L'age d'Aicha

Aisha, de l’arabe عائشة, (également translittéré en A'ishah, Aisyah, Ayesha, A'isha, Aishat, ou Aishah) est née en 613/614 et est décédée en 678.^[1]. Elle a été mariée à Muhammad à l’âge de 6 ou 7 ans, et ce dernier, alors âgé de 53 ans, a consommé le mariage lorsqu’Aicha avait 9 ou 10 ans selon de nombreux hadiths sahih (authentiques).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} En raison des préoccupations liées au mariage des enfants, ce sujet suscite un vif intérêt dans la littérature apologétique et le débat public.

A l’époque, se marier à un jeune âge n’était pas inconnu en Arabie, et le mariage d’Aicha à Muhammad avait peut-être une connotation politique, car son père, Abu Bakr, était un homme influent dans la communauté.^[7] Abu Bakr a, de son côté, peut-être aussi cherché à renforcer le lien de parenté entre Muhammad et lui-même en unissant leurs familles par le mariage via Aicha. Leila Ahmed, femme de lettres égypto-américaine spécialiste de l’islam, note que les fiançailles et le mariage d’Aicha avec Muhammad sont présentés comme ordinaire dans la littérature islamique, et peuvent indiquer qu’il n’était pas inhabituel que des enfants soient mariés à leurs ainés à cette époque.^[8] Dans les empires voisins de cette époque, la loi Byzantine interdisait le mariage des filles qui n’avaient pas atteint l’âge de la puberté, lequel était fixé à treize ans.^[9] La loi Sassanide prévoyait, quant à elle, qu’une fillette pouvait se marier dès l’âge de neuf ans à condition que la consommation du mariage soit retardée jusqu’à ce qu’elle atteigne douze ans.^[10]

Authenticité

Dans le Coran, une règle concernant le mariage avec celles qui n’ont pas encore atteint la menstruation apparaît au verset 4 de la sourate 65 (At-Talaq – Le Divorce).^[11] Le tafsir (exégèse) d’Al-Jalalayn est l’un des commentaires du coran les plus respectés.^[12] Pour ce verset, Jalalayn décrit dans son exégèse que "celles qui n’ont pas leurs règles" sont "celles qui n’ont pas encore leurs règles en raison de leur jeune âge, et que leur période [d’attente] sera [aussi] de trois mois."^[13]

Dans l’ère moderne, l’âge qu’Aicha avait à son mariage a été une source de controverse et de débat. Certains musulmans ont tenté de réviser la chronologie préalablement acceptée de sa vie (voir la section Histoire Apologétique).^[14] Le corpus de hadiths a permis d’obtenir des données sur les débuts de l’islam à travers une prétendue “chaîne ininterrompue de transmetteurs“. De nombreux hadiths indiquant qu’Aicha avait six ans lors de son mariage et neuf ans lorsque celui-ci a été consommé proviennent de collections ayant le statut de sahih, ce qui signifie qu’ils sont considérés comme dignes de confiance pour la majorité des Musulmans. Ils sont défendus, malgré la controverse qui entoure la question, car remettre en doute un ou des hadiths aussi largement transmis compromettrait de manière générale la science du hadith. L'âge et la consommation du mariage d'Aicha a également été mentionné par Ibn Hisham lors de sa recension de la sira d’Ibn Ishaq. De nombreuses déclarations sur cette tradition sont aussi référencées par les historiens Ibn Sa’d et al-Tabari.^[15][16]

Les savants islamiques modernes remettent généralement en question la fiabilité des hadiths authentiques et des éléments biographiques de la tradition. Les récentes recherches universitaires indiquent que les hadiths précisant l’âge d’Aicha au moment de son mariage et de sa consommation remontent aux propos formulés par son petit-neveu, Hisham b. 'Urwa, après que ce dernier ait déménagé en Irak où il a trouvé un public réceptif probablement pour des raisons proto-sectaires (voir la discussion sur les récents points de vue universitaires ci-dessous).

A propos du mariage des enfants

Shafi'i, le fondateur de l’une des quatre écoles juridiques sunnites, a utilisé l’exemple du mariage d’Aicha pour soutenir le consensus juridique islamique selon lequel un père avait le droit d’inscrire sa fille mineure vierge dans un contrat de mariage en dépit de sa volonté. Ibn Hanbal, le fondateur d’une autre de ces quatre écoles, a fait allusion aux neuf ans qu’Aicha avait lors de la consommation pour certaines décisions connexes, notamment que le mari doit être autorisé à consommer un mariage une fois que sa femme atteint l’âge de neuf ans (voir Forced Marriage et Child Marriage in Islamic Law).

