When investigating what Islam teaches about child marriage, we need to examine multiple sources. First and foremost is the Qur’an, the highest authority in Islam, along with its tafasir, commentaries by Islam’s greatest scholars. Then we need to look at Sharia law; the four Sunni madhahib (schools), as well as those of Shia Islam. Every true Muslim must necessarily subscribe to one of these schools of law to be able to claim they fully understand Islamic teaching.
For the Qur’an, there are three relevant verses we initially need to look at to understand the grounding of this topic in Islam. The first is surah 33:49: “O you who have believed, when you have sex (marry) with the believing women, then you divorce them before you have touched them, you do not have the waiting period against them which you count. So give them enjoyment (a gift), and let them go in a beautiful way.” There is no waiting period, عِدَّةٍ, ‘iddatin’, for these women. If a woman gets a divorce (which is lawful and regulated in Islam) before having intercourse with her husband, she can get married again immediately and does not have to sit out her waiting period, which is called the ‘iddah’.
Meanwhile, in surah 2:228, we see that for regular situations when the woman does have intercourse with her husband before divorcing him, she does have to observe iddah: “And the divorced women should keep themselves three menstruations. It is not lawful for them to hide what Allah has created in their wombs if they were believer in Allah and in the last day. And it will be more right for their husbands to bring them back when in this state if they desire reconciliation. And they have rights similar to the one over them in fairness. And to the men, a higher degree than them. And Allah is dear, wise.”
Obviously, this can only apply to women who have menstrual cycles, which resulted in the revelation of surah 65:4: “And for those of your women who despair of the menstruation, if you doubt [that they may be pregnant], their prescribed waiting time is three months, as well as for those who have not yet begun menstruation. And as for the pregnant ones, their term is until they give birth. And whoever fears Allah, he will make his affair the easiest.” This can only be referring to young girls who haven’t reached puberty yet, as this is the only scenario in which someone isn’t currently experiencing it, but will in the future.
Tafsirs for this verse are unanimous on the meaning. Al-Jalalayn writes of “those who have not yet menstruated, because of their young age, their period shall [also] be three months.” Ibn Kathir writes in his tafsir: “Ibn Abi Hatim recorded a simpler narration than this one from Ubay bin Ka‘b who said, “O Allah’s Messenger! When the Ayah in Surat Al-Baqarah was revealed prescribing the ’Iddah of divorce, some people in Al-Madinah said, ‘There are still some women whose ’Iddah has not been mentioned in the Qur’an. There are the young, the old whose menstruation is discontinued, and the pregnant.’ Later on, this Ayah was revealed.” Maududi tells us that “They may not have menstruated as yet either because of young age.”
When pointing out that surah 65:4 is referring to young girls, al-Qurtubi, al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, al-Jalalayn and others all use forms of the Arabic word صغير, “sagheer.” Lane’s lexicon says that when the term “sagheerah” is applied to a human being, it means “a child; i.e. one who has not attained to puberty.” This shows that the Qur’an is absolutely talking about young girls who have yet to undergo puberty being married.
The standard Muslim response to the allegation that Islam promotes child marriage is surah 4:6: “And test the orphans until they reach the age of having sex (marriage), so if you perceive in them a sound judgment, so hand over their money to them. But do not consume it wastefully or by hastily entrusting it to them until they grow up. And whoever was rich, so let him stay away from it; and whoever was poor, so let him consume from it with fairness. So when you give over their money to them, so take witnesses over them. And Allah is a sufficient accounter.”
Muslims often use references such as this one about not having intercourse with a young wife until she’s physically ready for it and conclude that this means being physically ready is puberty, but this is reading back into the text. None of the tafsirs hold that the Qur’an is determining marriageable age in this verse, and none of the scholars understood it like this; the words “marriageable age” in 65:4 denote that they are able to fulfill the purpose of marriage, which is procreation, after one reaches puberty, and it is about returning property to orphans after they attain puberty.
