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Was Muhammad A Child Molester?

(Note: This post IS NOT for the light-hearted)

Let’s set the scene – 📍Location, Saudi Arabia, Mecca – 🕐Time: 623 AD.

A 53-year-old Man is having a dream, and within this dream, he sees an angel coming down from the heavens. The Man sees the angel holding something, and the angel reveals that he is holding the Man’s future wife. So the Angel uncovers the cloth covering the girl’s face; Behold, it is your 6-year-old daughter. Then the Man said to himself, “If it is from Allah, then it will surely be.” A few months after the dream, the Man and your daughter get married, with the man being 53 years old and your daughter being 6 years old. Then the man consummated the marriage when she was 9 years old and still prepubescent.1

Definitions

Child Molestation: Child molestation refers to all types of sexual acts committed by an adult on a child2

Prepubescent: Before puberty

Consummated: Having Sex for the first time in the marriage

Menarche: A girl’s first menstruation

Was Muhammad a child molester? Well, let’s talk about it, and let me add some details that some people may not know. Muhammad, according to the Quran and Hadiths, had 11-13 wives, and one of them was named Aisha. For those who have not connected the dots, the 53-year-old man from the story is Muhammad, and the daughter is Aisha.

Now we have a LOT of questions we are going to be answering, and they are:

  1. How do we know she was 6-7 years old when she was married to Muhammad?
  2. How do we know that she was prepubescent when they consummated the marriage?
  3. Why is it unhealthy for women who are prepubescent to have sex?
  4. Okay, but why does this matter? Especially when it was 1500 years ago.
  5. Does this still happen today?

Question one: How do we know she was 6-7 years old when she was married to Muhammad?

To answer this question, the only thing we can use is the Hadiths, and so I’m going to be quoting them.

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 5133
In-book reference: Book 67, Hadith 69
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Vol. 7, Book 62, Hadith 64

Narrated `Aisha:

that the Prophet (ﷺ) 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).

Reference : Sahih Muslim 1422c
In-book reference : Book 16, Hadith 83

‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) married her when she was seven years old, and he was taken to his house as a bride when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he (the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.

Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 3896
In-book reference : Book 63, Hadith 121

Narrated Hisham’s father:

Khadija died three years before the Prophet (ﷺ) departed to Medina. He stayed there for two years or so and then he married `Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consumed that marriage when she was nine years old.

So right here we have 3 Hadiths that say Aisha was 6-7 years old when she was married to Muhammad, which is not too big of a deal because it was very common to have early marriages in the 500s, but what was uncommon was having sex with your prepubescent wife.

Some Muslims will try and use math to prove that Asiah was not 9 when they consummated the marriage. But one of many issues with that is WE ALL READY HAVE THE ANSWER! Anywho on to question two.

Question Two: How do we know that she was prepubescent when they consummated the marriage?

To answer this question, we need to look at many different variables

  1. What is the common age for girls to have puberty in Saudi Arabia?
  2. Did girls hit puberty sooner in 500 AD?

What is the common age for girls to have puberty in Saudi Arabia?

A study done by Abdulmoein E Al-Agha on “,Pubertal Developmental Age among Saudi and Non-Saudi Young Females Living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.“3 And in this study, the author notes that the common age of menarche for girls in Saudi Arabia was 11.5 years old.

A second study was done by Dr. Zainab Babay on “Age at menarche and the reproductive performance of Saudi women4.” And in this study, the author makes it clear that the common age of menarche for Saudi girls is 13.05 years old

A third study was done by Prof. Ibrahim A. Al Alwan, and a couple of different authors on “Decline in menarcheal age among Saudi girls.5” And in this study, the authors state, “The mean age at menarche for girls in our study was estimated at 13.08 years.”

Conclusion

After looking at these studies and combining the results to find the common factor, I have concluded that the common age of menarche for Saudi girls is 12.5 years old

Now it’s time for the second question on the list.

Did girls hit puberty sooner in 500 AD?

A study done by Anastasios Papadimitriou, MD, on “The Evolution of the Age at Menarche from Prehistorical to Modern Times.6” Shows that girls from Medieval Times(500 AD) have their menarche around the same time as girls from Modern Times (2000 AD)

Another study by Mary Lewis on “Children aren’t starting puberty younger, medieval skeletons reveal.7” This study shows that girls from medieval times, menarche 12-16 years old

Conclusion

Girls from medieval times had their first menstruation at the same time as girls from Modern Times do

Question Three: Why is it unhealthy for women who are prepubescent to have sex?

To answer this question, we have to understand some variables

  1. When it is mentally healthy for someone to have sex
  2. When it is physically healthy for someone to have sex

I. When it is mentally healthy for someone to have sex

So there is not much on the topic. So we are going to have to use our brains and deductive reasoning skills to get an answer. To understand what it is, first, we have to understand what it isn’t.

