Understanding Aisha’s Age at Marriage: A Historical Perspective

Dr. Lyndsey Eksili

The age of Aisha (ra) at the time of her marriage to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been a topic of much debate and scrutiny. Traditional narrations suggest that she was six or seven years old when engaged and nine years old when she married the Prophet.1

However, a comprehensive analysis of historical evidence and cultural practices of the time indicates that Aisha was likely older, perhaps 17, 18, or even 19, at the time of her marriage.2 While this article presents only a portion of the evidence supporting this view, there is a substantial body of research that suggests Aisha was older than the age traditionally believed. This article examines the historical context, familial connections, and cultural norms to shed light on Aisha’s true age at marriage, may Allah be pleased with her.

Aisha’s Familial Connections

Aisha’s older sister, Asma (ra), provides key insights into Aisha’s age. Aisha and her sister, Asma, both embraced Islam at the same time during the early years of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) mission. Asma was born in 595 CE3 and was fifteen years old when she converted, which was in the first year of Prophethood (610 CE).4 (595 + 15 = 610). This means our Mother Aisha became Muslim in 610 CE and she was at a young age (approximately 5 years old.)5

Additionally, it has been stated that Aisha was married in the month of Shawwal, seven months after the Hijrah. In other words, we have 5 years before prophethood (based on age difference between Aisha and Asma), 13 years in Mecca before the Hijrah, and 7 months in Medina (5 years + 13 years + 7 months) which gives a total of approximately 18.7 years. Making Aisha almost nineteen according to this timeline.6

At the time of the Hijrah in 622 CE, Asma was twenty-seven years old. With a ten-year age difference between them, Aisha would have been seventeen years old at the time of the Hijrah and eighteen when she married the Prophet (pbuh). However, there is also evidence that shows she was married in the month of Shawwal in the second year of Hijrah, after the battle of Badr, which means her age at marriage could be delayed by one additional year.7

Cultural Context of Pre-Islamic Arabia

In pre-Islamic Arabia, the status of women was notably different from today, with many girls married off at young ages due to societal norms and practices.8 Marriage was often more about alliances and social status than personal relationships, and age discrepancies were common and accepted for both males and females.9 This context helps explain why Aisha’s engagement and marriage would not have raised societal concerns. Unfortunately, daughters prior to the advent of

Islam, were seen as potential burdens with uncertain futures, leading some families to resort to infanticide to escape future troubles. Children and women who could not ride horses or wield swords in battle held no value; they were not given a share of the inheritance and were not allowed to own personal property. Some believed that a daughter should grow up in her husband’s home, leading to marriages at very young ages. Additionally, daughters were viewed as heirs who might claim a share of the family inheritance and as a source of financial gain through the “mahr,” or dowry and their ages were only counted once they began their menstrual cycles.10 In this context then, the hadith that states she was 9 years old, means she was 9 year post the beginning of her menstrual cycle. Again, falling into the timeline of 17, 18, or 19 years old upon her marriage.

Had there been anything unusual, critics of the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab and those who slandered Aisha after the Banu Mustaliq expedition would have seized upon this opportunity to spread it widely. However, neither staunch opponents of Islam nor hypocrites or later enemies of Islam ever mentioned it. These adversaries constantly sought opportunities to criticize, and if they had perceived a fault, they would have proclaimed it loudly.

The Quran itself reminds us that children should not be married before reaching maturity.11 The Prophet (pbuh), as the greatest interpreter of the Quran, would never have acted contrary to it.

Linguistic Evidence

Aisha (ra) referred to herself as a “jariyah” when recalling significant events from her life in Mecca, prior to the Hijrah. This term typically refers to a girl who is on the verge of puberty, usually between seven and eleven years old.12 Before this stage, “tifl” describes younger children, and “sibya” refers to even earlier childhood stages. Following “jariyah,” the next stage is “fitya,” signifying a mature individual who has reached marriageable age. According to the customs of that time, a girl who had reached the age referred to as “fitya” would start covering herself and stop playing with children, taking on the role of assisting her mother in household chores.13

This usage implies she was at an age where she had some level of physical and emotional maturity. For instance, she once recalled, “When I was a young girl (jariyah) playing in Mecca,” signifying her active involvement and awareness during her early years.

