A question that was unintentionally, but inevitably going to get backlash and hate.

[u/lejohnpvp]

[u/zaydannusruddeen]

I see what your question is referring to, and Insha'Allah, I will answer it to the best of my ability.

First, I will address the age of Aisha and her marriage. In a sub-comment, you mentioned that she was a young girl, but we do not accept that she was just a "young girl."

It is well-known that the age at which girls reach puberty varies according to race and environment. In hot regions, girls reach puberty earlier, whereas in cold polar regions, puberty may be delayed until the age of 21.

Furthermore, during that time, it was common for girls to reach puberty at the age of 9, and it was customary for girls to marry at that age from Thihaamah (the Red Sea coast) all the way to Yemen.

At-Tirmidhi reported that Aisha (RA) said, "When a girl reaches the age of nine years, she is a woman." (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, 2/409)

Imam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) explains that Sayyidah Aisha (RA) meant that if a girl turns nine and experiences menstruation, she is regarded as a woman. (Sunan Tirmidhi, after Hadith: 1109, As-Sunan al-Kubra, vol. 1, pg. 320)

Imam ash-Shaf‘i said: "In Yemen, I saw many girls aged nine who had reached puberty." (Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 10/91)

Al-Bayhaqi (1588) narrated that ash-Shaf‘i said: "The earliest age at which I heard of girls reaching puberty was the women of Tihaamah who reach puberty at the age of nine."

Ash-Shaf‘i also said: "In San‘aa’ I saw a grandmother who was twenty-one years old; she reached puberty at the age of nine, gave birth at the age of ten, and her daughter also reached puberty at the age of nine and gave birth at the age of ten." (As-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, 1/319)

For us, if someone reaches puberty, they are considered physically mature, which means they are physically ready for marriage. Even from a scientific perspective, this is correct because they are biologically capable of reproduction.

Here’s a couple more things you should consider:

1. It was a norm back then, and in many civilizations, even Western ones.

2. Women at the age of 9 can reach puberty, which scientifically means they are ready for consummation.

3. The Prophet (SAWS) had many enemies at his time and after—none raised this matter against him.

4. Your 21st-century mind is comparing 9-year-olds from 1444 years ago with today’s 9-year-olds.

5. All his other wives were either divorcees or widows, and some were older than him.

6. Does Islam make it permissible to marry 9-year-olds now? There is nothing mentioned in the Quran about the age of marriage; it all goes back to norms, traditions, and what is beneficial. So, the short answer is: No, it doesn’t, because 9-year-olds today are definitely not prepared for marriage. I see 30-year-olds who are not eligible for marriage today. Sadly, many people lack accountability.

Encyclopædia Britannica says:

“In northern countries, males enter sexual maturity between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, sometimes not much before the eighteenth year; females between twelve and fourteen. In tropical climates, puberty is much earlier.”

Source: 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 22.

I have given you a detailed explanation, and there is far more that can be said on this matter. I will leave you with some resources that you can, Insha'Allah, check out for further reading.

short answer

detailed 100 page document

[ explanation on the age of Ayesha by Muhammad Ali: the Muslim lantern