Question:
I dont mean to be rude but what was the reason for the prophet muhammad pbuh taking asiah as his wife at 9? I only ask because i want to come to his defense but im not educated on this matter. sorry if this question seemed inappropreiate but i had to ask it from my own knowledge and understanding. salaam!
Answer:
All praise are due to Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the most noble of men to ever live, and the kindest of people to women. He honored women and cancelled out the barbaric practice of killing infant daughters that existed prior to Islam, and commanded men to be kind to women. He said, “Show kindness to women, for indeed they are fragile vessels among you .”
In our culture, one may assume that a man marrying a young woman would be exploiting her, since she is defenseless. But according to Islamic Law, a man cannot marry a woman without the consent of her guardian, her father. Any attempt to exploit a woman would be checked by her father, who would ensure that his daughter is protected and her rights are preserved, and that the marriage would be permanent and long term.
Regarding his marriage to ‘Aisha, there are many great wisdoms for this marriage, and it in no way detracts from his character, rather it shows the nobility of his character. ‘Aisha’s father, Abu Bakr, trusted the Prophet peace be upon him so much, that he was willing to wed him his own daughter. The Prophet Muhammad pbuh loved and respected Aisha, and treated her as a noble wife, and honored her.
Furthermore, Aisha was proposed to before the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him asked for her hand in marriage. This indicates that such marriages were common in Arabia, and that women attained puberty earlier in such environs.
We also note that ‘Aisha herself loved Prophet Muhammad, and devoted her life to teaching his sayings, called hadith. In fact, another wisdom behind the Prophet’s marriage to her was because of her intelligence, and so that she could remain a leading scholar and judge many years after the Prophet’s death, a role which she indeed fulfilled. She was the second most prolific narrator of Prophetic hadiths, and a top judge whom all the Prophet’s companions referred to for judicial rulings, a great honor indeed.
And Allah knows best.