The Prophet did not have a six-year-old wife. Let state the facts to show you why.

It is a known fact that traditions emanating from Kufa and Karbala tended to favour Mohammed's son-in-law Ali and his family line and are less sympathetic towards Aisha because of the sectarian splits occurring after the death of the Prophet. The origins of the Hadiths concerning Aisha being six at the time of her marriage seem to have emanated from Iraq, and there is no evidence that they were known in Medinah in the earliest times - which make them suspect.

Please consider the age of Aisha in relationship to the age of her sister Asma. Abdur Rahman ibn Arabi al-Zinad (1375), an early historian noted for his knowledge of Arab lineage, stated that Asma was ten years older than Aisha and that she died in 695 at the advanced age of 100 years. Ibn Kathir Dimashqui (1373) stated that Asma breathed her last in 695 when she was 100-years-old, and was older than her sister by ten years. If Asma was ten years older than Aisha, and was 100-years-old in 695, then Aisha would have been 90 had she lived to that year, and by simple subtraction of dates she must have been born in 605. Furthermore, if - as is claimed - Asma was 27 prior to the Hijrah, then Aisha must have been born 17 years prior to it. If, as is the generally accepted tradition, Aisha entered the Prophet's home as his fully married wife in 624 she must have been 19 not 9.

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, an eminent historian of the early era, stated that 'Abu Bakr married two women in the pre-Islamic era, who gave birth to four children. Abdullah and Asma were by Qatilah, while Abdur Rahman and Aisha were by Umm Ruman bint Amir. All these children were born before the advent of Islam'. The advent of Islam is 610; so if Aisha was born before that, then she must have been at the very least 12 years of age in the year of the Hijrah, and at least 14 at the time of her marriage in 624. Moreover it is not stated that Aisha was born just immediately before the advent of Islam. Tabari talks of her birth as being 'during the days of ignorance', which seems to suggest that it was not right at the end of that period in history.

Aisha was one of the first children to embrace Islam - therefore it must necessarily have been after the call to Prophethood in 610. Now, if Aisha was not born until four years after this, and we must surely assume that she must have been at least four years old before we can realistically speak of her accepting a faith herself, then her acceptance of Islam must have occurred in around 618. In that year it is highly unlikely that she could still have qualified as one of the first children to accept it. Many others had done so by then. If she was born some four years before the call, then it does make sense. Aisha claimed to have been the 19th person to accept Islam; this would obviously have been impossible if she did not take the faith until around 618. Also, she could not have been the 19th person if she was born in 614.

Most historians agree that Aisha passed away when she was 67 years old. Hisham ibn Urwah (763), the grandson of Aisha's sister Asma, gave the date of her death as in 672. Khalifa ibn al-Khayyat al-Usfuri (854), an authority on lineage and biography, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (855) also tell us that Aisha breathed her last in 672. If she was 67 in 672, then at the time of the Hijrah in 622 she must have been 17 years old. This again backs up the conclusion that she was 19 at the time of her marriage and not 9.

Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi, an advocate of the view that Aisha was married to the Prophet at the age of nine, is an example of a scholar who unconsciously offers arguments against his own case. In his book 'Seerat-e-Aishah' he states that 'The last phase of Amir Mu'awaiyah's Caliphate is the last stage of Aisha's life. At that time, she was 67 years old.' In the same book a few chapters later he writes that 'Aisha was a widow and in that state she passed 40 years of her life.' Like so many others Nadvi cannot have done his maths. If Aisha lived to be 67, with a widowhood spanning four decades, this confirms that she was 27 when the Prophet passed away not 17. Looked at another way, since the Prophethood was a period of 23 years, Aisha must have been born four years prior to its commencement, and not four years after it. Furthermore, it also supports the conclusion that if Aisha was 17 in the year of the Hijrah and entered the Prophet's home two years later she must have been 19 not 9.

