Thread by @Muslim_Writers

A very repeated allegation has been spreading once again on the noble character of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ). The allegation regarding the age of Hazrat Ayesha (ra) around her marriage has resurfaced, often taken out of historical and cultural context to malign his character

https://twitter.com/JoeyMannarinoUS/status/1949491966041100354

InshaAllah, we will be refuting this allegation using authentic Hadiths, historical records, and scholarly analysis to provide a clear, contextual, and evidence-based understanding of the matter.

We start off with this Quranic verse: "In their hearts was a disease, and Allah has increased their disease to them; and for them is a grievous punishment because they lied." (2:11)

And this hadith by the Holy Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ): "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell."

The following hadith has been used by many clerics to make erroneous claims on the character of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ). You can see from the picture the key narrator here being Hisham bin Urwah. Other reports of this specific narration all trace back to this person.

Hisham bin Urwah stayed in Medina for 71 years before moving to Kufa, Iran, at 90 yrs old. His memory and eyesight started declining severely after that, and it was first there where he mentioned this Hadith.

Ibn Hajar, in his book (Tahdhib al-Tahdhib), mentions that the great scholar Imam Malik (rh) (who was Hisham ibn Urwah's most acclaimed student) where he advised not to take any narrations from him after he moved there. Other scholars like Imam Dhahabi have also said the same.

Other historical factors that show a clearer picture of the situation. In Tarikh al Tabari by Abu Jafar, he says that all four of Abu Bakr's children were born before Pre-Islamic times (Jahilliya Days). This shows her age to be more than what Hisham bin Urwah reported.

In Sirah ibn Hisham, on the biography of Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ), titled under the section of "The Companions Who Embraced Islam By The Invitation Of Abu Bakr," Hazrat Ayesha was named along with other prominent sahaba. She was even described as being very young when she converted.

In Tahdhib al-Asma' wa al-Lughat, Imam Nawawi cites the renowned biographer Ibn Ishaq, who stated, “She was a little girl when she accepted Islam, after 18 others had already embraced it.”

Such a report suggests that Hazrat Ayesha (RA) became Muslim in the earliest days of Islam, raising questions about the commonly cited narration of her only being six when she married. The timeline does not align if she had already accepted Islam during its very initial phase.

Imam Nawawi again states that during the migration, Hazrat Asma (who was Hazrat Ayesha's older sister) was 27 years old at the time. Hazrat Asma was 10 years older than Hazrat Ayesha (ra). This puts her at 17 when she married and around 19 when the marriage was consummated.

During the Battle of Uhud, Hazrat Ayesha (ra) was present there along with Umm Sulaim. If the report of her marriage is taken as true, then she would have been 10 at the time of the Battle of Uhud.

The Holy Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) strictly forbade young males from participating in the war. Therefore, it is unlikely he would let a young girl participate in such a dangerous event.

Hazrat Yusuf bin Mahik narrates that Hazrat Ayesha (ra) once mentioned she was a "playful little girl" when a particular Surah was revealed. Most scholars agree that this Surah was revealed in the fifth year of Prophethood.

For Hazrat Ayesha to recall such a significant event clearly implies she was of an age capable of memory and understanding—suggesting she was older than the commonly cited age of six at the time of her marriage.

The assertion that Hazrat Ayesha (RA) was a child at the time of her marriage is a misleading claim rooted in misinterpretation. A thorough study of reliable historical evidence paints a very different picture. May Allah open the hearts of those who sincerely seek the truth. Amen

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