Muhammad, Khadijah and Aisha

O' creatures of Allah! You and whatever you desire from this world are like guests with fixed period of stay, and like debtors called upon to pay. Life is getting short while (the records of) actions are being preserved. Many strivers are wasting (their efforts) and many of those who exert are heading towards harm. You are in a period when steps of virtue are moving backwards, steps of evil are moving forward and Satan is increasing his eagerness to ruin people. This is the time that his equipment is strong, his traps have been spread and his prey has become easy (to catch).

Cast your glance over people wherever you like, you will see either a poor man suffering from poverty, or a rich man ignoring Allah despite His bounty over him, or a miser increasing his wealth by trampling on Allah's obligations, or an unruly person closing his ears to all counsel. Where are your good people; where are your virtuous people? Where are your high spirited men and generous men? Where are those of you who avoid deceit in their business and remain pure in their behaviour? Have they not all departed from this ignoble, transitory and troublesome world? Have you not been left among people who are just like rubbish and so low that lips avoid mention of them and do not move even to condemn their low position.

Mischief has appeared and there is no one to oppose and change it, nor anyone to dissuade from it or desist from it. Do you, with these qualities, hope to secure abode in the purified neighbourhood of Allah and to be regarded His staunch lovers? Alas! Allah cannot be deceived about His paradise and His will cannot be secured save by His obedience. Allah may curse those who advise good but they themselves avoid it, and those who desist others from evil but they themselves act upon it.

As for Aisha's age: the main point is God would not have Muhammad as His prophet, one of His great historical teachers, if Muhammad would have such sinister intentions of towards women, especially young girls.

Greg: But that's my view and i'll not resort to violence or threats to make my views known and or believed by others. And that's where organized religion and me differ.

People in biblical times [with each prophet] who were embracing God's Word had no choice but to defend themselves. They usually were not the aggressors, they had to defend themselves against pagans who did not want to lose their influence on the people. God never says to know Him through force and violence.

People willingly believing in God irritated a lot of the pagans. This threatened the pagans, and their fears grew to the point of violence. Look at the pharisees in the time of Jesus. They turned on Him because of His outrage of their money-lending shenanigans. Jesus was a huge threat to their over-indulgent profit-making. They too resorted to violence.

Just because you don't care for religion doesn't mean you don't do good works, anyway. You do all the time, at moments without realizing it. You have a conscience, a soul, and you have the desire for justice. And a peaceful justice at that.

Yes. Paradise CAN be on earth. YOU have to make it so. It's your life, your decision, however you choose. Just don't hurt others.

Who said one had to die to achieve paradise? Who said that??? And why can't we have paradise after we die? What's wrong with this thinking? I know you don't believe in Heaven.

My question to you is how can you not believe that we exist after this life? Wouldn't it be better to believe that we have somewhere better to go than to believe we go nowhere? What is the point of nothing and nowhere? Life is difficult enough without such self-defeating, negative thoughts.

You talk about people dying from cancer. I know someone who was just walking down the street and got shot...just like that, she's gone.

Should we blame our parents for bringing us into the world? Should we all just be angry at them? We can see, touch, and hear them - unlike God. Why blame God? Let's just all blame our parents for our lousy, wasted, unhappy lives, eh?

They are the easier target! I say we form a clan! What about those Palestinian children that keep getting born? Only to die a few days or a few years later. Why isn't their a revolt against the Palestinian parents? Why do you suppose life keeps going regardless of the turmoil?

Greg - "I'm not into organized religion, since to me, religion has been used as an excuse to launch more wars in history than any other reason, so I haven't read the Koran. Looks to me like all three of the Biggies, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have plenty of sins in their past."

Yes religion has been misused. It isn't so much religion's fault, but how humans view and teach the scripture. It's HUMANS who go to war, using religion. It's HUMANS who twist the scripture and leave out parts to change its meaning - to gain dominance over others.   Don't blame religion, blame the people.

And they each have a name.

How did I twist things?

I never twisted a single thing.  I simply told you the difference why there was marriage with young girls in biblical times which is not to be associated with child molestation of these current times - which is exactly what zionist media does. 

I most certainly did not make you out into a weirdo or idiot.  I am trying to make you understand that you - just like myself - have different ways of thinking because of our North American culture - from the ways of thinking of a people a thousand to thousands of years ago.

Yes.  We would not like to see a girl of 13 marry, even if it is legal.  Young girls are different today. Their mental attitudes change quickly, have more interests outside the home.  The world is different today.  Men are different today.  I am afraid a man today would not have a  very young bride's best interests at heart, nor would he have the patience.  Our education has changed greatly since a thousand  years plus.  Girls think about independence,  careers, houses, and cars . unlike any time before.   [And we have porn, movies, TV, sexualized music]

In those days men, predominantly,  took care of EVERYTHING.  

I don't know what you said in Arabic.  I don't know Arabic.  You say something about a believer.  I am not going to look for the translation.

You tell me what you said.

Have we ever thought that why will the Prophet of Islam marry a 9, 6 in some places, year girl. What was the requirement for it? Sunni historians have recorded that the prophet didnot allow Abu Bakr or Umer to marry with his daughter, Hz Fatima, due to the vast age difference. She was too young for them. The prophet refused to marry her YOUNG daughter with older men, and he himself would marry a 9 year old minor, with an age difference of more than 35 years?

Many anti-Islamic sites accuse our Beloved Holy Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, of , God Forbid, marrying a minor. We present here an article that will clear our Beloved Holy Prophet (pbuh) off this blasphemous charge.

Most narrations carry misstatements about the age of Hazrat ‘Aishah Siddiqah at the time of her marriage to the Holy Prophet, (peach and blessings of Allah be upon him). They place this marriage in the tenth year of the Call and state that Hazrat ‘Aishah was only 6 years old at that time. On proper sifting of the material facts, these statements turn out to be incorrect and it becomes evident that she, in fact, was about 19 or 20 years of age when she arrived in the house of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as his wife in 2 A.H.

It will be in the fitness of things to quote from the writings of two well-known Muslim scholars of the present century who are the main exponents of the view that Hazrat ‘Aishah Siddiqah was 6 years old at her Nikah and 9 years old at the time of the consummation of her marriage. Both Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi and Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi are well-known Muslim authors of Seerat (biography).

Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi writes on page 21 of his book ‘Seerat-i-Aishah’: “Books of history and biography are generally silent about the birth date of Hazrat ‘Aishah. The historian Ibn Sa’d, whom many later biographers have followed, has written that Hazrat ‘Aishah was born in the fourth year of the Call, and was married at the age of 6 years in the tenth year of the Call. Apparently this cannot be correct, because if her birth in the fourth year of the Call be admitted as correct then her age at the time of her marriage in the tenth year of the Call works out to 7 and not 6 years. The fact remains that some matters about the age of Hazrat ‘Aishah are admitted to be correct by most historians and biographers, and these are: She was married three years before Hijrah at the age of six years; the marriage was consummated in the month of Shawal in the year 1 A.H. when she was 9 years old, and she became a widow in Rabi-al-Awwal 11 A.H., at the age of 18 years. According to this account, the correct date of her birth works out to the end of the fifth year of the Call or 614 A.D. of the Christian calendar. For a proper comprehension of the events of history, one should bear in mind that out of a total period of 23 years of the Call, the first 13 years were passed in Mecca and the last 10 years in Madina. Thus, the fourth year of the Call had already been out before her birth and the fifth year was running.”

In the article, “The Nikah Date of Sayedah ‘Aishah,” published in the ‘Tarjuman al-Quran’ of September 1976, Maulana Abul Ala Maududi wrote: “It is apparent from the detailed reports of Imam Ahmad Tibrani, Ibn Jareer and Baihaqi that the Nikah of Sayedah ‘Aishah was solemnised before the Nikah of Sayedah Saudah. It is also evident that her Nikah with the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was solemnised in the month of Shawal of the tenth year of the Call, three years before Hijrah, when she was 6 years old. Here a question arises, that if Sayedah ‘Aishah was 6 years of age in the Shawal of the tenth year of the Call, then she should have been 9 years of age at the time of Hijrah and should have been of 11 years in 2 A.H. at the time of consummation. But all narrators agree that her Nikah was solemnised when she was 6 years old and the marriage was consummated when she was 9 years old. Some Ulema have tried to meet this discrepancy by saying that the marriage was consummated seven months after Hijrah. Hafiz Ibn Hajar has preferred this view. On the other hand, Imam Nauvi in his ‘Tahzeeb al-Asma’a al-Lughat’, Hafiz Ibn Katheer in his ‘Al-Badaya’ and Allama Qustalani in his ‘Mawahib al-Deeniah’ report consummation in 2 A.H. Hafiz Badr-ud-Din Aini has written in his Umdat al-Qari that the marriage of ‘Aishah Siddiqah was consummated in Shawal 2 A.H. after the return of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) from the battle of Badr. Both Imam Nauvi and Allama Aini consider the above-quoted reports of consummation of marriage seven months after Hijrah as irresponsible and untrustworthy. Thus we are faced with a question that if the marriage was consummated at the age of 9 years in Shawal 2 A.H., then what should be the date of Nikah which should tally with her age of 6 years? An answer to this question is found in Bukhari wherein it is reported from Urwah ibn Zubair, “Sayedah Khadijah died three years before Hijrah; the Holy Prophet solemnised Nikah with Sayedah ‘Aishah two years after that. Then it was consummated at the age of 9 years.” This works out to be correct that Nikah was solemnised one year before Hijrah when she was 6 years old and consummation took place in 2 A.H. when she was 9 years.” The above quotations amply bear out that both Syed Nadvi and Syed Maududi agree to the correctness of reports stating the age of Sayedah ‘Aishah at 6 years at Nikah and 9 years at the consummation. Their only worry seems to be the calculation of the correct year of the Call and the Hijrah for fixing these ages in those calendar years. Both of them start with a preconception that the age of 6 years for Nikah and 9 years for consummation are correct and true, and set out in search of the correct year of the Call and Hijrah in which these preconceived ages will fit in. This hardly can be called a scientific method of finding her correct age. This rather may be called an effort to find a correct date for a given age.

As far as my information goes the first voice against the common misconception about the age of Sayedah ‘Aishah at her marriage was raised by Maulana Muhammad Ali, M.A., LL.B., in 1924 in his ‘Muhammad the Prophet’, wherein he wrote: “The popular misconception as to Aishah’s age may be removed here. That she had not attained majority is clear enough, but that she was not so young as six years of age is also true. In the first place, it is clear that she had reached an age when betrothal could take place in the ordinary course and must therefore have been approaching the age of majority. Again, the Isabah, speaking of the Prophet’s daughter Fatimah, says that she was about five years older than ‘Aishah. It is a fact (According to the Sunnis/The Shia Version Differs) that Fatimah was born when the Ka’bah was being rebuilt, i.e., five years before the Call or a little before it, and so ‘Aishah was certainly not below ten years at the time of her marriage with the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in the tenth year of the Call. This conclusion is borne out by the testimony of ‘Aishah herself who is reported to have related that when the chapter entitled ‘The Moon’ (the 54th chapter) was revealed she was a girl playing about and that she remembered certain verses then revealed. Now the fifty-fourth chapter could not have been revealed later than the fifth year of the Call, and therefore the report which states her to have been six years old in the tenth year of the Call when her marriage ceremony was gone through cannot be correct, because this would show her to have born about the time of the revelation of the 54th chapter. All these considerations show her to have been not less than ten years old at the time of her marriage. And as the period between her marriage and its consummation was not less than five years, because the consummation took place in the second year of the Fight, it follows that she could not have been less than fifteen at that time. The popular account that she was six years at marriage and nine years at the time of consummation is decidedly not correct, because it supposes the period between the marriage and its consummation to be only three years, while this is historically wrong.”

In spite of this severe criticism of Muhammad Ali’s view, Nadvi not only contradicts himself about the age of Hazrat ‘Aishah, but provides supporting evidence to Muhammad Ali’s views when, writing about the last days of the life of Hazrat ‘Aishah, he writes at page 111 of the same ‘Seerat-i-Aishah’: “Hazrat ‘Aishah was a widow and she passed 40 years of her life as a widow.”