For example, a girl could reach puberty at age eleven, yet even by age twelve, she’s not physically able to handle intercourse. In this scenario, in Islam, she wouldn’t consummate her marriage yet, aside from the Hanbali school, which dictates that a husband can force it at the age of nine. If a girl reached puberty at age eleven but she was able before the age of nine to handle intercourse, in Islam her marriage would be consummated at age nine. Being physically able to handle intercourse is different for each individual. It could happen before or after puberty, and this is the position of the Muslim scholars; puberty is not relevant when the decision is made.
We will now turn our attention to Sharia and examine some examples from the four schools of Sharia law in Sunni Islam; Shafi’i, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali, in all of which this subject is extensively discussed.
Starting with the Shafi’i madhhab, in Reliance of the Traveller, one of the most renowned classical manuals of fiqh, we read in n9.2: “A waiting period is obligatory for a woman divorced after intercourse, whether the husband and wife are prepubescent, have reached puberty, or one has and the other has not.” Part n9.9 reads: “The waiting period for a woman who does not menstruate, whether prepubescent or post-menopausal, is 3 months.” We can clearly see here that marriage to prepubescent girls or post-menopausal women is allowed and regulated, with divorce rules for such women in operation.
Al-Hidayah is one of the most pre-eminent legal manuals of the Hanifi school, and here we can see again what Sharia holds regarding child marriage: “If they are married away by the father or the grandfather, that is, the minor boy and the minor girl, they have no option, after they attain puberty.” It continues: “If they are married away by someone other than the father and the grandfather, then, each one of them will have the option upon attaining puberty; if they like they can maintain the contract and if they like they can revoke it.”
The Risala: A Treatise On Maliki Fiqh of Maliki jurisprudence also tells us about prepubescent girls who had their marriage consummated. Section 33.2: “The ’idda for a free woman who is widowed is four months and ten nights, whether a child or adult, consummated or not, Muslim or kitabi. For a slave girl who is partially free it is two months and five days, except in the case of an older woman whose period is delayed. Then she waits until the doubt is removed. As for the one who does not menstruate because of youth or old age and her marriage was consummated, she cannot marry until three months after the death of the husband.” Here, the Maliki school refers to divorce regarding a girl who doesn’t menstruate because of youth or old age, and hence, a marriage involving such a girl is perfectly harmonious with this madhhab.
The Hanbali school dictates in Sharh ‘Umdah al Fiqh: “The father is entitled to give his minor children, male and female and his virgin daughters, in marriage without their consent”. We can gain further insight from Fath al-Bari, volume 11, page 25, which says that “Muslim schools of jurisprudence unanimously allow the marriage of young girls, even if they were still babies in the cradle.” This statement is absolutely indisputable, and no matter which school a Muslim accepts, this practice is absolutely legislated in Islamic law.
Moving to Shia Islam, Ayatollah Khomeini wrote about this topic in the classical commentary and Shia jurists guide Tahrir al-Wasilah: “Intercourse with a woman is not allowed unless she attains the age of nine years, regardless whether the marriage is permanent or temporary. There is, however, no objection in other enjoyments like touching lasciviously, hugging and rubbing the thighs, even with a suckling infant. If a person has had intercourse with a girl before she has attained the age of nine years, but it has not resulted in ifḍā: he shall not be subjected to any punishment, except that he shall be considered to have committed a sin.” This not only affirms child marriage anytime after the age of nine, but also legitimizes graphic sexual actions with a girl of any age before it, regardless of any of her characteristics.
In review, the Qur’an allows for marriage and intercourse with prepubescent girls, the Islamic commentaries affirm that the Qur’an is referring to prepubescent girls, all four Sunni schools of jurisprudence allow marriage and intercourse with prepubescent girls, and Shia Islam allows for child marriage past the age of nine and until then, sexual acts with infants. The only conclusion for someone who views the evidence objectively is that Islam definitively teaches that child marriage and intercourse with prepubescent children is permissible.
Sylvia Drummond says
By child marriage they mean the marriage of little girls, not boys. The obsession of these men with menstruation childbirth, intercourse, divorce etc makes one wonder what their so called religion would consist of if there were no little girls or women in the world.
