The Age of ʿĀ’ishah (RA) at the Time of Marriage: Clarifying Doubts

Source: Shumara al-Sunnah, Jhelum

❖ Introduction:​

This article provides a scholarly refutation of doubts regarding the age of ʿĀ’ishah (RA) at the time of her marriage to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Numerous objections have been raised in modern times; however, the classical Islamic sources and scholarly consensus offer clear evidence supporting the well-known account.

❖ Doubt ①:​

Claim: ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was 16 at the time of marriage and 19 at the time of consummation. The narration mentioning 6 and 9 years has allegedly dropped a digit.

Refutation:There is no valid evidence that a digit is missing. The narrations mentioning the age of 6 at marriage and 9 at consummation are mutawātir (mass-transmitted) and cannot be rejected.

❖ Doubt ②:​

Claim: ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was 10 years younger than her sister Asmāʾ, who died at 100 in 73 AH, implying ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was about 18 at the time of marriage.

Refutation:The claim that ʿĀ’ishah was 10 years younger is not authentic. The narration is mursal (disconnected) and weak. In fact:

• Asmāʾ (RA) was 100 at death in 73 AH, so she was 38 when the Prophet ﷺ passed away.
• ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was 18 at that time, showing a 20-year age difference, not 10.
• Thus, ʿĀ’ishah’s age at the time of marriage (nikāḥ) was 6, and consummation (rukhsatī) at 9.

❖ Doubt ③:​

Claim: ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was only 5 years younger than Fāṭimah (RA), who died at 30 or 35. Hence, ʿĀ’ishah must have been at least 15 or 20 at marriage.

Refutation:There is no authentic evidence supporting the five-year age difference. The claim is speculative and lacks reliable narration.

❖ Doubt ④:​

Claim: All of Abū Bakr’s children were born before the advent of Islam.

Refutation:This claim is false and comes from weak sources like al-Kalbī and al-Wāqidī. Abū Bakr (RA) had children after the Prophet’s mission, including Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr and Umm Kulthūm.

❖ Doubt ⑤:​

Claim: How could a narration exactly about ʿĀ’ishah’s age reach Bukhārī two centuries later without written evidence?

Refutation:The same narration has been recorded long before Bukhārī, by many earlier scholars including:

• Ibn Abī Shaybah
• Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal
• Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr
  This narration is mutawātir and supported by numerous chains.
  

❖ Doubt ⑥:​

Claim: Conflicting timelines between the death of Khadījah (RA) and the marriage of ʿĀ’ishah (RA) cast doubt.

Refutation:

• The narration about the Prophet ﷺ staying two years after Khadījah's (RA) death is mursal and not authentic.
• The nikāḥ of ʿĀ’ishah (RA) occurred during that period, but rukhsatī took place in Madinah, two years later.
  No contradiction exists.

❖ Doubt ⑦:​

Claim: ʿĀ’ishah (RA) remembered verses revealed before her birth. How is that possible if she was six at marriage?

Refutation:

• The date of revelation of Sūrah Qamar (verse 46) is not definitively proven.
• ʿĀ’ishah (RA) was only stating that as a child, she memorized the verse—not necessarily at the time of revelation.

❖ Doubt ⑧:​

Claim: ʿĀ’ishah (RA) said she was aware (aware enough to understand Islam) as a child, which implies a higher age.

Refutation:

• The term "aware" or "hoosh" refers to cognitive maturity, which varies.
• Many children, including ʿĀ’ishah (RA), displayed early intellect and memory, even at age 4-5.
  

❖ Doubt ⑨:​

Claim: Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, a narrator in the chain, was mudallis.

Refutation:

• There is no solid proof of Hishām being a mudallis.
• His narrations are corroborated by many others, including az-Zuhrī, Ibrāhīm an-Nakhaʿī, and ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUrwah.
• The narration has multiple independent chains, making it mutawātir.

❖ Doubt ⑩:​

Claim: Hishām ibn ʿUrwah became senile in old age; perhaps this narration is from that period?

Refutation:

• The claim of senility is not proven, and respected scholars like adh-Dhahabī and Ibn Ḥajar rejected this claim.
• Even if there were concerns, this narration is supported by other strong, parallel chains, ensuring its authenticity.

❖ Conclusion:​

The authentic hadith recorded by Imām al-Bukhārī and Imām Muslim states:

“The Prophet ﷺ married me when I was six and consummated the marriage when I was nine.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 5133)

✔ This narration is mass-transmitted (mutawātir) through various companions and successors.
✔ Every scholarly objection has been thoroughly answered by traditional scholarship.
✔ Fabricated timelines and pseudo-historical arguments cannot override the clear and authentic prophetic tradition.