Further, at page 153 he writes: “The last days of Khilafat (Caliphate) of Amir Muawiyya were the last days of the life of Hazrat ‘Aishah and her age at that time was 67 years.” Now if we deduct 40 years of her widowed life from 67 years then we find she was 27 years of age at the time of the passing away of the Holy Prophet in 11 A.H. and not 18 years as reported by Nadvi in the earlier pages of the same book. Since the total period of the Call is 23 years, therefore, according to this account she was born about four years before the Call and not in the fourth year of the Call as Nadvi tried to make us believe in his earlier pages quoted herein above. Consequently, her age at the time of the Nikah in the tenth year of the Call works out to 14-15 years and not 6 years, as Nadvi himself so assertively reported. According to this account, Hazrat ‘Aishah’s age at the time of consummation of her marriage in 2 A.H. works out to 19-20 years and not 9 years as stated in earlier pages of Seerat-i-Aishah. A further enquiry is most naturally necessitated to find out which of the reports of Nadvi should be given credence.

There are other important events recorded in history which provide definite evidence about the age of Hazrat ‘Aishah.

1. The well-known historian Ibn Jareer al-Tabari writes at page 50 of volume 4 of his ‘Book of History’: “Abu Bakr married two ladies in the days of ignorance (pre-Call era). Fateelah daughter of Abd al-Aza was the first, from whom Abdullah and Asma were born. Umm-i-Rooman was the second, from whom Abd al-Rahman and ‘Aishah were born. All the four children of Abu Bakr were born in the days of ignorance (Jahiliyyah, i.e., pre-Islamic days) from the above-named two ladies.

2. It is a well-known fact of history, that Abu Bakr’s son Abd al-Rahman fought against the Muslims in the battle of Badr. His age at that time was 21-22 years, and although he was older than ‘Aishah, there is no evidence to show that the difference between their ages was more than three or four years. This fact lends support to the view that Hazrat ‘Aishah was born four or five years before the Call.

3. The well-known historian and scholar ‘Allama ‘Imad-ud-Deen Ibn Katheer writes in his ‘Al-Badayah’ about Sayedah Asma’ daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakr’: Asma’ died in 73 A.H. at the age of 100 years. She was ten years older than her sister ‘Aishah. Now according to this report ‘Asma’ would have been 27-28 years old at the time of Hijrah and since she was ten years older than Sayedah ‘Aishah, therefore the age of Sayedah ‘Aishah would have been 17 or 18 years at the time of Hijrah. Accordingly, her birth falls about four or five years before the Call, and her age at the time of the consummation of marriage in 2 A.H. will work out to 19-20 years.

4. The author of the well-known collection of Hadith ‘Mishkat al-Masabeeh’, Sheikh Waheed-ud-Deen, writes in his well-known book ‘Ahmal fi Asma’ al-Rijjal’: “At the time of the consummation of her marriage Sayedah ‘Aishah’s age was not less than 18-19 years.”

Besides the above, there are many evidences as well.

1. Evidence 1: Reliability of Source
Most of the narratives printed in the books of hadith are reported only by Hisham ibn `Urwah, who was reporting on the authority of his father. First of all, more people than just one, two or three should logically have reported. It is strange that no one from Medina, where Hisham ibn `Urwah lived the first 71 years of his life narrated the event, despite the fact that his Medinan pupils included the well-respected Malik ibn Anas. The origins of the report of the narratives of this event are people from Iraq, where Hisham is reported to have shifted after living in Medina for most of his life.

Tehzibu’l-Tehzib, one of the most well known books on the life and reliability of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet, reports that according to Yaqub ibn Shaibah: “He [Hisham] is highly reliable, his narratives are acceptable, except what he narrated after moving over to Iraq” (Tehzi’bu’l-tehzi’b, Ibn Hajar Al-`asqala’ni, Dar Ihya al-turath al-Islami, 15th century. Vol 11, p. 50).

It further states that Malik ibn Anas objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people in Iraq: “I have been told that Malik objected on those narratives of Hisham which were reported through people of Iraq” (Tehzi’b u’l-tehzi’b, Ibn Hajar Al-`asqala’ni, Dar Ihya al-turath al-Islami, Vol.11, p. 50).

Mizanu’l-ai`tidal, another book on the life sketches of the narrators of the traditions of the Prophet reports: “When he was old, Hisham’s memory suffered quite badly” (Mizanu’l-ai`tidal, Al-Zahbi, Al-Maktabatu’l-athriyyah, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, Vol. 4, p. 301).

Based on these references, Hisham’s memory was failing and his narratives while in Iraq were unreliable. So, his narrative of Ayesha’s marriage and age are unreliable.

It is vital also to keep in mind some of the pertinent dates in the history of Islam:
pre-610 CE: Jahiliya (pre-Islamic age) before revelation
610 CE: First revelation
610 CE: AbuBakr accepts Islam
613 CE: Prophet Muhammad begins preaching publicly.
615 CE: Emigration to Abyssinia
616 CE: Umar bin al Khattab accepts Islam
620 CE: Generally accepted betrothal of Ayesha to the Prophet
622 CE: Hijrah (emigation to Yathrib, later renamed Medina)
623/624 CE: Generally accepted year of Ayesha living with the Prophet

2. Evidence 2: The Betrothal
According to Tabari (also according to Hisham ibn ‘Urwah, Ibn Hunbal and Ibn Sad), Ayesha was betrothed at seven years of age and began to cohabit with the Prophet at the age of nine years.

However, in another work, Al-Tabari says: “All four of his [Abu Bakr’s] children were born of his two wives during the pre-Islamic period” (Tarikhu’l-umam wa’l-mamlu’k, Al-Tabari (died 922), Vol. 4, p. 50, Arabic, Dara’l-fikr, Beirut, 1979).

If Ayesha was betrothed in 620 CE (at the age of seven) and started to live with the Prophet in 624 CE (at the age of nine), that would indicate that she was born in 613 CE and was nine when she began living with the Prophet. Therefore, based on one account of Al-Tabari, the numbers show that Ayesha must have born in 613 CE, three years after the beginning of revelation (610 CE). Tabari also states that Ayesha was born in the pre-Islamic era (in Jahiliya). If she was born before 610 CE, she would have been at least 14 years old when she began living with the Prophet. Essentially, Tabari contradicts himself. Al-Tabari is unreliable in the matter of determining Ayesha’s age.

3. Evidence 3: Ayesha’s Age in relation to Asma’s Age
According to Abda’l-Rahman ibn abi zanna’d: “Asma was 10 years older than Ayesha (Siyar A`la’ma’l-nubala’, Al-Zahabi, Vol. 2, p. 289, Arabic, Mu’assasatu’l-risalah, Beirut, 1992).