Infidel says
Islam: what one gets if one wants to codify pedophilia into a ‘religion’
gravenimage says
Yep.
tim gallagher says
I think that this disgusting practice of marrying off young girls is quite plainly wrong to almost all non-Muslims. It seems to be one of those self evident things for normal people. It is just quite obviously wrong. So I think that the men who created Islam were a bunch of evil, bizarre and sick people. I suppose that the evil crap that they considered to be OK, maybe, wasn’t all that weird back in the 7th century, but humanity has progressed a lot since then and Islam is full of absolutely primitive and barbaric garbage and child marriage is definitely one of those things. Humanity has become more civilised over the centuries, but Islam is a sick leftover from primitive times in so many different ways.
gravenimage says
Even in the 7th century, when marrying young was understandibly more common than it is now due to the much lower life expectancy, it was still *never* the norm to marry pre-pubescent children. Only Islam sacralizes this perversion.
tim gallagher says
Yeah, I’m sure that would be right, gravenimage. I think, in any age, most people would see that marrying and having sex with young children is against nature. The people who came up with so much of the content of Islam had to be very strange and very evil types of people. But it seems that everything that islam comes up with is set in stone because they actually think there is a god who approves of their barbaric rubbish. You would think that Muslims would jettison some of the garbage in Islam, such as child marriage, because it is indefensible to most people. I think that there probably are many Muslims who don’t marry off their daughters at really young ages, but I’m not sure if that is the case. It is just based on what I observe in the way Muslims seem to live here in Australia. On what you said about the very low life expectancy, I do recall reading about female members of European royalty being married off at 11 years of age (maybe males as well). I suppose, if the average life expectancy might have been in your thirties, that probably would explain that sort of thing to some degree. Lots of the crap islam believes is OK is, to my mind, just downright bizarre. It is full of such primitive garbage.
gravenimage says
Moreover, Tim, being subjected to rape so young gravely damages many girls *physically* as well. That Aisha never had any children–although Muhammed was described as still being fertile into his old age–may well be for this very reason.
tim gallagher says
No doubt about it, gravenimage. This marrying off and having sex with very young girls, as in Islam, seems so obviously wrong. It seems absurd to me that anyone can think that there is a god, if a god does exist, which I do believe is the case, that can condone such behaviour. They were an evil bunch of barbarians who thought up islam, that’s for sure.
gravenimage says
Agree, Tim.
Jim says
Well, it does seem that child marriages are sexual predation against children and totally wrong and immoral. Probably the original texts come from a time when extreme patriarchy was the rule. But perhaps even in those days, the men who made such rules were psychopaths. Presumably, women had no say in writing the sacred texts. Sharia seems to be the law for savage conquerors such as the Huns, or many armies are filled with men who have lost all sense of morality other than selfish exploitation of victims. Religions to remain viable in the modern world should be able to change and evolve, but the Islamic scriptures seem not to permit change. The ancient peoples before Christianity had such militant religions, but they were replaced by Christianity and of course Judaism over time. But Islam offers a legitimation of sexual exploitation of women. Not everyone in Muslim societies necessarily agrees to or practices such things, but obviously some do, and an awful lot of them make their way to The West, where they seem to be embraced with open arms. They get a pass to sexually groom children and commit rape. It is strange how the West condones its enemies instead of resisting them.
Terry Gain says
Child marriage is child abuse. Allah, who is a poorly conceivedI idea of god, condones child abuse. This is one more reason why Islam is not a religion.
gravenimage says
Terry, not all religions are true–nor are they all benignant.
Terry Gain says
GI
If Islam is so obviously not a true religion there is no point in people like you insisting that it is a religion. You are not a strategic thinker.
Phoebe Williams says
She never said Islam was true. She said it is a religion, just a false one.