Selon Reuben Levy, professeur iranien à l’université de Cambridge, aucune limite d’âge n’a été fixée par l’islam pour contracter un mariage et que "de très jeunes enfants peuvent être légalement mariés".^[17] La fille ne peut toutefois pas vivre avec son mari tant qu’elle n’est pas apte à avoir des relations sexuelles conjugales.

Dans la terminologie juridique islamique, le terme Baligh (بالغ) fait référence à une personne mature, pubère ou qui a atteint l’âge adulte et est entièrement responsable selon la loi islamique. Les théoriciens du droit attribuent des âges et des critères différents pour atteindre ces conditions pour les hommes et pour les femmes.^[18] Dans le mariage, baligh est lié à l’expression juridique arabe, hatta tutiqa'l-rijal, ce qui signifie que le mariage ne peut avoir lieu tant que la fille n’est pas physiquement apte à avoir des rapports sexuels. Un certain nombre de juristes ont déclaré que la consommation pouvait avoir lieu avant même la puberté si la fille était considérée physiquement apte à faire cet acte.

Citations pertinantes

De nombreux hadiths complémentaires sont rassemblés ici : Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars: Aisha.

Le neveu d’Aicha, Urwa ibn Al-Zubayr (mort en 94 après l’hégire) aurait écrit un certain nombre de lettres historiographiques à la fin de la cour Omeyyades que les historiens modernes, tels que le professeur Sean Anthony, considèrent comme une source importante sur les débuts de l’histoire islamique. Dans l’une d’elles, Urwa parle du mariage de sa tante :

Le récit sur l'âge du mariage a aussi été incorporé dans les traditions circulant à Koufa concernant les vertus d'Aicha :

Lors de l’incident de la calomnie (al-ifk), largement rapporté dans Sahih Bukhari et Sahih Muslim, Aicha a été accusée d’adultère après avoir été laissée derrière par la caravane.

Dans les récits de cet incident qui a presque conduit Muhammad à divorcer, Aicha est à de nombreuses reprises mentionnée comme une jeune fille (jariyatun hadithatu s-sinni جَارِيَةٌ حَدِيثَةُ السِّنِّ), elle-même le déclarant deux fois et une fois par son esclave Barîra. Aicha indique que "à cette époque, j'étais une jeune femme" et "j’étais une jeune fille et je n’avais pas beaucoup de connaissances du Coran" (les deux utilisent la même expression arabe qui vient d'être mentionnée). Barîra dit, "je n'ai jamais rien vu de mauvais en elle, sauf que c’est une fille d'un âge immature qui, quelquefois, s’endort et laisse la pâte à manger aux chèvres."

Le hadith détaillant cet incident est largement transmis d’Aicha à 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr (son neveu), à son élève Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. Une brève réponse à une question au sujet des noms de ses accusateurs (mais sans plus de détails) apparaît également dans une lettre de 'Urwa, transmise par son fils, Hisham.^[20]

The same phrase occurs in narrations about Muhammad screening Aisha with his garment when some Ethiopians were playing (e.g. Sahih Bukhari 7:62:163). One version of a hadith about Aisha experiencing menstruation while on pilgrimage to Mecca too describes her uses the same phrase (Sahih Muslim 2:2773) though the other narrations of that hadith do not include the phrase (one explicitly points out its absence: Sahih Muslim 7:2774).

Apologetic history

The majority of scholars today agree that Aisha was 9 when her marriage to Prophet Muhammad was consummated. This has been the mainstream Muslim understanding throughout Islam's 1,400 year history.^[21] The first recorded objection raised to Aisha's age was by Maulana Muhammad Ali who lived from 1874 to 1951.^[22] However, he is not considered credible to the Sunni sect since he belonged to the Ahmadiyya sect whose beliefs drastically differ from mainstream Islam. The Ahmadiyya and their writings are also heavily focused on missionary work.^[23]

Adding to Ali's objections, there is Habib Ur Rahman Siddiqui Kandhalvi (1924-1991) who in his Urdu booklet, "Tehqiq e umar e Siddiqah e Ka'inat" (English trans. 1997), laments that he is "tired of defending this tradition" that is "laughed" at and "ridiculed" by English-educated individuals he meets in Karachi who claim it is against "sagacity and prudence" and "preferred English society to Islam over this", and he readily admits his "aim is to produce an answer to the enemies of Islam who spatter mud at the pious body of the Generous Prophet".^[24] A posthumous fatwa was issued against him in November 2004, labelling him a "Munkir-e-Hadith" (hadith rejector) and a "Kafir" (infidel) on the basis of being a rejector of hadith.^[25]

Deriving arguments from both Habib Ur Rahman and Muhammad Ali, Moiz Amjad (who refers to himself as "The Learner") is the most recent reference to online apologetic. Moiz admits to having lifted his arguments from them, summarizing and presenting them in response to a Muslim asking him how he can respond to critical Christians.^[26] With Moiz's restructured response the arguments originating from the Ahmadiyya in the 1920s and 1930s finally achieved a little popularity among a few orthodox Muslims. However, this popularity seems to be strictly limited to articles or arguments on the Internet and not between contemporary sheikhs and scholars.