According to Ibn Kathir: “She [Asma] was elder to her sister [Ayesha] by 10 years” (Al-Bidayah wa’l-nihayah, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 8, p. 371, Dar al-fikr al-`arabi, Al-jizah, 1933).

According to Ibn Kathir: “She [Asma] saw the killing of her son during that year [73 AH], as we have already mentioned, and five days later she herself died. According to other narratives, she died not after five days but 10 or 20, or a few days over 20, or 100 days later. The most well known narrative is that of 100 days later. At the time of her death, she was 100 years old.” (Al-Bidayah wa’l-nihayah, Ibn Kathir, Vol. 8, p. 372, Dar al-fikr al-`arabi, Al-jizah, 1933)

According to Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani: “She [Asma] lived a hundred years and died in 73 or 74 AH.” (Taqribu’l-tehzib, Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani, p. 654, Arabic, Bab fi’l-nisa’, al-harfu’l-alif, Lucknow).

According to almost all the historians, Asma, the elder sister of Ayesha was 10 years older than Ayesha. If Asma was 100 years old in 73 AH, she should have been 27 or 28 years old at the time of the hijrah.

If Asma was 27 or 28 years old at the time of hijrah, Ayesha should have been 17 or 18 years old. Thus, Ayesha, being 17 or 18 years of at the time of Hijra, she started to cohabit with the Prophet between at either 19 to 20 years of age.

4. Evidence 4: The Battles of Badr and Uhud
A narrative regarding Ayesha’s participation in Badr is given in the hadith of Muslim, (Kitabu’l-jihad wa’l-siyar, Bab karahiyati’l-isti`anah fi’l-ghazwi bikafir). Ayesha, while narrating the journey to Badr and one of the important events that took place in that journey, says: “when we reached Shajarah”. Obviously, Ayesha was with the group travelling towards Badr. A narrative regarding Ayesha’s participation in the Battle of Uhud is given in Bukhari (Kitabu’l-jihad wa’l-siyar, Bab Ghazwi’l-nisa’ wa qitalihinna ma`a’lrijal): “Anas reports that on the day of Uhud, people could not stand their ground around the Prophet. [On that day,] I saw Ayesha and Umm-i-Sulaim, they had pulled their dress up from their feet [to avoid any hindrance in their movement].” Again, this indicates that Ayesha was present in the Battles of Uhud and Badr.

It is narrated in Bukhari (Kitabu’l-maghazi, Bab Ghazwati’l-khandaq wa hiya’l-ahza’b): “Ibn `Umar states that the Prophet did not permit me to participate in Uhud, as at that time, I was 14 years old. But on the day of Khandaq, when I was 15 years old, the Prophet permitted my participation.”

Based on the above narratives, (a) the children below 15 years were sent back and were not allowed to participate in the Battle of Uhud, and (b) Ayesha participated in the Battles of Badr and Uhud. Ayesha’s participation in the Battles of Badr and Uhud clearly indicates that she was not nine years old but at least 15 years old. After all, women used to accompany men to the battlefields to help them, not to be a burden on them. This account is another contradiction regarding Ayesha’s age.

5. Evidence 5: Surat al-Qamar (The Moon)
According to the generally accepted tradition, Ayesha was born about eight years before hijrah. But according to another narrative in Bukhari, Ayesha is reported to have said: “I was a young girl (jariyah in Arabic)” when Surah Al-Qamar was revealed (Sahih Bukhari, kitabu’l-tafsir, Bab Qaulihi Bal al-sa`atu Maw`iduhum wa’l-sa`atu adha’ wa amarr).

Chapter 54 of the Quran was revealed eight years before hijrah (The Bounteous Koran, M.M. Khatib, 1985), indicating that it was revealed in 614 CE. If Ayesha started living with the Prophet at the age of nine in 623 CE or 624 CE, she was a newborn infant (sibyah in Arabic) at the time that Surah Al-Qamar (The Moon) was revealed. According to the above tradition, Ayesha was actually a young girl, not an infant in the year of revelation of Al-Qamar. Jariyah means young playful girl (Lane’s Arabic English Lexicon). So, Ayesha, being a jariyah not a sibyah (infant), must be somewhere between 6-13 years old at the time of revelation of Al-Qamar, and therefore must have been 14-21 years at the time she married the Prophet.

6. Evidence 6: Arabic Terminology
According to a narrative reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, after the death of the Prophet’s first wife Khadijah, when Khaulah came to the Prophet advising him to marry again, the Prophet asked her regarding the choices she had in mind. Khaulah said: “You can marry a virgin (bikr) or a woman who has already been married (thayyib)”. When the Prophet asked the identity of the bikr (virgin), Khaulah mentioned Ayesha’s name.

All those who know the Arabic language are aware that the word bikr in the Arabic language is not used for an immature nine-year-old girl. The correct word for a young playful girl, as stated earlier, is jariyah. Bikr on the other hand, is used for an unmarried lady without conjugal experience prior to marriage, as we understand the word “virgin” in English. Therefore, obviously a nine-year-old girl is not a “lady” (bikr) (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Vol. 6, p. .210, Arabic, Dar Ihya al-turath al-`arabi, Beirut).

7. Evidence 7:  The Qur’anic Text
All Muslims agree that the Quran is the book of guidance. So, we need to seek the guidance from the Quran to clear the smoke and confusion created by the eminent men of the classical period of Islam in the matter of Ayesha’s age at her marriage. Does the Quran allow or disallow marriage of an immature child of seven years of age? There are no verses that explicitly allow such marriage. There is a verse, however, that guides Muslims in their duty to raise an orphaned child. The Quran’s guidance on the topic of raising orphans is also valid in the case of our own children. The verse states: “And make not over your property (property of the orphan), which Allah had made a (means of) support for you, to the weak of understanding, and maintain them out of it, clothe them and give them good education. And test them until they reach the age of marriage.

Then if you find them maturity of intellect, make over them their property…” (Quran, 4:5-6).

In the matter of children who have lost a parent, a Muslim is ordered to (a) feed them, (b) clothe them, (c) educate them, and (d) test them for maturity “until the age of marriage” before entrusting them with management of finances.

Here the Quranic verse demands meticulous proof of their intellectual and physical maturity by objective test results before the age of marriage in order to entrust their property to them.

