Aisha’s Marriage and her Historic Role

Ibn Shubrumah’s view in these words: “He claimed that the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha when she was six years old was among his special privileges.” (Fath al-Bari by Ibn Hajar, Vol. 9, p. 190) This explanation is not logical, because the special privileges of a prophet belong to him in his capacity as a prophet of God, not in any other capacity. Moreover, no such marriage is established from the life of any other prophet. In modern times, scholars have tried to defend this matter in different ways. For example, Mawlana Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi, while discussing this subject in his book, writes: “When Aisha was married, she was six years old. The real purpose of this early marriage was to strengthen the relationship between Prophethood and Caliphate. First, the warm climate of Arabia naturally gave women an unusual capacity for physical development. Second, it is generally observed that just as distinguished individuals possess an extraordinary capacity for mental and intellectual development, they may also possess a special capacity for physical growth. In English, this is called precociousness.” (Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi, Sirat Aisha, Dar al-Musannifin, Azamgarh, p. 24) In Sayyid Sulayman Nadvi’s book, the word is written as “pre-conscious.” The English spelling, however, is not given. In my view, the English word probably intended by