A study was done by Rose Wesche on “Early sexual initiation and mental health: A fleeting association or enduring change?“8 And it talks about ESI(early sexual initiation) and the side effects of it. The main point of the article is talking about teens aged 15, and the studies showed that girls who have had sex would feel depressed, but would be fine about a year later.

A second study was done by Kari C. Kugler, Ph.D., on “Long-term consequences of early sexual initiation on young adult health: A causal inference approach.9” This study completely disagreed with the last study that we showed, saying that the girls would feel no “depressive symptoms in the past week.” But this study did note that the women had a higher chance of getting STIs

This last study was done by Jared C. Pistoia, ND, and He studied “Growing Up Too Fast: Early Exposure to Sex10.” This last study mostly focuses on girls who are 14, & 16 years old. For the 14-year-olds who have had sex or have had early sexual exposure would have great negative effects, and they would be 2–3 times more likely to: have two or more sexual partners in a year, get a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and feel depressed. 16-year-olds who have had sex or have had early sexual exposure would have a higher chance of having STIs.

Conclusion

When you are 17, 18, or even higher, you are mentally healthy to have sex. But one thing: when you are 17 or 18, you still have a higher chance of having STIs and feeling depressed than if you were 19, 20, or even 21 years old. Now we are on the second question.

II. When it is physically healthy for someone to have sex

If you ask this question on Google, the Google AI will say, “when it’s consensual, safe, and aligns with individual and partner preferences.” Which is um… WRONG!!?!? On so many levels, wrong. Especially on the topic at hand. But let’s look at some studies.

A study done by Chelsea L Shannon on “The Growing Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescents: A Neglected Population”11. Shows that people aged 15-20 years old have a much higher chance of getting STIs than people over the age of 20

Another study done by Marquisa LaVelle Moerman on “Growth of the birth canal in adolescent girls12“. In this study, the author notes:”…analyzed from a longitudinal sample of 90 well-nourished girls aged 8 through 18. Compared with stature, the pelvic basin grows more slowly and continuously through late adolescence. Similarly, size of the birth canal is smaller the first 3 years past menarche than at age 18.”

This third study, done by Jeffrey S Jones (and a couple of different authors), “on Anogenital injuries in adolescents after consensual sexual intercourse”. The authors note that girls aged 13 to 17 years old had a much higher chance of having anogenital damage.

Conclusion

It is physically healthy for someone to have sex when they reach the age of 18-21 years old. If a woman has sex before the age of 18-21, they will have a higher chance of having anogenital damage and STIs. If the girl does not wait till 3 years after her menarche, they will have an even higher chance of having anogenital damage.

Question Four: Okay, but why does this matter? Especially when it was 1500 years ago.

So to answer this question, we will need to look at the quran for this.

Surah 33:21
Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.

Scholars say that Muhammad is the pattern of conduct

Ibn Kathir – Surah Ahzab ayat 21 Tafsir Quran 33:21

“The Command to follow the Messenger ﷺ. This Ayah is an important principle, to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in all his words, and deeds, etc.“

Al-Ghazali – Towards Understanding the Quran

“In view of the context in which this verse occurs, the object of presenting the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) conduct and way of life as a model was to teach a lesson to the people”

Conclusion

Muslims are supposed to follow Muhammad because he is a “beautiful pattern (of conduct),” and with that, we move on to question five.

Question Five: Does this still happen today?

Does what still happen today? Marrying prepubescent kids and consummating that marriage. To answer this question, we need to look at

Laws & News articles about child marriages in Islamic countries compared to other countries.

Islamic Countries:

(Iran) In Civil Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran13 On CHAPTER 2
MEDICAL FITNESS FOR MARRIAGE, Article 1041. It states: “Article 1041 – Marriage before the age, of majority is prohibited.” Now, the age of majority in Iran is 9 lunar years (8 years and 9 months).

(Iraq) From The Guardian14, CNN15 & Free Walk.16 Iraq has changed its women’s marriage law to 9 years old

(Niger) A study on “Niger’s Approach to Child Marriage: A Violation of Children’s Right to Health?“17 shows that there is no minimum age requirement for maiarrage in Niger.

Non–Islamic Countries:

(Japan) From U.S Embassy & Consulates In Japan on Marriage In Japan18. Shows that “The male partner must be 18 years of age or older and the female partner must be 18 years of age or older.”

(Italy) From Girls Not Brides19 & ECPAT Country Overview,20 make it very clear that “the minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years”

(China) From The Marriage Law Of The People’s Republic Of China21 on ARTICLE 5: “No marriage shall be contracted before the man has reached 22 years of age and the woman 20 years of age. Late marriage and late childbirth should be encouraged.”

Conclusion

Islamic Countries allow child marriage, whereas everywhere else does not.