In light of the above verses, no responsible Muslim would hand over financial management to a seven- or nine-year-old immature girl. If we cannot trust a seven-year-old to manage financial matters, she cannot be intellectually or physically fit for marriage. Ibn Hambal (Musnad Ahmad ibn Hambal, vol.6, p. 33 and 99) claims that nine-year-old Ayesha was rather more interested in playing with toy-horses than taking up the responsible task of a wife. It is difficult to believe, therefore, that AbuBakr would betroth his immature seven-year-old daughter to the 50-year-old Prophet. Equally difficult to imagine is that the Prophet would marry an immature seven-year-old girl.

8. Evidence 8: Consent in Marriage
A women must be consulted and must agree in order to make a marriage valid (Mishakat al Masabiah, translation by James Robson, Vol. I, p. 665). Islamically, credible permission from women is a prerequisite for a marriage to be valid.

By any stretch of the imagination, the permission given by an immature seven-year-old girl cannot be valid authorization for marriage. It is inconceivable that AbuBakr, an intelligent man, would take seriously the permission of a seven-year-old girl to marry a 50-year-old man. Similarly, the Prophet would not have accepted the permission given by a girl who, according to the hadith of Muslim, took her toys with her when she went live with Prophet.

All the above quotations give ample refutation to the common misconception that  ‘Aishah’s age at the time of her Nikah was 6 years and at the time of consummation of marriage it was only 9 years. If Muslim scholars of the present era deem fit to make an objective research instead of beating the old track, they will find ample material in the pages of history to arrive at a correct age for ‘Aishah. This indeed would be a great service to the cause of Islam.

To marry, or have sex with?

Now, or 1300 years ago?

Believers, religious, or infidels?

You're very skillfull at twisting around what someone said so that it looks like that person is some sort of weirdo or idiot.

Nice touch.

BTW, did you know the legal age for marriage this day in Massachusetts is, or at least it was a few years ago, unless they've changed it, the age is 13.

And to this backwoods goof, that's perverse for someone to be marrying their kid off at the age of 13, but hey, that's my point of view.

And with that, I say:

qalbu-l-mu'min dal?luh

In those days girls that didn't marry before 16 were considered old maids.  Believe it.  Even, today, in Lebanon, guys were asking my cousin why she wasn't married.  This was a few years ago.  She was 25 years old.  They considered that VERY OLD!

Hah!  That means my blogger name should be Hecate, not Rhiannon! 

And yes!  Muhammad said:  Do Not Love The World.

It is temporary.  The pleasures and goods of the world are fleeting.  Do not put them above PEOPLE!

ALL the prophets were teaching this.

When we say "God fearing"  or "Fear God"  what we mean is:  You have your soul's recordings of the ills you reaped on others. 

Indeed, do have fear, [fear of your own mean-spirited actions] because those Ills will come back at you TEN FOLD.  Yes...the ripple effect.  Have FEAR for those MISDEEDS.  You create your own hell and misery - not God.  God offers peace and protection through His Word.

Well....wayne gacy was perverse, wasn't he?  You are calling the prophet perverse, aren't you, Greg?

I have to assume so, unless you want to tell me that I am wrong.  I just brought up gacy's name for an example.  There's also the father in New York who raped and sodomized his 11 year old daughter in the shower [several years ago this happened] and shortly, the girl hung herself from the bed post.

You are the one that brought up Adam and Eve having sex with their children. 

You are the one that brought up Noah's family having sex with each other. 

How do you figure?  Again...those times were so different from today.   Adam having sex wth his daughters?  Eve having sex with her sons?

Nine year olds condemned to rape by males today is not the same as intercourse in biblical times - the situations and scenarios were different - so were the reasons and intentions.  Warren Jeffs used religion but he was no prophet.  His intentions were mean-spirited and hateful. 

There are several written accounts of Aisha's history with Muhammad, and she was the opposite of a child and woman who would want to kill herself.  She was strengthened and uplifted by her marriage with Muhammad.  There is an account in one of the hadiths that she was jealous of Khadijah, as Muhammad spoke of her often and stayed close with her friends. 

Have to be careful with the hadith.  I would see that as proof of his great love for Khadija, and Aisha's comments would prove this.  But Aisha would not have been jealous to the point of wickedness.

to me means storing up the highest value in THINGS. If there is nothing beyond this world, then materialism makes sense. You could probably make an argument that people should get along, but the bottom line is that I gotta get mine in this life because that is all there is.

The Book of Ecclesiastes tells about a philosopher who tries to find the meaning of life. He looks for meaning in life and finds that, ultimately, everything is useless or vanity. The philosopher says that we should enjoy our days, but to remember that God is going to judge us.

The Book goes on to warn us that "there is something else to watch out for .....Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because that is all that man was created for."

The meaning I derive from this can be illustrated by the oft used Platonic allegory of the prisoners in a cave. Their version of reality is merely shadows on a wall. Paul, (I Cor 13:12) seems to adopt Plato's metaphor when he says that "What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror".

The temptation of this world is to place all our value in it. To do so is to love the gift more than the Giver. People who love the world more than God are driven to do foolish things: they lie; they sin against other people and against themselves. Why? Because they want more things and more pleasure. Why? Because that is all there is for them.

So in the short term, it looks like people who believe in heaven are taken advantage of. They lose material wealth to people who lie. They are beaten by violent men. But if I must lie to win, I would rather lose. If I must kill to live, I would rather die. There is already too much lying and killing in this world. I would rather be without sin and to have eternal life.

----------------

As to Muhammad and Aisha, I would suggest you listen to the video posted above. Dr. Ali makes some very good points. In short, we cannot judge Muhammad, or the people who lived 1,000 years ago, from our vantage point.

One need not look into the distant past to find cultures like the pygmies of Africa who marry at the age of 9 or 10. (A common pygmy expression: "She was only 7, but she had the body of a 10 year-old." --Don't get mad at me; It's a pygmy expression.)

A thousand years ago, the average life expectancy was probably 45 or so. Think about that: At 10, you had lived 1/4 of your life; A twenty year-old was middle aged.

Today people generally live to nearly twice that age. Now we have extended adolescence to our twenties. If you are careful, you can even be adolescent into you forties. I myself have often been lauded for continuing adolescence.

The point about Muhammad and Aisha that rings the most clear is that Muhammad was not critiqued for that union by anyone of that period. All the critics are from this modern era. But such criticism is out of context and unfair.

-----------------------

"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."

People in the past had different values than people today, some looked down upon, and some perhaps better than now.

Believing in God, the teachings of prophets, and religion, are all different things. Let me fix your accusations into understanding; Those who sin are practicing atheism, regardless of claims of piety, or religion.

