Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

6 Questions

At what age was Aisha when she married Prophet Muhammad and when did they consummate?

Aisha was a mature woman and not a child as some people claim when she got married with Prophet (SAWA). What is famous among our Sunni brothers according to some of their books, that she was seven or nine years old girl. This is among many famous things which have no authentic evidence as it said in Arabic رُبَّ مشهور لا أصلَ له

They wanted to create a virtue for Aisha by claiming that she was very young when she got married to the Prophet (SAWA). This claim of her very young age contradicts with facts mentioned in their own Sunni books which mentioned the age of her sister Asmaa' Bint Abi Bakr who was ten years older than her.

First fact: Asmaa' Bint Abi Bakr was born 27 years before the Bi'thah of the Prophet (The start of Islam). This fact has been mentioned in many prominent Sunni books like:

Mo'jam Al-Zawaa'id , v.9, p.260.

Omdatol Qaari, 2:93.

al-Mo'jam Al-Kabeer by al-Tabaraani , 24:77.

Tareekh Dimishq by Ibn Asaakir 69:9.

Tahtheeb Al-Asmaa',2:593

Osd Al-Ghaabah, 5:392.

al-Isaabah , 8:14.

Second fact: Aisha was ten years younger than her sister Asmaa'. This fact has been mentioned in many Sunni books like :

al-Estee'aab 2:616

al-Sunan Al-Khubra by Al-Bayhaqi 6:204

Siyar A'laam Al-Nubalaa' 2:295

Tahtheeb Al-Tahtheeb 2:398

Tareekh Al-Islam by al-Thahabi 5:354

al-Bidayah wal Nihayah 8:381
Osd Al-Ghaabah 5:392

These two facts lead to the fact of the age of Aisha. She was born seventeen years before the Bi'thah. The Prophet remained in Makkah for 13 years the migrated to Madinah. This means that Aisha was thirty years old when the prophet migrated to Madina. The marriage took place two years after migration which means that Aisha was thirty two years old when the marriage was consummated.

Many Sunni scholars have rejected the narrations in their own books about the small age of Aisha despite being narrated in Bukhari book.
Many enemies of Islam have attacked the Prophet because of the claimed very young age of Aisha which is claimed by some Muslims.

'We have authentic evidence as you can read above that Aisha was never a child, but was over thirty years.

Wassalam.

If I have not had sexual intercourse with my husband but we have been intimate with each other in other ways, does it make our marriage consummated? And do I need to observe Iddah after divorce?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi

Intimate acts which do not include sexual intercourse do not mean that the marriage has been consummated. Marriage is consummated when sexual intercourse takes place. If there was no sexual intercourse, there will be no Iddah after divorce. Obviously you will then be entitled of half of the agreed Mahr, while if marriage was consummated, you will be entitled to the full Mahr.

Wassalam.

If I have not had sexual intercourse with my husband but we have been intimate with each other in other ways, does it make our marriage consummated? And do I need to observe Iddah after divorce?

Zaid Alsalami

Bismihi ta'ala

If the marriage has not been consummated, there will be no 'iddah for divorce and the wife will be entitled to half the mahr.

Consummating means sexual intercourse, and so there would be 'iddah if (1) there is intercourse, or (2) the husband's seminal fluid (somehow) entered the wife's vagina.

And Allah knows best.

If during their first time together, the husband did not fully penetrate the wife but still ejaculated, would this count as consummation of their marriage?

Amina Inloes

I just wanted to add to this delicate question that usually people tend to keep trying with this sort of thing if it doesn't work out at first.

If you are interested in fully consummating the marriage (and, for instance, your goal isn't to divorce or to have a celibate marriage), and there is some physical block which is is preventing consummation, you could consult a doctor, as there are some medical conditions (both on the side of the male and the female) that can interfere with consummation that can be treated.

Hope that helps! (And if not, please disregard!)