❖ Dialogue with Sharafantah (1)

Sheikh.

Yes, Sharafantah.

There's a topic that's bothering me, and I want to know about it so that my heart can be at peace and I can rest.

Go ahead, my son, ask whatever you want.

Is it true that the Prophet married Lady Aisha when she was six years old?

Yes, it is true. This is a narration recorded by Bukhari in his Sahih. However, out of his tolerance (peace and blessings be upon him), he did not consummate the marriage until she grew up and reached the age of nine.

So, a three-year engagement period!

Be polite, boy, in the presence of the Prophet.

You mean be polite in *your* presence, because the Prophet is not present with us for me to be polite with him.

Oh, Sharafantah! You've grown up and found a tongue to talk back to the heirs of the Prophets.

It’s not like that, Sheikh, it’s just that the Prophet isn’t physically here with us.

Anyway, are you finished with your question?

No, Sheikh, I just want to know: how can a 55-year-old man marry a child?!

This is deception from the atheists and secularists, the enemies of religion—curse them—because when the Prophet married Lady Aisha, he wasn't 55 years old.

Aha! That sounds better. How old was he then, Sheikh?

He was 53 years old.

😑😑

What's wrong, Sharafantah?!

Nothing, it's just that I can't accept the subject. Because in this image, the Prophet appears to be pedophilic because he married a child, and this is a crime against humanity.

My son, when the Prophet married Lady Aisha, he married her according to the customs and traditions prevalent in that society.

Can you clarify more? My understanding is a bit slow today.

I mean, the marriage of girls at such a young age was normal and part of the customs of that society. The Prophet didn't do anything deviant or contrary to what his society practiced.

Aha! So now I conclude from your words that while I thought only the Prophet was pedophilic, it turns out the *entire* society was pedophilic!!

What pedophilic?! These are the terms of the secular heretics. Girls in the past, my son, reached puberty at a very young age. A girl would barely reach nine before she had matured and was (physically) ready for marriage because at that age she could handle intercourse.

Sheikh, please. We only hear this talk from clerics, and we believed it because we hear it so much. I've never heard a doctor say that girls in the past reached puberty at that age, even though doctors are more knowledgeable about this subject than the "heirs of the Prophets."

Beware, my son, of doubting this. This talk is correct and was transmitted to us by our trustworthy ancestors.

Allow me, Sheikh, this talk is incorrect and science has not proven it. It's the same as the lie that says people in the past were giants—each being a hundred cubits tall and such nonsense. None of this is scientifically proven. They are just stories told by clerics and people believed them. Archaeological discoveries haven't proven any of this. Millions of people lived, yet no remains or even a single grave of such a giant has been discovered.

But Sharafantah, marrying a minor has its proofs in the Quran, like the verse that says: ﴿And those who have not menstruated﴾. This is evidence that a girl who hasn't menstruated yet can be married off.

What is meant by "those who have not menstruated" from a scientific/medical perspective is a woman who has an "infantile uterus." I've read articles on medical sites about this. Some women have an infantile uterus due to congenital factors or acquired factors like estrogen deficiency. Because of this, she does not menstruate. I read that one in five women has this condition. So, Allah Almighty is not talking about children, Sheikh, but about a specific condition among adult, rational women.

Curse the internet! But there is another verse that permits child marriage: ﴿And test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage﴾. This verse says that as soon as a female matures, she can be married off.

But in this verse, Allah linked physical puberty with "mental maturity" (sound judgment) and said: ﴿And test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage; 👈then if you find in them sound judgment👉, deliver to them their property﴾. Meaning, if they are not mentally mature, do not even give them their money because they won't manage it properly.

But you know, Sheikh, you reminded me of something.

What is it?

My little brother, the youngest, just turned nine. But my mother issued a decree: he is forbidden from drinking tea after 9 PM.

Why? Is he sick?

No, just because she bought him a new mattress and doesn't want him to wet it. Two days ago, "the source of tenderness" (mom) shamed him because he wet himself, and she hung the mattress in the sun for all the neighbors to see.

But that's not our topic. My topic is that I'm seeking a marriage alliance with you.

Excuse me!! What do you mean?

I mean, we want to marry my "bed-wetter" brother to your daughter, whom I saw yesterday coming back from school holding her doll. I think she's in second grade.

Are you mocking me?!

No, by Allah, Sheikh. Did I say something wrong?

Everything about you is wrong! Are you crazy to marry off your brother at this age? And you want him to marry my daughter too!

Until now, I don't understand what's wrong. A marriage according to the Sunnah of Allah and His Messenger. We'll keep them engaged until your daughter finishes primary school, then they get married.

My son, girls in the past reached puberty early, but now the situation has changed and a girl is no longer like she was in the past.

Great! Well, since girls in the past hit puberty early—even though that's inaccurate, I'll go along with you—since girls today are different from the past, why don't you issue a fatwa banning the marriage of children since times have changed? Why are you still promoting this crime?! I mean, when it became about *your* daughter, the situation changed, but if I had said someone else's daughter, you would have agreed with me.

😑😑

Besides, why only promote minor marriage for females? Why don't you promote marriage for young boys?! Of course, it's a crime whether male or female, but why this double standard!?

I seek Allah's forgiveness. You are in grave danger, Sharafantah. Do not listen to the secularists or liberals. These ideas are foreign to us and will lead you to Hellfire. Have I delivered the message? O Allah, bear witness.