Aisha also recalled Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) visiting their home regularly and that her father, Abu Bakr (ra), prepared to migrate to Abyssinia due to persecution in the fifth year of Prophethood (615 CE).14 Aisha’s ability to remember these events implies she was old enough to understand them, indicating that she was born several years before 610 CE, when Prophethood began.

In the early years in Mecca, Aisha demonstrated enough maturity to understand and evaluate Quranic verses, memorize them, and later share them with others. Yusuf Ibn Mahek narrated an incident illustrating this maturity, stating that an Iraqi man once came to Aisha and asked her some questions. He then requested her personal Mushaf (a written copy of the Quran) to confirm the order of the surahs (chapters). What Aisha told him was remarkable:

“The first revelation from the Quran was a ‘mufassal’ surah, which spoke about Heaven and Hell. As people became more willing to accept and live by Islam, the rules of halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden) began to be revealed. If the first commandments had said, ‘Do not drink alcohol!’ people would have said, ‘We can never give up alcohol!’ Similarly, if the initial verses had included the command ‘Do not commit adultery!’ some people would have objected, saying, ‘We cannot give up adultery!’ When I was a young girl (jariyah) playing in Mecca, the verse, ‘Indeed, their meeting time is the Hour; and the Hour is more terrifying and bitter’ (Qamar, 54:46) was revealed to Muhammad.”15

These statements provide us with a lot of information about Aisha’s age.

The verse Aisha mentioned is the 46th verse of Surah Al-Qamar, and there are different accounts regarding when this surah was revealed as a whole. It is said to have been revealed while the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the house of Ibn Arqam, either in the fourth year (614 CE),16 eighth year (618 CE), or ninth year (619 CE) of his Prophethood.17 Some scholars argue that the date should be 614 CE. If we take this date as the basis, it means Aisha was either not yet born or had just been born when it was revealed. Even if we consider the dates of 618 CE or 619 CE, the situation doesn’t change much because she would have been only four or five years old. Neither age suggests the maturity needed to comprehend such an incident in this detail and recount it years later.

Prophet Muhammad taught us that children should begin learning to pray at age seven and be encouraged to pray regularly by age ten. This guidance, along with the region’s climate leading to earlier puberty, suggests that the term “jariyah” refers to a girl at least seven years old, possibly as old as ten or eleven.18

Given this understanding, Aisha must have been born a few years before the fourth year of the Prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh). If we consider 614 CE as the year Surah Al-Qamar was revealed and assume “jariyah” refers to a girl at least seven years old, Aisha would have been born around 607 CE. This would mean she was at least seventeen years old when she married the Prophet (pbuh).

If we use 618 CE as the date when the Surah was revealed, Aisha would have been born by 611 CE at the latest. These calculations also allow for the possibility that “jariyah” could refer to ages between 7-11, potentially adding a few more years to these estimates. In any case, these calculations indicate that Aisha could not have been born four years into the Prophethood, as traditionally believed. This information clearly suggests she was older than nine years old when she married the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and most likely 17, 18, or 19 years old.

Aisha’s Engagement Prior to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Prior to marrying Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, was engaged to Jubayr ibn Mut’im, the son of Mut’im ibn Adiyy. This further supports the belief that she was older at the time of her marriage to the Prophet (pbuh). Let’s discuss further.

It is well known that this engagement was annulled by the Ibn Adiyy family due to concerns that “their son’s beliefs might change.”19 To resolve the matter and understand their true intentions regarding the marriage, Abu Bakr (ra) visited the home of Mut’im ibn Adiyy. There, he was met with a response from Jubayr’s mother, Umm Sabiyy, who said, “O son of Abu Quhafa! If we become in-laws with you, you will influence our son to adopt your religion, turning him away from the faith of his ancestors and leading him astray!” Jubayr’s father, Mut’im, also shared these concerns.

Aisha’s engagement to Jubayr ibn Mut’im likely took place before her father, Abu Bakr, became a Muslim or openly declared his faith. Since Abu Bakr was the first free man to accept Islam, this suggests that Aisha was already alive during the early years of Prophethood. Therefore, it is likely that Aisha was born before 610 CE, most probably in 605 CE.20 The fact that there was concern about the influence of Islam during the engagement further supports this timeline.

