ. So he proposed on ‘Aaʾisha’s behalf, and the Prophet ﷺ accepted.³ In a hadith, Bukhari 6004, ‘Aaʾisha’s confirms that she got married three years after Khadija died. Sawda married the Prophet ﷺ only months after Khadija’s death, so this third marriage wasn’t an immediate affair.

The age of ‘Aaʾisha

What we haven’t specified yet is ‘Aaʾisha’s age. ‘Aaʾisha narrates her own age at the time of marriage and consummation in several authenticated hadith. All of the relevant hadith relate the Prophet ﷺ married her when she was six years old and consummated the marriage when she was nine years old.

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَزَوَّجَهَا وَهْىَ بِنْتُ سِتِّ سِنِينَ، وَأُدْخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَهْىَ بِنْتُ تِسْعٍ، وَمَكَثَتْ عِنْدَهُ تِسْعًا

Here is a collection of all the hadith with varying chains from the six major hadith books. ⁴. The bulk of them are linked to the subject, ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr, and she relates to her nephew, Urwa ibn al-Zubayr (son of Asma and Zubayr) who then narrates to his son Hisham and in some cases, others. 

Sahih al-Bukhari, 5133, Sahih
Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Baykandi -> Sufyan bin Uyaynah -> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sahih al-Bukhari, 5134, Sahih
Ma’la bin Asad al-Ami -> Wahayb bin Khalid bin ‘Ajlan al Bahili -> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sahih al Bukhari, 3894, Sahih
Frwh bin Abi al-Mghra -> Ali bin Ms’hr-> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sahih al Bukhari, 3896, Sahih
Ubayd bin Ismaeel -> Abu Usama -> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr

Sahih al Bukhari, 5158, Sahih
Qabaysa bin ‘Uqba bin Muhammad -> Sufyan bin Sa’id ath-Thawri -> Hisham bin Urwa

Muslim, 1422a, Sahih
Abu Karayb, Muhammad bin al’Ala -> Abu Bakr bin Abi Shayba -> Hammad bin Usama-> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Muslim, 1422b, Sahih
Yahya bin Yahya bin Bukhayr -> Muhammad bin Khazim al Darir -> ‘Abdah bin Sulaiman al-Klabi -> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Muslim, 1422c, Sahih
Abd bin Hameed bin Nasr -> ‘Abdur Razzaq -> Ma’mar bin Rashid -> Al Zuhri -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Muslim, 1422d, Sahih
Yahya bin Yahya bin Bukhayr -> Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Muhammad -> Muhammad bin Khazim al-Darir-> Sulaiman al-A’mash -> al-Aswad bin Yazid -> Ibrahim al Nakhai -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sunan an-Nisai, 3255, Sahih
Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Muhammad -> Muhammad bin Khazim al Darir -> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sunan an-Nisai, 3256, Sahih
Muhammad bin al-Ndr bin Msawr -> Ja’far bin Sulaiman al-Dabai-> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sunan an-Nisai, 3257, Sahih
Qutayba bin Sai’d bin Jamil-> Matruf bin Tarayf al-Harithi -> Abu Ishaq al-Sabayai -> Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah

Sunan an-Nisai, 3258, Sahih
Ahmad bin Harb bin Muhammad -> Abu Kurayb, Muhammad bin ‘Ala -> Muhammad bin Khazim al-Darir-> Sulaiman al-A’mash -> al-Aswad bin Yazid -> Ibrahim al Nakhai

Sunan Abi Dawud, 4933, Sahih
Bashir Ibn Khalid al-‘Askary -> Hammad bin Usama- -> Musa bin Ismail al-Munqari al Tabdukhai -> Hammad bin Zayd-> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

Sunan ibn Majah, 1876, Sahih
Swyd bin Sa’id-> Ali bin Ms’hr-> Hisham bin Urwa -> Urwa ibn al-Zubayr -> ‘Aaʾisha bint Abi Bakr

This self-testification from Aaʾisha’s should be enough alone to prove her age. However, many scholars have pointed out the anomalies in these hadith.

Arguments that ‘Aaʾisha was not 6 when she got married and 9 when her marriage was consummated.