In July 2005, Shaykh Dr. Gibril Haddad responded to Moiz Amjad's polemics with, "Our Mother A'isha's Age At The Time Of Her Marriage to The Prophet."^[27] Shaykh Haddad was listed amongst the inaugural "500 most influential Muslims in the world"^[28] and is considered a Muslim scholar and muhaddith (hadith expert).^[28] Haddad included many facts that are easily verifiable for those who have access to the hadith and sira literature. For example, his analysis highlighted the fact that many of the arguments were based solely on faulty assumptions taken from hadiths completely unrelated to Aisha's age, or were misrepresenting the sources that were being cited (i.e. hadiths actually in support the idea that Aisha was 9). His reply has not yet been answered by Moiz Amjad.

However, Haddad's response did not stop Amjad's arguments from being rehashed by apologists on the Internet with the same missionary and apologetic focus. Other transmitters of these arguments include, but are not limited to; T.O Shavanas,^[29] “Imam” Chaudhry (word-for-word plagiarism of Amjad's work),^[30] Zahid Aziz,^[22] Nilofar Ahmed,^[31] and David Liepert.^[32]

Modern revisionary perspectives

Some Muslim authors have eschewed the traditionally-accepted ahadith and attempted to calculate Aisha's age based on details found in other ahadith and some biographies, though Kecia Ali labels these attempts as "revisionist".^[14]

Not enough narrators

This claim objects that there is only one narrator, Hisham ibn `urwah, and that although it is a sahih (authentic hadith) he alone is not enough to consider the hadith reliable. However, many of the chains of narration for these hadiths^[33] do not involve Hisham (for example, Sahih Muslim 8:3311^[34]), and in any case, there is no requirement in Islam for multiple narrations. Even a single sahih hadith is sufficient to establish Islamic laws and practices.

Shaykh Haddad also refutes the claim that most of these narrations are reported only by Hisham: "Try more than eleven authorities among the Tabi`in that reported it directly from `A'isha, not counting the other major Companions that reported the same, nor other major Successors that reported it from other than `A'isha."^[27]

Details of some of these other chains of narration that do not include Hisham ibn 'Urwah ibn az-Zubayr can be found in the first half of an article by the IslamQA website.

Locality of narrations

A related claim is that Hisham's hadith is not narrated by Medinans, despite him living there for most of his life. However, Shaykh Haddad responds with examples of Medinans reporting the narration:

Revelation time of surah al-Qamar

This arguments uses the Sahih Bukhari hadith in which Aisha explains she was a young girl when Surah (chapter) al-Qamar of the Quran was revealed.^[35] With the rough estimation that this chapter was revealed nine years before hijrah (c. 622) some conclude that this makes Aisha older than other hadiths claim.

However, the precise date of the revelation of Surah al-Qamar is unknown. Ibn Hajar, Maududi, and other traditionalists said it was revealed 5 years before Hijrah (BH).^[36] Zahid Aziz said it was revealed before 6 BH.^[37] Alternatively there is no reputable source that claims this chapter came about 9 BH.

Shaykh Haddad confirms this as he argues that the traditional estimate of the revelation of Surah al-Qamar is consistent with Aisha’s age being nine years.

Battle of Badr and Uhud

This apologetic argument aims to make the claim that Aisha was at the Battles of Badr and Uhud, and that since standard practice at the time disallowed anyone under 15 from joining the battlefield, she could not have been younger than this.

However, there are no sources that can be found mentioning Aisha's participation in the Battle of Badr. A few hadiths highlight Aisha's involvement in the Battle of Uhud, but only to the extent that she was not involved in the battlefield and merely carrying water skins to the combatants.^[38] Women and young children were allowed to perform such functions during battles.^[39]

Shaykh Haddad responds to this apologetic argument:

Age of Asma

One da'if (weak) hadith narrated from al-Zinad and recorded in the works of some medieval scholars, including al-Dhahabi,^[40] states that Aisha's older sister Asma was ten years older than her. This has been combined with information about Asma's age at the time of her death and used to suggest that Aisha was over thirteen at the time of her marriage.

Shaykh Haddad and the IslamQA website both independently criticise this approach as relying on a single narrator, who most scholars regard as weak, and note that a hadith by a more reliable chain from the same narrator gives a broader range for the age difference between the sisters.^[27][41] Both also note that al-Dhahabi too gave the vaguer opinion that Asma was "ten or more" years older than Aisha.

