What is the Context of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) Asking a Companion, ‘Why Don’t you Like Virgins? and Was Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) Six or Nine Years of Age at the Time of Marriage?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

What is the context of Volume 7, Book 62, Number 17 – When I got married, Allah’s Messenger said to me, “What type of lady have you married?” I replied, “I have married a matron” He said, “Why don’t you have a liking for the virgins and for fondling them?” Jabir also said: Allah’s Messenger said, “Why didn’t you marry a young girl so that you might play with her and she with you?”

Also, was ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) 6 or 9 years old when she married Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and were they ever intimate?

Jazakallah Khayr

Answer

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

Marrying a virgin and someone younger is a natural, standard cultural norm, as it was then and it is now. Thus, the context of the inquiry of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). However, the reason the Companion didn’t prefer a virgin is so that a matron could look after his sibling sisters, as mentioned below in a detailed hadith other than what you enquired about and mentioned.

Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them both) narrated that my father died and left behind seven or nine daughters, and I married a woman. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Did you get married, O Jabir?” I replied, “Yes.” He asked, “Is she a virgin or a matron?” I replied, “She is a matron.”

He said, “Why didn’t you marry a virgin girl so that you might play with her and she with you (or, you might make her laugh and she makes you laugh)?” I said, “My father died, leaving seven or nine girls (orphans), and I did not like to bring a young girl like them, so I married a woman who could look after them.” He said, “May Allah bestow His Blessing on you.” [Bukhari]

Consummation of Marriage at Nine Years

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) consummated the marriage with ‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) at nine.

‘Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) married her when she was six years old, and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death). [Bukhari]

I would like you to watch the detailed video answer by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (Allah protect him) and read the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related

• How Old Was Lady Aisha When She Married the Prophet? (Video) – SeekersGuidance
• Should We Examine Islamic History and Law According to Modern Morality? (seekersguidance.org)
• What Are Some Resources on the Life of the Mother of the Believers, Sayyida `Aisha? – SeekersGuidance
• Can You Answer These Allegations about Eleven Marriages of the Prophet? – (seekersguidance.org)
• Who Performed the Marriages of the Prophet (Allah Bless Him and Give Him Peace)? – SeekersGuidance

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?

I pray this helps with your question.

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.