Phoebe Williams says
It is obvious that it isn’t a true religion but if we define religion the same way as merriam webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion), then it is one, just false.
gravenimage says
Terry, I insist on reason. As I have noted, Islam is a religion by definition. I don’t believe that either changing our definition of words for Islam is strategic, nor that our pretending that things are other than they are is helpful. In fact, that sort of thing is a bit part of the problem we are in today.
And as I have said, your idea that one cannot oppose Islam without somehow redefining it as a non-religion does not hold water–good people stood against this vile creed, often successfully, for well over a thousand years.
And thank you, Ms. Williams–quite so.
Walter Sieruk says
A jihadwatch.org article explains it well where it reads Islamic tradition records that Muhammad consummated his marriage with (i.e., raped) Aisha when she was nine, and the resultant fact that child marriage is accepted in wide swaths of the Islamic world. Child marriage has abundant attestation in Islamic tradition and law.”
Male Muslim marriage of an adult man to a young girl who is really only a child of common in the world of Islam. One of the “reasons” for this female child abuse in Islam is because of the corrupt and perverse wickedness in the hearts of men. This is seen and described in the Bible with reads “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. [N.K.J.V.]
Furthermore, another “reason” girl/child marriages occur with middle aged and even old men is because the founder and prophet of Islam Muhammad married a child. Muslims throughout history as well as in current times actually view Muhammad as a “perfect man” and a “great example for them to follow.”
This well might prove the old saying to be true .The saying is that “Evil is always looking for an excuse.”
It’s also wise to remember prophet Muhammad did likewise engaged in brutal, ruthless murderous warfare. As do Muslims today such as the jihadist Muslim of ISIS, al Qaeda, Hezbollah Hamas and so forth. Many that old saying, just sited above, also explains the excuse for Muslim terrorism in the world today.
Jesus Himself Taught “By their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:20. Which might explain the vile child “marriage” of Muhammad and his violent and deadly behavior .Likewise also explains the twenty- first century Muslims who in child marriages and blood and murderous violence of Islam .As they see the prophet Muhammad d as their example of who to follow.
With all this about the fruits of Islam along with fruits history reveals about the life of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad .It thus further appropriate to make known that it might be in keeping with teaching of Jesus that Muhammad could well have been an actual prophet . Nevertheless the very most important thing to understand is the Muhammad was not a prophet send by God. Instead Muhammad was a lying deceptive false prophet send by Satan to start a false religion to lead many people astray.
For Jesus taught “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15.
gravenimage says
+1
Walter Sieruk says
The Islamic practice of an adult male Muslim having a marriage with a little girl who is only a child is clearly seen by most Westerners as a blatant action of child abuse of the vilest sort.
Nevertheless this heinous Islam tradition is accepted as “normal “in most of the Islamic world. Therefore, this may serve as an example of how the influence of Islam is able to warp the cogitation of the human mind to the extent that a person who is a Muslim might not be able to understand the obvious difference between right and wrong.
Such an awful thing as not having the discerning mental power to seethe clear difference is described in the Bible. For in Isaiah 5:20. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil…” [N.K.J.V.]
gravenimage says
What Does Islam Teach About Child Marriage?
…………………
Grimly accurate article by Phoebe Williams.
Note the idea that raping and casting aside a prepubescent child is deemed “beautiful”–*grotesque*.
Note, too, that this gives the lie to the frequent modern Islamic canard that all of these children–even those in grade school–have actually gone through puberty. Obviously not if they have not yet begun to menstruate.
And it is not just the Qur’an that sacralizes child rape–there is the model of the “Prophet” marrying little Aisha at six, and raping her at nine. That is the basis for the Islamic jurists referring to this age.
But even the caveat about being able to “handle”–i.e., survive–intercourse is hardly always observed:
“Afghanistan: 8-year-old bride of mullah bleeds to death on her wedding night”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/05/afghanistan-8-year-old-bride-of-mullah-bleeds-to-death-on-her-wedding-night
In fact, child “marriage” is rife all over the Muslim world–and places that try to end it find themselves opposed by Muslim clerics, who know that nothing is so Islamic as raping children *Ugh*.