The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 246
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 246 approximation of nine years is incorrect and inaccurate. However, hypothetically, even if the age of nine years is accepted as being correct, there is still no point of objection, because it is not out of the ordinary for a girl to mature at the age of nine or ten years in a country like Arabia. Even in our own country, India, some girls who possess extraordinary faculties of development mature at an age of ten years. In actuality, the age of maturity depends primarily on weather and climate, food and the surrounding environment. In colder countries, and especially in such countries where hot spices are used in foods to a lesser degree, girls generally mature at a later age. As such, in England and other such countries, on average, the age of maturity is eighteen years, and girls are generally married at an age of twenty years; rather, in many cases, at an even older age than this. However, in our country, if at the age of twenty a girl is still sitting unmarried, people generally begin to raise fingers, alleging that there must be something wrong with her and this is why she has not been able to find a match yet. The reason being that here, the age of maturity is thirteen to fourteen years, on average. Since the country of Arabia is even hotter and dryer than India, the average age of maturity is even lesser than that of India, and many girls can be found who reach the age of maturity at nine or ten. In these circumstances, for Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra to mature at the age of nine or ten years and become fit for her Rukhsatānah cannot be considered strange at all; especially if it is taken into account that Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra possessed faculties of development which were higher than average, as Sir William Muir has also accepted in his book. 1 In any case, Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra had now fully matured. At the time, the mother of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra was residing in the suburbs of Madīnah in a place named As-Sunḥ. The women from among the Anṣār gathered there and adorned Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra for her Rukhsatānah. Then, the Holy Prophet sa went there himself, after which Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishah ra bid her home farewell and entered the household of the Holy Prophet sa. 2 The dowry was set at 500 dirhams, 3 or in light of various narrations 400 dirhams, 4 i. e. , 100 Rs. more or less, which was 1 * The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter VI (Sawda and Ayesha), And is betrothed to Ayesha, p. 117, Published by Smith, Elder, & Co. London (1878) * The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter VIII (Ayesha), Ayesha’s influence over him, p. 187, Published by Smith, Elder, & Co. London (1878) 2 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Tazwījin-Nabī sa ‘Ā’ishah, Ḥadīth No. 3894 3 Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābun-Nikāḥ, Bābuṣ-Ṣidāqi Wa Jawāzi Kaunihī. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 3489 4 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 8, p. 327, Dhikru Muhūri Nisā’in-Nabiyyi sa , Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)