What's Gacy got to do with anything in this discussion?

And if someone like Grim Rapper chooses to worship the devil, as hinted at in one of the replies, that's his choice, not mine.

Organized religion is one of the oldest con games around, and its done a damn good job of enslaving men's minds for centuries.

But, i guess it has its place.

If not for religion, suicide would become the norm, since people would choose to exit sooner, rather than later.

And that wouldn't be good for society overall.

And crime would increase, since people go go about robbing and stealing and killing, knowing that if they got away from the cops, they'd be scot free.

But there's a much darker side to religion.

Religion teaches people to accept their fate, like loosing their home, since they'll get a castle in the sky.

Or not to be bitter and cause problems, since your son's going to die from cancer and you can't afford the treatments, you'll get yours in the next life.

Its always preaching to bend over and take it from the man, since your reward is not of this world.

Meanwhile, the fat cats get fatter and the world gets more violent by the day, as us peons have to fight over the crumbs being dropped from the rich.

Tell me this: Why does one have to die in order to achieve Paradise?

Can't paradise be here on earth?

And I might have a narrow vision, when it comes to having sex with a nine yo girl.

Call it what you want, but to me, that's perverse.

But that's my view and i'll not resort to violence or threats to make my views known and or believed by others.

And that's where organized religion and me differ.

You cannot compare the times of then to now.  Back in the time of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses, and so on, men had God fresh in their hearts.  And to be kind and loving to others in this world was to secure a peaceful, and rewarding life review after death.  The Word of God was for US not just for Him.

You have a narrow vision, Greg, because you are lumping today's pedophilia with the times of the prophets.  And you cannot compare the prophet's teachings to the hateful, man-made writings in some of the Talmud, either.

In those times, men [with God fresh in their hearts]desired to do good works for their people, families, neighbors.  Hence, the wars against disbelievers, because the disbelievers were threatening the welfare of people embracing God's Word.

  Did you read Musique's information about Muhammad's wives?  His marriages offered them protection and created /strengthened alliances with other families and tribes.  That's how things were done back then. 

You say:

But anytime anyone anywhere has sex with a nine year old, that's just plain sick.

Pointing out that the Christian bible and Judaism also allowed pedophila doesn't wash away the original crime.

Wait....doesn't wash the original crime???  What crime???  I do not bring up Abraham's, Solomon's or David's many young brides to wash away Muhammad's "crime".  NONE of that was considered criminal! 

You cannot compare Wayne Gacy to Muhammad!  You, Greg, are a product of YOUR culture.  And they [the men and prophets of those times] were a product of theirs.

It was the norm to marry off young girls for their protection.  You cannot lump the prophet Muhammad with a bunch of today's child molesters just like you cannot lump Jesus with today's charlatans, quacks, and con artists.

We can't blame all the wars and in-breeding on religion; to do so is like looking in the mirror and saying 'i have never sinned'.

And no, worshipping the devil doesn't count as belief in God.

The Jewel of Medina is the title of a historical novel by Sherry Jones that was scheduled for publication by Random House in 2008, but subsequently cancelled.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Random House had paid Jones a $100,000 advance for the novel when University of Texas Professor Denise Spellberg saw a copy of the galleys and decided to "warn Muslims" of the pending publication of a novel that, in Spellberg's opinion, "made fun of Muslims and their history."[1] Random House immediately canceled publication.[2] Spellberg also stated that the novel is a "very ugly, stupid piece of work" and added that "I don't have a problem with historical fiction. I do have a problem with the deliberate misinterpretation of history. You can't play with a sacred history and turn it into soft core pornography."[3]

Spellberg reportedly informed Random House that publication would expose Random House employees to Islamic terrorism and that Muslims would react with the kind of violence seen in past controversies over the The Satanic Verses and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons.[1] No actual threats were received by Random House.[4]

Random House deputy publisher Thomas Perry stated that "In this instance we decided, after much deliberation, to postpone publication for the safety of the author, employees of Random House, booksellers and anyone else who would be involved in distribution and sale of the novel." However, Perry added that Jones is free to sell her book to other publishers.[5][6]

Jones told Reuters: "I have deliberately and consciously written respectfully about Islam and Mohammed ... I envisioned that my book would be a bridge-builder." [7]

The story became public in a Wall Street Journal essay by Asra Nomani.[1]

Excerpts

The Wall Street Journal published this excerpt about the wedding night of the Prophet Muhammad and the eleven-year-old bride, Aisha, "the pain of consummation soon melted away. Muhammad was so gentle. I hardly felt the scorpion's sting. To be in his arms, skin to skin, was the bliss I had longed for all my life."[1]

In the wake of the controversy surrounding Random House's decision not to publish the novel, Jones published the prologue to The Jewel of Medina on the blog "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books."[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewel_of_Medina

I'm not into organized religion, since to me, religion has been used as an excuse to launch more wars in history than any other reason, so I haven't read the Koran.

But anytime anyone anywhere has sex with a nine year old, that's just plain sick.

Pointing out that the Christian bible and Judaism also allowed pedophila doesn't wash away the original crime.

Looks to me like all three of the Biggies, Christianity, Islam and Judaism have plenty of sins in their past.

Christianity, for one, stipulate that everyone came from Adam and Eve.

Maybe that's why things are so fucked up, we're all desended from a bunch of inbreds.

Well Joe...I am plodding slowly.  It's interesting about the rumours and exaggerations.  And yes, the enemies of Islam were bent on dividing Muslims into groups.  What better way than to weaken the people?

I have no facts of this, but naturally, some people in my family have said the jews of that time were part of the problem of spreading these rumours and exaggerations.  I haven't begun to even look on the internet to see if this was so.

But judging from the zionist media, it could very well be that one of the greater enemies of Islam of  Muhammad's time were the jews. 

I was just skimming through Mirvat's blog, and zionist Snurdly goes on with Nasrallah being an enemy to his own people and a traitor to the Palestinians.

TYPICAL ZIONIST GARBAGE!

Anyway...Joe...I am still reading.

-----------------------------------

Musique, how nice of you!   heh heh...I am no idol.  In my family and friend circles - even at work,  I am a pain in the neck.

I can't imagine why.

Please don't get me wrong.  I knew that you were just trying to understand the dynamics between these  two  sects of Islam.  No way I would flame you for that.