Many scholars, after having examined all the hadith and tarikh,⁵ conclude ‘Aaʾisha was not six when she married and nine when the marriage was consummated. Instead she was 16 when she married and 19 when the marriage was consummated. Proofs for this claim will follow on, but it is worth noting, the Arabs went by a 12 month lunar calendar, only really to administer upcoming affairs within the next 12 months, they did not have a systematic date system nor were there birth and death records. They remembered yearly periods based memorable events, like the ‘Year of the Elephant,’ in which the elephants battled Abraha’s army when he tried to invade Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ was also born on this year. So it became easy to remember his year of birth. If nothing memorable happened the following year, it would be known as ‘The Year after the Year of the Elephant.’ Not every year was always accounted for though. The Arabs had no reason to record years systematically even though they could, for when it came to recalling their lineage, they were master genealogists. This is a pertinent point because one challenge of the scholars of hadith and history was to verify the ages and birth place of narrators. They began by listing out known and verified events, people, their ages, and their places of birth. They then would approximating the ages of the contemporaries of verified individuals. This deduction always had the caveat of being a year or two out. When ‘Aaʾisha was born, there was no record of her birth year.

Here are the arguments presented:

The word ‘Bikr’

Khawla used the term Bikr to describe ‘Aaʾisha. Bikr refers to a young lady who has not yet married (a virgin) but is mature enough to do so. Jaariya, on the other hand, refers to a young girl aged 9 to 12, and Sabiy is a child, aged around 6. If ‘Aaʾisha was a very young girl, it would be more appropriate for Khawla to use the words Jaariya or Sabiy instead of Bikr. These terms also relate to maturity, a Jaariya would not be mature enough to manage a household.

Numbers in Arabic

… سِتِّ سِنِينَ وَأُدْخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَهْىَ بِنْتُ تِسْعٍ …

The numbers used in the hadith are ‘سِتِّ’ and ‘تِسْعٍ’, which are 6 and 9 respectively. In another hadith describing the night of power, Laylatul Qadr, ‘Ubada bin As-Samit narrates, “The Prophet ﷺ came out to inform us about the Night of Qadr but two Muslims were quarrelling with each other. So, the Prophet ﷺ said, “I came out to inform you about the Night of Qadr but such-and-such persons were quarrelling, so the news about it had been taken away; yet that might be for your own good, so search for it on the 9^th, 7^th and 5^th. ⁶

In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ used the numbers التَّاسِعَةِ وَالسَّابِعَةِ وَالْخَامِسَةِ, the 9^th, 7^th and 5^th to describe the nights, but the scholars unanimously agree, the 9^th, 7^th and 5^th are in reference to the last nights of Ramadhan, 29^th, 27^th and 25^th. So why didn’t the Prophet ﷺ say,

التَّاسِعَةِ وَ عشرون وَ السَّابِعَةِ وَ عشرون وَ الْخَامِسَةِ وَ عشرون?

Scholars think either the Prophet ﷺ or the narrators (most likely the narrators), omitted the عشرون  as it was inferred (common knowledge amongst everyone that the Laylatul Qadr is at the end of the month), therefore omitted needless words, and because writing sources were rare, short hand was common. Likewise, this is also true of the hadith of marriage to ‘Aaʾisha, in which عشر has been omitted. The inference being she is obviously not going to be a 6 year old, so narrators and readers should understand she was 16 when she married and 19 when the marriage was consummated.

Hadith on the playing of ‘Aaʾisha

An evidence given by those who believe ‘Aaʾisha was six is based on a hadith in Bukhari, 3894, in which she recalls playing on swings when her mother called her to move in with the Prophet ﷺ. Children play on swings, so she must have been 6. But it is argued, swings aren’t only for children, but in fact, in such traditional cultures, women never left the home unless it was essential. They typically socialised in their courtyards and gardens with their girlfriends. This hadith does not imply childlike play, but rather an example of how women socialised.