Final Conclusion And Thoughts

So, let me make something abstract here. So the question is, “Was Muhammad a child molester?” and to answer that question, we looked at Muhammad’s Sex life, and Muhammad’s effect on the world with that sex life. We proved that Muhammad had sex with a 9-year-old prepubescent girl, and we proved it by looking at the menarche of Sladi girls from 500 AD. By looking at that, we found out that Sladi girls from the 5th century had their menarche at 12.5 years old.

We also look at why it even matters if Muhammad did have sex with a prepubescent girl, and what we found was that the Quran says to follow Muhammad in all the things that he does. With this, we run into a lot of issues, because Muhammad had sex with a prepubescent girl. Looking into the world’s laws, we find that Islamic Countries have a much lower minimum age of marriage and consent than other countries. And with knowing all of this information, we can conclude that Muhammad was a child molester.

Common rebuttals

“But Rebekah was 3 years, when Isaac married her.“

“If it is from Allah, then it is Good.”

“But the life expectancy in 600 BC was 20-30 years old, so girls had their menarche earlier.”

“But Rebekah was 3 years old when Isaac married her.“

A common comeback for Muslims when you talk about Muhammad’s sex life is for them to attack Christianity and the bible. They will normally go to Rebekah from the book of Genesis, and they will say Isaac married her when she was 3 years old. But there are a couple of issues with this argument.

I. She was NOT 3 years old.

Nowhere in the bible does it say Rebekah was 3 years old when Isaac married her, nor does it ever hint at it. (If you would like a deeper understanding of this, follow the footnote.)22

II. What if Isaac did marry her when she was 3?

Even if Rebekah was 3 years old, Isaac is not our perfect pattern of conduct. Jesus is. So even if Isaac did marry Rebekah when she was 3, it does not mean it was a good thing or even what we should do.

“If it is from Allah, then it is Good.”

Another common comeback for Muslims when you talk about Muhammad and Aisha is “If it is from allah, then it is good.” I have one Big issue with this

I. Sex with a prepubescent girl is not healthy

As we have proved with many studies. If a prepubescent girl has sex, she will have extreme anogenital damage and her mental health with be extremely low for most of her life. If allah thinks that is good, then that is one messed-up God.

“But the life expectancy in 600 AD was 30-40 years, so girls had their menarche earlier.”

Demography in Archaeology: by Chamberlain, Andrew23, shows that the common life expectancy in 600 AD was 30-40 years. But as we have shown, studies by many people show that the age of menarche does not change

“But She Was Not Prepubescent”

As we note in this post, a couple of times, she was very much prepubescent, but let’s say for a second that she hit puberty when she was 9 years old…

I. What IF She Hit Puberty Right Before The Consummation

So let’s say she did hit puberty right before the consummation, would it still be healthy for her? No. As we talked about in Chapter 3, “If the girl does not wait till 3 years after her menarche, they will have an even higher chance of having anogenital damage.” So yeah, it still would not be healthy for Muhammad to do that to Aisha.

Foot notes

  1. Sahih al-Bukhari 5125 ↩︎
  2. Sciencedirect: Child Molestation ↩︎
  3. Pubertal Developmental Age among Saudi and Non-Saudi Young Females Living in Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia ↩︎
  4. Age at menarche and the reproductive performance of Saudi women ↩︎
  5. Decline in menarcheal age among Saudi girls ↩︎
  6. The Evolution of the Age at Menarche from Prehistorical to Modern Times ↩︎
  7. Children aren’t starting puberty younger, medieval skeletons reveal ↩︎
  8. Early sexual initiation and mental health: A fleeting association or enduring change ↩︎
  9. Long-term consequences of early sexual initiation on young adult health: A causal inference approach ↩︎
  10. Growing Up Too Fast: Early Exposure to Sex ↩︎
  11. The Growing Epidemic of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescents: A Neglected Population ↩︎
  12. Growth of the birth canal in adolescent girls ↩︎
  13. Civil Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran ↩︎
  14. The Guardian:Iraq passes laws that critics say will allow child marriage ↩︎
  15. CNN: Iraqi lawmakers pass a bill that critics say legalizes child marriage ↩︎
  16. Free Walk: Iraq’s new law allowing children as young as 9 to marry undermines women and girls’ rights ↩︎
  17. Niger’s Approach to Child Marriage: A Violation of Children’s Right to Health? ↩︎
  18. U.S Embassy & Consulates In Japan on Marriage In Japan ↩︎
  19. Girls Not Brides: Italy ↩︎
  20. ECPAT Country Overview: Italy ↩︎
  21. The Marriage Law Of The People’s Republic Of China ↩︎
  22. VIDEO: Did Isaac Marry a Child in the Bible? ↩︎
  23. Demography in Archaeology: by Chamberlain, Andrew(Chapter 4) ↩︎

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