My family have  Sunni background but I donno if there are any Major benefits (such as free A/X card or Swiss watch, he he) out there for being born in a Sunni household.   I have No idea if Muslims can go around and change their sects/ affiliations  like some Christian friends  I know of, who have  changed  their denominations or Church affiliations etc. 

Personally, I don't worry too much with this Shiia & Sunni issue But I do get suspicious feelings about some Pseudo Islamic sects such as Ahmadiyyas or followers of Agha Khans.  Hmmm ...  those movements started out in the 1800s & they were backed by the British govt ... oh no,  think I'm gonna sneeze ... Rothschild funding! he he
 

Also, I would suspect that people throwing insults are not only ignorant, but may be shills as well. Think about it, what would someone born in the last 1000 years, have to do with anything that happened after Muhammad's 'death'?

Maybe they want to be marriage counsellors?

Politics and Religion; what is it?

What trap? I'm just trying to have a better understanding between Sunni's and Shia's.

Like why people choose to be Shia or Sunni, or were they just born to that sect.

Ive noticed lots of Muslims on the net that are insulting each others sects. this is not right, i wish to learn from one another and not hate each other.

I've been asked some Shocking Questions about My sect, i wish it was just Islam. nothing else.maybe i should have not used the word debate...

Then again we're all brothers and sisters,if we weren't i wouldnt have opened this subject....

Debate about Shia and Sunni? Let's not go there!

I wouldn't call myself religious but spiritual for sure.  Thank God for  my parents & none of them  tried to brainwash me with which sect is superior.  My gran' Pa had neighbors of Indo-Persian origin and they were fantastic.  I remember watching   commemoration of Ashura ( Muharram -first month in islamic calender) from their rooftop at nights, they were wonderful people as can be. 

Yeah, I know violence happens unfortunately between Shiia & Sunnis But I wonder who ignites all that ignorance? It was worse to hear from the Douche ... opps Bush! media  during first few years of Iraq war about how horrible Shiias are! 

I am glad that I know who likes all that devide & separate rules & I refuse to fall into that trap. 

Finally, I gotta quote my  fav WUFYS idol, Rhiannon: "And you know me.  I am not into the differences or the history of differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims.  I would prefer the bigger picture and if there are small details of stories and mysteries to support the big picture - a united Islam - then I am all for it."

Hey, count me in with you as well!!! :)

Have you had the chance to read it? yet... , if not take your time no presure..

Thanks.

Then i was guided

• Dedication
• Foreword
• A Brief Look at my Life
• The Pilgrimage to the House of Allah
• In Egypt
• A Meeting on Board the Ship
• My first Visit to Iraq
• Abdul Qadir al Jilani and Musa al Kazim
• Sceptisism and Questioning
• The Visit to al Najaf
• A Meeting with al Ulama (Learned Men)
• A Meeting with al Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al Sadr
• Sceptisism and Perplexity
• The Journey to Hijaz
• The Beginning of the Research
• The Beginning of the Detailed Study
  • The Companions (of the Prophet) as Seen by the Shia and the Sunnis
    1. The Companions at the Peace Treaty of al Hudaybiyah
    2. The Companions and Raziyat Yawm al Khamis (The Calamity of Thursday)
    3. The Companions in the Military Detachment under Usamah
• The Opinion of the Quran regarding the Companions
  1. The turning back Verse
  2. The Holy War (Jihad) Verse
  3. The Submissiveness
• The Opinion of the Messenger regarding the Companions
  1. The hadith of the Pool
  2. The hadith of the Competetion for this World
• The Opinion of the Companions about each other
  1. Their testimony that they themselves changed the tradition of the Prophet
  2. The Companions even made changes in the Prayers
  3. The Companions testify against themselves
  4. The testimony of the Shaykhan against themselves
• The Beginning of Change
• A Dialogue with a Scholar
• The Reasons behind enlightement
  1. The text regarding the Succession of the Caliphate
  2. The disagreement between Fatimah and Abu Bakr
  3. Ali was more entitled to the leadership
  4. The Prophetic Traditions which indicates the fact that Ali should be followed
     • The Prophetic tradition: I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate
     • The Prophetic tradition: O Ali! You hold in relation to me the same position as Harun held in relation to Musa except that there will be no prophet after me
     • The Prophetic tradition: Ali is the master of all those whom I am master. O Allah! Love him who loves him and hate him who hates him, help him who helps him and forsake him who forsakes him, and turn justice with him whenever he turns
     • The Prophetic tradition: Ali is from me and I am from Ali, and nobody can discharge my duty except myself or Ali
     • The Prophetic tradition of the House on the Day of Warning
• The Correct Prophetic traditions which indicate the fact that it is Compulsory to Follow the Ahl al-Bayt
  1. The Prophetic tradition of the Two Weighty Things
  2. The Prophetic Tradition of the Ship
  3. The Prophetic Tradition: He who wishes to live like me
• Our Misfortune Regarding Ijtihad Against Texts
• An Invitation to Friends to join the Research
• The Guidance of Truth
• The References

I'm only on the 3rd chapter right now....

Here's something from that chapter that is quite interesting:

"When we entered the first door I noticed that some old people were touching it and kissing it, so I engaged myself with reading a plaque saying: "Unveiled Ladies are not allowed to enter", with a saying by Imam Ali: "A day will come when women are seen wearing transparent clothes or even naked...etc."

I have been reading Conversations With God.  What is fascinating is in this book God says he never meant for humans to be ashamed of their bodies - their naked bodies....that shame of sex and nakedness is an invention of man, not His.  So I find that saying by Imam Ali very revealing [hah...no pun intended].

But I am still reading.....

Well i hope you read it, people that read this book get a better understanding about Islam

I was thinking about starting a debate about Shia and Sunni. I know there are a lot of informed people here,so i thought maybe we can resolve this issue for once and all, maybe without anyone getting angry,its all ways been a sensitive issue, do you think its a good idea? 

of course setting up some rules would help!

I skimmed through a few of the chapters.  But I can't tell you what exactly any of it means.  I need to read it more thoroughly tonight....

And you know me.  I am not into the differences or the history of differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims.  I would prefer the bigger picture and if there are small details of stories and mysteries to support the big picture - a united Islam - then I am all for it.

Unless I  am jumping to conclusions, because I get the idea these chapters are about the Shia and Sunni divisions.  

But thank you Joe2, I do appreciate you sharing this.  I just have to look at it more thoroughly.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will tell you what I think.