Let me make a few further points. After the death of Khadija the Prophet’s aunt Khawlah bint Hakim offered to search out a new wife for him, bearing in mind that he had four young daughters to bring up. The only serious hurdle to the marriage with Aisha was that she had long been engaged to Jubayr ibn Mut ‘im ibn Adi, a young man who had not embraced Islam – an engagement which was an embarrassment to both parties. Jubayr’s parents were concerned that their son would be coerced into accepting Islam once he was married to Aisha. They were thus happy to end the engagement and release Aisha to marry the Prophet. What this indicates is that this prior engagement could surely not have taken place after the advent of Islam as the very fact that Aisha was a Muslim was used as the excuse for breaking it off. So if Aisha had been engaged to Jubayr before the advent of Islam she could not have been born four years after the advent of Islam.

Aisha took part in battles after the Hijrah. All those who took part in the battles were adults. There is a report in Bukhari as follows: “On the day (of the battle) of Uhud when (some) people retreated and left the Prophet, I saw Aisha daughter of Abu Bakr and Umm Sulaim, with their robes tucked up so that the bangles around their ankles were visible hurrying with their water skins. Then they would pour the water in the mouths of the people, and return to fill the water skins again and came back again to pour water in the mouths of the people.” According to a number of narratives, Aisha accompanied the Muslims in the battle of Badr and Uhud furthermore, it is also stated in books of Hadith and history that no one under the age of 15 years was allowed to take part in the battle of Uhud. All those below 15 years of age were sent back as they were not allowed to participate at that young age. Aisha’s participation in the battle of Badr and Uhud clearly indicates that she was not 9 or 10 years old at that time. After all, only women used to accompany men in battlefields to help them.

All the scholars agree that Aisha possessed an excellent brain, and had a very sound knowledge of the Koran, the Hadiths, and was also highly skilled in the fields of lineage, poetry, literature and criticism. It was claimed by many that she had an excellent literary taste and a notable memory for poetry, which she could quote copiously. She was also skilled in the medical science of that age. No doubt she acquired her knowledge of Koranic interpretation and other studies in theology from the best of teachers – the Prophet himself. However, there is no indication or evidence to the fact that she learned the science of lineage or developed her taste for poetry and literature in the company of the Prophet. He was neither a poet nor an authority on lineal matters. It is also highly unlikely that he had time for such ‘extra-Prophetic activities’, or for educating his wife in these disciplines. It is not told to us whether any other person in Medinah imparted this knowledge to Aisha. On the other hand, it is well known that her father Abu Bakr was an authority on linealogy and also had good taste in poetry and literature. Therefore, it seems far more likely that Aisha gained her initial knowledge from her studies with her father – and it is unlikely that she would have been immersed in these studies when she was but a child of less than 9 years of age. On that premise it seems far more likely that she was 19 and not 9 when she quit Abu Bakr’s home in order to join her husband.

Furthermore, please see this forum thread: http://forum.mpacuk.org/showthread.php?t=6732

As for the reference about Aisha playing with dolls, that is often used to imply her extreme youth. In Bukhari a statement of Aisha herself is quoted in which she commented that a certain verse of the Koran (Surat al-Qamar: 46) was revealed to the prophet in Mecca when she was playing with her dolls. Surat al-Qamar was one of the early chapters of the Koran. Aisha, despite the reference to her dolls, knew that a revelation had been granted. It must be accepted, then, that she could not possibly have been born in the fourth year of the prophethood. She would hardly have realised the significance of the happening when she was a toddler of around one to two years old. It makes far more sense to assume that she was around 9 -10 years old – i.e. born in 605. Furthermore, the habit of a girl to play with dolls should not be used as an indication that she was less than six years old. The age that girls tend to play most with dolls is as they approach and enter puberty. Surat al-Qamar has not been dated precisely but if it was revealed some five years before the Hijrah (617) and if she was born in 605 she was 12 at the time, and likely to have dolls. That she was ‘playing’ is often used to suggest that she was a very young child. However, if we stop emphasizing the word ‘playing’ and look at the fact that her young female friends who were with her always promptly left the room whenever the prophet arrived there, it seems far more likely that these friends were all well into their teens and not small children. They were socialising rather than playing. Had they just been small children at games, it is highly unlikely that they would have run out when the prophet arrived, especially in view of the fact that he was famous for his affection for small children and willingness to join in their games. It must also be borne in mind that in those days (where there were obviously no radios or televisions) different types of games were played and acts performed for entertainment and pastime.