Tabari's account of Abu Bakr's children and wives

This account uses al-Tabari's exegesis to argue that Aisha was born in the pre-islamic period, and thus could not have been less than 14 tears old.^[42]

However, al-Tabari's own account reports at least five times that Aisha was around 6-7 years old during marriage and the marriage was consummated 3 years later.^{[43][44][45][46][47]}

Furthermore, Shaykh Gibril Haddad says that the initial passage mentioned is misinterpreted, stating "Al-Tabari nowhere reports that 'Abu Bakr's four children were all born in Jahiliyya' but only that Abu Bakr married both their mothers in Jahiliyya, Qutayla bint Sa`d and Umm Ruman, who bore him four children in all, two each, `A'isha being the daughter of Umm Ruman."^[27]

Time of Umar's conversion to Islam

This argument draws on al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Biography of the Prophet) to claim that since Ayesha converted to Islam before Umar she could not have been born during the first year of Islam.^[48]

However, even if the claim Aisha converted to Islam before Umar were true it, does not mean this took place during the first year of Islam, since Umar converted in 617 AD, about 4 years after Aisha’s birth in 613 AD.^[1] Furthermore Aisha never accounted converting to islam as hadiths show she never remembered a time before when her family wasn't Muslim.^[49]

Besides disputing the claim that Ibn Hisham reported that Aisha accepted Islam quite some time before `umar ibn al-Khattab, Shaykh Haddad also casts doubt on the claim stating:

Tabari's account of Abu Bakr's migration to Habshah

This argument claims that al-Tabari states that when Abu Bakr was planning to migrate to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), he spoke to Mut`am, with whose son, Jabayr, Aisha was engaged. This migration occured eight years before hijrah, at which time Aisha had only just been born if she consumated her marriage to Muhammad at the age of 9 or 10.

Proponents of this claim admit they have no primary source, which originated in Kandhalvi's Urdu booklet.^[26] Shayk Haddad responds that "there is no mention of emigration in Tabari's account of Abu Bakr's discussion with Mut`im" and "there had been only some preliminary talk, not a formal arrangement".^[27]

The meaning of bikr

This argument cites a hadith in Ibn Hanbal's Musnad saying that Khaulah suggested Aisha to Muhammad as a virgin (bikr) he could marry. The claim is that bikr would not be used for a young girl.^[50]

However, there are multiple sahih hadith narrations of a highly relevant conversation between Muhammad and Jabir in which bikr (virgin) is clearly compatible with jariyah (young girl).

Shaykh Haddad says regarding the claim, "This is ignorant nonsense, bikr means a virgin girl, a girl who has never been married even if her age is 0 and there is no unclarity here whatsoever.".^[27]

Fatima's age difference

This claim is that according to ibn Hajar, Fatima was five years older than Aisha and Muhammad was 35 years old when Fatima was born. Therefore, based on this claim, Aisha must have been a teenager at the time her marriage was consummated.

However, the proponent of this claim^[26] has combined and selectively quoted conflicting sources. Shaykh Haddad responds:

Hadith saying Aisha had reached puberty

This argument is based off a mistranslated hadith, Sahih Bukhari 1:8:465, which reinterprets to the idea that Aisha had seen her parents follow islam since the age of puberty, and not a day passed by without Muhammad visiting them.

However, the word أَعْقِلْ means thoughts or reasoning, but the translator, Muhsin Khan, has used the word 'puberty'. The meaning rather is simply that 'Aisha was aware that her parents were following Islam. A literal translation would be "I was not aware of my parents other than that the two of them both acknowledged the religion". The exact same Arabic phrase is translated correctly in another hadith by the same translator.^[51]

Hadith in which Aisha mensturated

This argument is also based off a mistranslated hadith, Sunan Abu Dawud 4915 (Ahmad Hasan numbering; 4933 Dar-us-Salam).

Ahmad Hasan mistranslates Abu Dawud's comment as "That is to say: I menstruated". Aisha's phrase "I burst into laughter" is fa-qultu heeh heeh (فَقُلْتُ هِيهْ هِيهْ), "And I said heh, heh". The Dar-us-Salam English-Arabic edition of Sunan Abu Dawud translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Hadith 4933) renders Aisha's words here: "She made me stand at the door and I started to breathe deeply".

Abu Dawud's comment is ay tanaffasat (أَىْ تَنَفَّسَتْ), which is "That is to say 'I breathed'". The verb nun-fa-sin is used here in Arabic form V with the ta prefix and shadda (doubled) middle letter, which Lane's Lexicon says means "breathed". Form I can mean menstruated, but that is not the form used in the hadith.^[52]

See Also

• Child Marriage in Islamic Law
• She's too young (Fatima)

Translations

• A version of this page is also available in the following languages: Czech. For additional languages, see the sidebar on the left.

External Links

• Shaykh Gibril Haddad - Biography of Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad at SunniPath, The online Islamic Academy
• Responses to "The Learner" (Moiz Amjad) and others - Collection of Answering Islam articles

Acknowledgments

Références