:-)

Did you check it out????? if so, what did you think?

Rhiannon! :)

I was just as  glad 'cause I didn't wanted to see  ignoramus fireballs thrown at your  post.

Rhiannon have you ever read a book called THEN I WAS GUIDED. by Sayed Mohamed Tijani Smaoui

check it out. here are some contents :

• A Meeting on Board the Ship
• My first Visit to Iraq
• Abdul Qadir al Jilani and Musa al Kazim
• Sceptisism and Questioning
• The Visit to al Najaf
• A Meeting with al Ulama (Learned Men)
• A Meeting with al Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al Sadr
• Sceptisism and Perplexity
• The Journey to Hijaz
• The Beginning of the Research
• The Beginning of the Detailed Study

Who's to say exactly what age is right for one with another. There are many other things to consider too that aren't; by those holier-than-thou admiralty law manipulators, and their marionettes.

-talmud™

Who's to say exactly what age is right for one with another. There are many other things to consider too that aren't; by those holier-than-thou admiralty law manipulators, and their marionettes.

-talmud™

Above all else he talks about non-violence and good manners. He is courteous when he discusses Mary and Jesus and even the Christian faith, because he doesn't blame the trash talking on Christianity, but rather on those who misrepresent Christianity.

It doesn't make sense to attack Muhammad as a pedophile when his practices were common in those days. As he mentions, Mary was quite young when she was betrothed to Joseph, and when she bore Jesus. Are we to criticize God for choosing such a young woman?

Taking the marriage to Aisha out of context is unfair, and is only serving to slander Islam. We need more good manners.

It is curious that the idea of statutory rape was based on the public policy of preventing births by unmarried teen mothers. It can be seen that these illegitimate births have not decreased and so the law has failed on this point. But at the same time, the original policy has been forgotten and now our society has been informed by this misconceived law. So that the modern morality is that young women, who are the most fertile, are encouraged to practice sex outside of marriage, but not to have children. At the same time, marriage is reserved for older women, who are less fertile.

The legal age of marriage in most states is currently 18, or 16 with parental consent. It is curious that marriages of girls younger than 18 were common in this country less than a century ago. I believe the Sondra Finchley character in "An American Tragedy" was only 15 or 16, but at the time was considered to be of marriageable age.

I am not making a argument to lower the legal age of marriage, but it seems that our idea of when a women "should" marry has been changed in the not so recent past. It also appears that our current ideas of marriage are in conflict with Nature's ideas of reproduction.

The basic ideas held by modern society are in conflict: (These are not my own.)

A. Women should marry later in life.

B. Teenagers should not be discouraged from exploring their sexuality, and the media is encouraged to exploit this.

C. Having a child out of wedlock is shameful and stupid, unless you are an older woman who pursued her career and never got married.

Anyone can see that B will lead to C because A rules out any other possibility.

-----------------------

"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."

Musique / Bobby

Only after her death, did the prophet marry other women. Now, it is obvious that if the prophet was after physical pleasure he did not have to wait until he was more than fifty years old to start marrying more wives. He lived in a society in which it was quite acceptable to have many wives. But the prophet remained devoted to his only wife for twenty-five years. When she died she was sixty-five years old.

I pasted some of what you had up there because - again - the point, it seems,  needs to be made repititiously.

And thanks for all that extra, valuable information!

 Slambo....I certainly don't mind atheists reading anything that I have to say about God and the prophets.  Always welcome.

 Even though I am an atheist now , thanks for correcting my (mis)perceptions .

I am so glad that Rhiannon did fantastic  job explaining but if you're still wondering about why so many marriages etc,  here you go:

Why did prophet Mohammad (pbuh) marry many wives, and who were they, their names and brief background on each one of them (may Allah bless them all).  

When people hear that the prophet had many wives they conclude without much thought that the prophet was a sensuous man. However, a quick historical review of his marriages, proves otherwise.

When he was twenty-five years old he married for the first time. His wife, Khadijah, was fifteen years older than he. She remained the only wife of the prophet for the next twenty-five years, until she died (may Allah be pleased with her).

Only after her death, did the prophet marry other women. Now, it is obvious that if the prophet was after physical pleasure he did not have to wait until he was more than fifty years old to start marrying more wives. He lived in a society in which it was quite acceptable to have many wives. But the prophet remained devoted to his only wife for twenty-five years. When she died she was sixty-five years old.

His later marriages were for various reasons. Some marriages were with the view to help the women whose husbands had been killed while they were defending their faith. Others were with a view to cement relationships with devoted followers like Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. Yet others were to build bridges with various tribes who were otherwise at war with the Muslims. When the prophet became their relative through marriage, their hostilities calmed down, and much bloodshed was averted.

Recent non-Muslim writers who had the opportunity to study the life of the prophet first-hand reach a similar conclusion about his plural marriages.

John L. Esposito, Professor of Religion and Director of the Centre for International Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, says that most of these marriages had "political and social motives" (Islam: The Straight Path, Oxford University Press, 1988, p. 19). This he explained as follows: "As was customary for Arab chiefs, many were political marriages to cement alliances. Others were marriages to the widows of his companions who had fallen in combat and were in need of protection" (John L. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, pp. 19-20). Esposito reminds us of the following historical fact: "Though less common, polygyny was also permitted in biblical and even in postbiblical Judaism. From Abraham, David, and Solomon down to the reformation period, polygyny was practiced" (p. 19).

Another non-Muslim Caesar E. Farah writes as follows: "In the prime of his youth and adult years Muhammad remained thoroughly devoted to Khadijah and would have none other for consort. This was an age that looked upon plural marriages with favor and in a society that in pre-Biblical and post-Biblical days considered polygamy an essential feature of social existence. David had six wives and numerous concubines (2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3) and Solomon was said to have had as many as 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines (2 Chronicles 11:21). The New Testament contains no specific injunction against plural marriages. It was commonplace for the nobility among the Christians and Jews to contract plural marriages. Luther spoke of it with toleration" (Caesar E. Farah, Islam: Beliefs and Observances, 4th edition, Barron's, U.S. 1987, p. 69). Caesar Farah then concluded that Muhammad's plural marriages were due "partly to political reasons and partly to his concern for the wives of his companions who had fallen in battle defending the nascent Islamic community" (p. 69).

More about his wives  here

You're the best, Rhiannon!  Thanks a gazillion for posting this.