The Ibn Adiyy family may have decided to annul Aisha’s engagement during the period when Islam began to be openly preached, which corresponds to the years 613-614 CE. If Aisha had been born four years after the Prophethood began, she would not have been born by this time, making such an engagement impossible. Calculations based on the age of her sister Asma suggest that Aisha was around 13 or 14 years old when the engagement was broken. This timeline indicates that Aisha was likely born in 605 CE, aligning with historical records of her family.21

Conclusion

In conclusion, while traditional accounts suggest Aisha (ra) was nine years old at the time of her marriage, a closer examination of historical, familial, and cultural evidence supports the view that she was likely older. Although we cannot pinpoint her exact age at marriage to be 17, 18, or 19, the collective evidence strongly indicates she was older than the age traditionally cited.

Moreover, this article only highlights some of the evidence available that supports the view of Aisha being older at marriage; there is much more that could not be included here. Understanding Aisha’s age in the context of 7th-century Arabia provides a nuanced perspective that aligns with both historical records and the customs of the time, underscoring the importance of contextualizing historical narratives.

1 Bukhari, Virtues of the Ansar 20, 44; Muslim, Marriage 71; Virtues of the Companions 74; Abu Dawood, Manners 55; Ibn Majah, Marriage 13; Nasa’i, Marriage 78; Darimi, Marriage 56.; also see Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise pg. 433

2 Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, Hz. Aise Kac Yasinda Evlendi

3 Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asma 2/597; Hakim, al-Mustadrak 3/635, also see Haylamaz Resit, Aise Validemiz Kac Yasinda Evlendi; Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise pg. 439

4 Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asma, 2/597; Hakim, Mustredrek 3/635; also see Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise pg. 439

5 Haylamaz, Resit, Hz. Aise Kac Yasinda Evlendi; Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise

6 Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 439

7 Nawawi, Tahdhib al-Asma, 2/616, also see Haylamaz, Resit, Aise Validemiz Kac Yasinda Evlendi; Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise

8 It is known that the Prophet’s grandfather, Abdulmuttalib, married Halah bint Wuhayb at a very young age, and similarly arranged the marriage of the Prophet’s parents, Āmina and Abdullah, when they were also very young. Both marriages occurred at the same gathering, resulting in a very small age difference between the Prophet and his uncle, Hamza. See Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 434

9 For example, there is only an 11 or 12-year age difference between Amr ibn al-As and his son, Abdullah. This indicates that Amr was married at about nine or ten years old. See: Ibn al-Athir, Usud al-Ghaba 3/240. Also see Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 435

10 Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 437

11 Surah Nisa, Ayah 6

12 Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab 10/128

13 Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, 15/145; Zabidi, Taj al-Arus, entry “c-r-v.” Originally, this word described the swift movement of ships at sea, but over time it came to be used for a servant or girl who could perform household tasks quickly. See: Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, 14/139; Zabidi, Taj al-Arus, entry “c-r-v.” Also see Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 441

14 See: Bukhari, Salah 70, Kafalah 5, Virtues of the Ansar 45, Etiquette 64; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad 6/198

15 See: Bukhari, Virtues of the Qur’an 6 (4707); Commentary on Surah 54/6 (4876); Nasa’i, Virtues of the Qur’an, 1/65; Abdurrazzak ibn Hammam, Al-Musannaf 3/352; Ayni, Umdat al-Qari 20/21; Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari 1/319; 9/39. For more on this topic, see the section “Memories of Mecca” at the beginning of the book and footnote 20.

16 Suyuti, Al-Itqan 1/29, 50; Dogrul, Asr-ı Saadet 2/148; Also see Haylamaz, Resit, Muminlerin En Mumtaz Annesi Hz. Aise, pg. 440.

17 The discrepancy between the eighth or ninth year arises from the difference in months. This is because some narrations that describe the event highlight details such as the eighth month of the eighth year.

18 Haylamaz, Resit, Hz. Aise Kac Yasinda Evlendi

19 Haylamaz, Resit, Hz. Aise Kac Yasinda Evlendi

20 Berki, Ali Hikmet, Osman Eskioglu, Hatem al-Anbiya Hazrat Muhammad ve Hayati 210

21 Savaş, Rıza, DEU Faculty of Theology Journal 4, İzmir, 1995, pp. 139-144.