Hadith on ‘Aaʾisha’s Dolls

Like the above argument, another hadith in Bukhari is presented, 6130, ‘Aaʾisha says, “I used to play with the dolls in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and my girlfriends also used to play with me. When Allah’s Messenger ﷺ used to enter my dwelling place they used to hide themselves, but the Prophet ﷺ would call them to join and play with me.” In this case, Aisha was playing with dolls, so she must have been 6. The word “لعب” in Arabic generally means ‘to play,’ but it means pastime, amusement, and entertainment as found in the Quran.⁷ This, like the hadith above, was a type of pastime. And since there were children in the house that ‘Aaʾisha cared for, she may have been entertaining them.

‘Aaʾisha’s role in Uhud

During the battle of Uhud, in Bukhari 2880 and 4064, ‘Aaʾisha was tending to the wounded and giving them water. Uhud occurred in 3AH, therefore if she married when she was six, she would have been ten years old. Anyone under the age of 15 was not permitted to take part in the battle (whether as a soldier or a helper), as proven by Abdullah bin Umar, who was stopped from taking part. It would be too risky to allow children in the battle field. During the battled of Uhud, ‘Aaʾisha was indeed around 20 years old.

‘Aaʾisha’s early memories of Islam

According to Imam Bukhari, ‘Aaʾisha stated, “My earliest memories are of my parents already practising Islam. The Prophet ﷺ would visit us daily, morning and evening. When the Muslims were persecuted, Abu Bakr left, intending to migrate to Abyssinia.” The historical sources agree that the first Muslim migration to Abyssinia occurred in 615CE. If ‘Aaʾisha was born in 616CE, she would not be about during this migration. During this migration, it makes more sense she was around ten years old (and sixteen when she married).

The revealing of Surah Qamar

‘Aaʾisha relates, as part of a larger hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 4993, “While I was a young girl of playing age, the following Verse was revealed to Muhammad in Mecca: ‘Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.’ Surah Qamar. Most scholars agree that Surah Qamar was revealed in Mina approximately 5 years before Hijri, or around 618CE. So, if ‘Aaʾisha was 6 when she married in 622CE, she would have been 2 years old when the ayah was revealed. This is a far too young age to remember such historic facts. But if she was 16 at the time of marriage, then it means, she was 13 when the ayah was revealed. This makes more sense.

Another group of scholars hold that Surah Qamar was revealed in 614CE, the fourth year of Prophethood. If this is true, ‘Aaʾisha would not have been born yet, contradicting the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 4993.

In this hadith the word Jaariya is used, this suggests she was a young girl around 12. If she was 6, she would have said Sabiy.

Hisham bin ‘Urwah

The majority of chains stem from Hisham bin ‘Urwah, the son of the nephew of ‘Aaʾisha and then goes on to many narrators who are from Iraq. Ibn Hajar claims in his Hady al-Sari and Tahdhib that Imam Malik did not approve of Hisham’s narrations to the Iraqis. Hisham travelled to Kufa in Iraq three times to recount hadiths, according to Imam Malik: the first time, he stated, “My father narrated to me that he heard ‘Aaʾisha…” “My father informed me on the authority of ‘Aaʾisha…” he stated the second time. “My father, under the authority of ‘Aaʾisha…” he continued the third time.

This was due to Hisham’s visit to Iraq in his old age, when his memory had begun to fail, rendering the narration questionable. Otherwise, Imam Malik spent several years in Medina collecting hadiths directly from Hisham, while the age of ‘Aaʾisha at marriage is not mentioned at all in the Muwatta or other hadith with chains of narrators from Medina.

Asma’s age when she died

Al Kamil fi l-Tarikh by Ibn al-Athir; Tarikh Dimashq by Ibn ‘Asakir; Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’ by Dhahabi; Tarikh by Tabari; Al-Bidayah wa l-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir; Tarikh Baghdad by Khatib Baghdadi; Wafayat al-A’yan by Ibn Khillakan and many others relate that Asma was 10 years older than ‘Aaʾisha.

