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Ages of Muhammads Wives at Marriage: Difference between revisions
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Ages of Muhammads Wives at Marriage (view source)
Revision as of 00:44, 16 April 2013
, 16 April 2013→How Old was Aisha?
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{{Quote|{{Muslim|8|3310}}|Allah’s Apostle married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when '''I was nine years old.'''}} | {{Quote|{{Muslim|8|3310}}|Allah’s Apostle married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when '''I was nine years old.'''}} | ||
{{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 171}}.|The Prophet married Aisha in Shawwal in the tenth year after the prophethood, three years before the ''Hijra''. He consummated the marriage in Shawwal, eight months after the ''Hijra''. On the day he consummated the marriage with her, '''she was nine years old.'''}} | {{Quote|{{Tabari|39|p. 171}}.|The Prophet married Aisha in Shawwal in the tenth year after the prophethood [13 May - 10 June 620], three years before the ''Hijra''. He consummated the marriage in Shawwal, eight months after the ''Hijra'' [11 May - 9 April 623]. On the day he consummated the marriage with her, '''she was nine years old.'''}} | ||
Copious documentation on hundreds of Muhammad’s companions shows that most Arabs knew their age to the nearest year. Why should Aisha, with her extraordinary memory,<ref>For a modern assessment of Aisha’s contribution to the ''hadith'' literature, see Siddiqi, M. Z. (2006). ''Hadith Literature: its origin, development, special features and criticism'', pp. 33-34. Kuala Lumpar: Islamic Book Trust.</ref> her penchant for details and her talent for arithmetic,<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:47.</ref> have been any exception? To suggest that, contrary to her clear statement, she miscalculated or fabricated her own age is utterly insulting. The information about her death only confirms her consistency. | Copious documentation on hundreds of Muhammad’s companions shows that most Arabs knew their age to the nearest year. Why should Aisha, with her extraordinary memory,<ref>For a modern assessment of Aisha’s contribution to the ''hadith'' literature, see Siddiqi, M. Z. (2006). ''Hadith Literature: its origin, development, special features and criticism'', pp. 33-34. Kuala Lumpar: Islamic Book Trust.</ref> her penchant for details and her talent for arithmetic,<ref>Bewley/Saad 8:47.</ref> have been any exception? To suggest that, contrary to her clear statement, she miscalculated or fabricated her own age is utterly insulting. The information about her death only confirms her consistency. | ||
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[[File:Jariya.jpg|right|thumb|An Arab ''jariya'' wearing a veil.|200px]] | [[File:Jariya.jpg|right|thumb|An Arab ''jariya'' wearing a veil.|200px]] | ||
The year 66 years before 58 AH was once again nine years before the ''Hijra'', making Aisha nine years old at her consummation in 1 AH. While it may well be true that most Arabs only knew their age to the year and not to the day, there is some evidence that Aisha’s family had noted at least the month in which she was born. | The year 66 years before 58 AH (25 October 613 - 13 October 614) was once again nine years before the ''Hijra'', making Aisha nine years old at her consummation in 1 AH. While it may well be true that most Arabs only knew their age to the year and not to the day, there is some evidence that Aisha’s family had noted at least the month in which she was born. | ||
{{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:55.|Aisha was born at the beginning of the fourth year of prophethood, and she married the Messenger of Allah in the tenth year, in Shawwal, when she was six.}} | {{Quote|Bewley/Saad 8:55.|Aisha was born at the beginning of the fourth year of prophethood, and she married the Messenger of Allah in the tenth year, in Shawwal, when she was six.}} | ||
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'' (25 October 613 - 13 October 614). 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.}} | ||
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{{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.}} | {{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) | 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). It does not reflect any uncertainty about Aisha’s date of 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. | ||
Aisha was married in the ''first'' year AH and widowed in the ''eleventh''. Since she was married at nine, she should have been 19, not 18, when Muhammad died. This is possibly just careless counting by some person other than Aisha: “Nine and a bit plus nine and a bit is still only 18.” But it could also mean that on the day when Muhammad died, Aisha had not yet passed her birthday. Muhammad died on 12 Rabi-Awwal 11 AH (i.e., in the middle of the third month).<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 689</ref> If Aisha knew that she had been born on some date later in the year than 12 Rabi-Awwal, then she was still only 18 and not 19 when she was widowed. | Aisha was married in the ''first'' year AH (19 July 622 - 7 July 623) and widowed in the ''eleventh'' (1 April 632 - 20 March 633). Since she was married at nine, she should have been 19, not 18, when Muhammad died. This is possibly just careless counting by some person other than Aisha: “Nine and a bit plus nine and a bit is still only 18.” But it could also mean that on the day when Muhammad died, Aisha had not yet passed her birthday. Muhammad died on 12 Rabi-Awwal 11 AH (i.e., in the middle of the third month) (10 June 632).<ref>Guillaume/Ishaq 689</ref> If Aisha knew that she had been born on some date later in the year than 12 Rabi-Awwal, then she was still only 18 and not 19 when she was widowed. | ||
This gives us Aisha’s date of birth to within six weeks. It might have been as early as 13 Rabi-Awwal 9 BH (4 January 614). But it is unlikely that it was any later than 29 Rabi-Thani 9 BH (19 February 614), as any date later than the fourth month would not have been “early” in the year. So we can express Aisha’s birthday as '''27 January 614, plus or minus three weeks.''' | This gives us Aisha’s date of birth to within six weeks. It might have been as early as 13 Rabi-Awwal 9 BH (4 January 614). But it is unlikely that it was any later than 29 Rabi-Thani 9 BH (19 February 614), as any date later than the fourth month would not have been “early” in the year. So we can express Aisha’s birthday as '''27 January 614, plus or minus three weeks.''' | ||