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→How Old was Aisha?
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If they knew that she had been born at the “beginning” and not the “middle” or the “end” of the year, it is unlikely that they would have been wrong about the year itself. “The fourth year of prophethood” was indeed the ninth year before the ''Hijra''. It was the year when Muhammad first preached Islam in public;<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 117.</ref> Aisha’s parents would not have forgotten what was happening around the city at the time when their daughter was born. Abu Bakr’s accuracy is not really surprising, as he was a recognised expert on genealogy,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 115.</ref> so a person’s month of birth was exactly the kind of detail that he would remember. | If they knew that she had been born at the “beginning” and not the “middle” or the “end” of the year, it is unlikely that they would have been wrong about the year itself. “The fourth year of prophethood” was indeed the ninth year before the ''Hijra''. It was the year when Muhammad first preached Islam in public;<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 117.</ref> Aisha’s parents would not have forgotten what was happening around the city at the time when their daughter was born. Abu Bakr’s accuracy is not really surprising, as he was a recognised expert on genealogy,<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 115.</ref> so a person’s month of birth was exactly the kind of detail that he would remember. | ||
{{Quote|Muslim|8|3311|Aisha narrated that Allah’s Apostle married her when she was seven years old, and he she was taken to his house as a bride '''when she was nine''', and her dolls were with her; and when he died she was 18 years old.}} | {{Quote|{{Muslim|8|3311}}|Aisha narrated that Allah’s Apostle married her when she was seven years old, and he she was taken to his house as a bride '''when she was nine''', and her dolls were with her; and when he died she was 18 years old.}} | ||
{{Quote|Ibn Majah | {{Quote|Ibn Majah 3:1877|Abdullah narrated. The Holy Prophet married Aisha while she was a seven-year-old girl and took her to his house as a bride '''when she was nine years old''' and he parted with her when she was 18 years old.}} | ||
These two narratives offer a variant for Aisha’s age when she was legally married, but this is an uncertainty about the date of the contract (two rather than three years before the consummation) and not about the date of Aisha’s birth, since they confirm that the marriage was consummated when she was nine. The real discrepancy can be missed by a Western reader, but it is obvious to anyone familiar with the Islamic calendar. | These two narratives offer a variant for Aisha’s age when she was legally married, but this is an uncertainty about the date of the contract (two rather than three years before the consummation) and not about the date of Aisha’s birth, since they confirm that the marriage was consummated when she was nine. The real discrepancy can be missed by a Western reader, but it is obvious to anyone familiar with the Islamic calendar. | ||
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Her marriage was consummated in the tenth month of the first year AH. This fell between 11 April and 9 May (median = 25 April 623). We can now take an informed estimate of her age at consummation. | Her marriage was consummated in the tenth month of the first year AH. This fell between 11 April and 9 May (median = 25 April 623). We can now take an informed estimate of her age at consummation. | ||
:::'''Aisha’s Median Age at Consummation = 9 years and 3 months.''' | |||
''Muhammad’s Age = 52 years and 0 months.''' | :::''Muhammad’s Age = 52 years and 0 months.''' | ||
'''Age Difference = 42 years and 9 months.''' | :::'''Age Difference = 42 years and 9 months.''' | ||
The exact age or age difference down to the day or even to the year do not matter, of course. The real points are that (1) Aisha was a prepubescent child, and (2) Muhammad was old enough to be her grandfather. | The exact age or age difference down to the day or even to the year do not matter, of course. The real points are that (1) Aisha was a prepubescent child, and (2) Muhammad was old enough to be her grandfather. | ||