They also say Abdullah bin Zubair, the son of Asma bint Abu Bakr was martyred in 72AH and his mother was 100 years old. If we work backwards, Asma would have been 15 years old when Prophethood began in 610CE.⁸

This suggests ‘Aaʾisha was 5 years old when Prophethood started. We can also deduce she was born when the Prophet ﷺ was 35, during the rebuilding of the Kabah. Historians also confirm ‘Aaʾisha died in 50AH (she would have been 68 years old.)

Opinions from scholars

The following opinions are from Muslims scholars and historians, widely accepted by Muslims and known for their righteousness.

In ibn Ishaq’s Biography of the Prophet ﷺ, he mentioned Asma and ‘Aaʾisha were the 17^th and 18^th people to become Muslims. When a child reaches the age of discernment, they can become a Muslim. According to modern child development, a child begins completely communicating, comprehending, and knowing right from wrong at the age of five, so let’s assume this is the youngest a child has to be before making the testimony of faith. Ali bin Abu Talib was 8 or 10 years old when he accepted Islam. If Asma and ‘Aaʾisha were the 17th and 18th persons to become Muslims, it had to be within the Prophet’s ﷺ first couple of years, because by the fourth year, there were more than 60 Muslims. Either they weren’t the 16th or 17th Muslims or they were in their teens.

If ‘Aaʾisha was six years old when she married the Prophet AND at least 5 years old when she adopted Islam, then she became a Muslim in 621CE, 11 years after the Prophetic mission began. This would suggest there were less than 17 Muslims during the first 11 years of Prophethood, which is not true.

A Muslim child is on the religion of their parents. If ‘Aaʾisha was born in 616CE and Abu Bakr was already a Muslim i.e. She was born into Islam, then why would she need to adopt Islam? But it makes more sense, ‘Aaʾisha was five years old when she adopted Islam in 610/611CE (Dawah was not made immediately after prophethood). This would also mean she was 16/17 in 622CE when she married. If she was eight years old when she adopted Islam, she would be 19/20 at the time of marriage. But we are inclined to believe she was born five years before Prophethood, so 16 at the time of marriage.

Ibn Asakir supports this in his work ‘History of Baghdad’ that ‘Aaʾisha was a girl of understanding when her parents accepted Islam.

Imam al-Tabari, states: “In the Age of Ignorance⁹, Abu Bakr married Qutaila daughter of `Abd al-`Uzza…and she bore for him `Abdullah and Asmaa…he also married, in the Age of Ignorance, Umm Ruman daughter of `Amir…she bore for him `Abd al-Rahman and ‘Aaʾisha. All four of these children were born in the pre-Islamic period.” Imam Tabari does not mention the hadith about the 6-9 age because it wasn’t taken literally. It complies with his tarikh instead of contradicting it. Imam Tabari is an established scholar of Islam, who has produced many works relating to Quran, Hadith and History we rely on.

Ibn Hisham lists the first converts to the new religion and includes ‘Aaʾisha as one of them, adding that she was young at the time. ‘Aaʾisha embraced Islam, according to Ibn Hisham, at the same time as the likes of Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah, Saeed ibn Zaid, Khabbab, and al-Arqam. If the ‘six-nine’ reports were taken literally, ‘Aaʾisha would not even have been born at this time.

Al-Nawawi mentions in Tahdheeb al-Asmaa wal-Lughaat, quoting Ibn Abi Zinad, that “Asma was ten years older than ‘Aaʾisha, and…was born twenty-seven years before the hijrah of the messenger of Allah”

Ibn Kathir states: “Of the notables who were killed with Ibn al-Zubayr in 73AH…was Asma daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq…she was older than her sister, ‘Aaʾisha, by 10 years…and she reached the age of 100 years, not having lost any of her teeth, and her mind still sharp, may God have mercy on her.”

‘Aaʾisha age in a similar regard is mentioned in At-Tabaqat by Imam ibn Saad, Tahdhib by ibn Hajr, Al-Sirah by Ibn Hisham, Siyar Alam al-Nubala by Al Dhahabi.

Usama bin Zayd bin Haritha

Usama bin Zayd was born in the 3rd year of Prophethood (613CE), he was like a grandson of the Prophet ﷺ. In one hadith, whilst he was a young boy who would sit on the lap of the Prophet ﷺ, he is seen to be bleeding. The Prophet ﷺ ordered ‘Aaʾisha to clean him up. If we suppose Usama was three at the time, this incident happened win 616CE, the same year ‘Aaʾisha was born (according to those who say she was 6). Of course, ‘Aaʾisha would have had to be mature enough to clean him too. So it makes more sense she was 11 years old.

Arab cultural age for marriage

According to Muslim historians, Asma bint Abu Bakr was 25, Umm Kulthoom bint Muhammad was 23, and Fatima bint Muhammad was 17. ‘Aaʾisha’s contemporaries were married in their late teens and early twenties, therefore her marriage at the age of six is unusual.

Bukhari isn’t Conclusive

There are hadith in which ‘Aaʾisha disagrees and corrects what other narrators have narrated. Narrators like Abu Hurayra, Umar bin al-Khattab, Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Abbas.¹⁰

For example, in Sahih al-Bukhari 1286, 1287, 1288, Abdulla bin Umar shares an opinion that the dead person is punished by some of the weeping of his relatives, but ‘Aaʾisha said, Allah’s Messenger ﷺ did not say that a believer is punished because of the weeping of his relatives based on the verse, ‘No soul shall bear another’s burden.’ Qur’an 35:18. In another hadith, in Sahih al-Bukhari 3980, 3981, ibn Umar relates an incident that proves the dead can hear, but ‘Aaʾisha refuses and claims this incident was particular to the Prophet ﷺ. These hadith are Authenticated but clearly as there is difference of opinion, they cannot be taken in isolation.

Another example where the hadith appear to have some contradiction, is that ibn `Abbas states that “the Prophet ﷺ remained in Makkah for thirteen years…then migrated to Medina…” However, Rabia ibn Abi Abd al-Rahmán says, “He stayed ten years in Makkah receiving revelation, and stayed in Medina for ten years…” Both hadith are classed as authentic tradition, but how can they be, if they contradict each other? The scholars reconcile this by taking the hadith of Rabia as an approximation.

Just because an opinion or narration is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, it does not mean it is conclusive.

Conclusion

This brings us to an end of the proofs she was not 6 years old when she got married. As Muslims, maybe we need to take narrations with a pinch of salt (as the righteous always did) instead of blindly staunchly accepting traditions. It could still be the case, the hadith in Bukhari is to be taken literally. Allah knows best.

Arguments that ‘Aaʾisha was 6 when she got married and 9 when her marriage was consummated.

There are several publications establishing ‘Aaʾisha’s age to be six when she married, therefore I won’t go into detail about the arguments, but I will list the general arguments:

• After the Quran, Bukhari is the most authentic book. Each hadith is sound in meaning so we accept what was narrated. The hadith with all the chains mentioned above support this.
• Prior to roughly 150 years ago, the majority married at a young age. They would marry as soon as they reached puberty or were ready. Life spans were to short to wait till the 20s.
• Girls can reach puberty as early as nine years old, especially in hot climates, which would be perfectly acceptable if this was the age of marriage/consummation.
• Girls matured much faster in those days.
• This hadith has just lately been challenged by sceptics. It was never mentioned previously since it was never recognised as a concern.
• It is possible that Allah wanted the Prophet ﷺ to marry a young girl so that she would outlive him by many years and serve as an important reference and resource for Muslims long after the Prophet ﷺ died.

1. Authenticated traditions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
2. This was not because she was a virgin or for any sexual motive, but because she was Abu Bakr’s daughter, which would strengthen relations with his greatest friend and most powerful ally even more. In retrospect (maybe the Prophet ﷺ was aware), ‘Aaʾisha went on to become a Muslim leader, particularly in teaching Islamic law, and lived a long life, allowing her to elucidate the true sunnah for a long period.
3. In Islam, marrying numerous women is allowed. And consent from the bride is also always taken
4. there may be more in other hadith volumes
5. Islamic history
6. Sahih al-Bukhari 2023
7. 7:51, 6:70, 5:58
8. 72 years after migration and 13 years before migration = 85, 100-85 = 15
9. pre-Islamic period
10. all mass hadith transmitters